Having only launched a year ago, text answer service KGB thinks it's ready to play with the big brands, having bought an advertising slot during the Super Bowl airing on Feb. 7.
"We launched
a year ago and our service has been growing very rapidly through the year," Bruce Stewart, KGB CEO of Mobile and Digital, tells Marketing Daily. "This opportunity gives us a chance to reach a
broad and engaged audience and introduce them to KGB."
The company is currently mulling three commercials -- including one that would feature actors William and Stephen Baldwin -- to air during
the third quarter of the game. The other two will likely run during pre-game coverage that day as part of a new campaign for the company, Stewart says.
Over the past year, usage for the company's
service -- which provides specific answers to specific questions via text message through the use of company "agents" -- has grown both in frequency and demographics, Stewart says.
"We've now
seen that people are choosing to use it even when they have smartphones and browsers," Stewart says. "They're using it because they think it's a better way than sifting through thousands upon
thousands of search links."
However, running a commercial on the Super Bowl can be a gamble. There's a chance you could end up as one of the most-talked-about spots the next day. Or you could be
one of the ones in the middle that people can't quite recall. Stewart says the company has done enough research and preparation to be among the former.
"We expect a pretty significant spike on
the day of the Super Bowl and talk about the product," Stewart says. "Lots of our customers have recommended to a friend. We expect there will be lots of conversation among friends after the
commercial runs."