Commentary

Avoiding The Super Bowl Stunt Factor

For the ad industry, the planning period leading up to the Super Bowl is an exciting time -- practically a showroom for creativity, ad technology and innovation So, with Super Bowl XLIX upon us and vastly improved mobile video ad tech and cross-screen options at our fingertips, we may be tempted to push the envelope as we strive to delight the consumer. We might be wise to remember that excessive tech innovation may go overboard, leading us to forget what makes for quality consumer experience and thus coming across as nothing more than a stunt.

It sounds so obvious, it should be simple -- but, amid the tech salivation, putting on the consumer hat for a minute is essential. It’s the only way marketers can hope to strike the right balance between utility, entertainment and effective use of sight sound and motion via mobile video, keeping your brand in the minds of consumers the days after the experience.

Here are a few questions for savvy marketers to start the ball rolling.

What’s my mobile video tablet play? How can I deliver a truly quality experience within this format, this year, more than ever before? Tablet viewers tend to be at home, probably watching the game on the big screen, so video ads that complement this experience are best. Think about those user-generated Doritos ads. Wouldn’t it be great to see all of the other finalists before or during the game? Tablets are ideal for this mirrored experience. Too often, marketers use gimmicks rather than smart tactics like grasping the implicit difference between the tablet and smartphone user during the game. 

I know I should tease out my upcoming ads via social media, but what’s the cleverest way to leverage video sharing and cross-device consumer use? 

Very few campaigns actually execute creative sequencing, but social media turns consumers into brand advocates. Video within social media goes much further than goofy opaque posts. The Super Bowl gets so much attention that quality social media video integrations can go viral very quickly.

mCommerce and video are both heating up. What’s the most effective cross-section of these two, a play that will allow me to engage, drive quality experience and trigger commercial activity? 

Advertisers who sell products directly can start at the top of the funnel with TV ads and expand down through the funnel on other devices. Marketers often like to bulk up on more direct-response-type mobile video and desktop executions the next day because they know most consumers are heading back to work with the Super Bowl (and all those memorable ads) temporarily etched in their minds. 

The Super Bowl is the ultimate game for advertisers. Many careers are made or lost on the reaction to megabucks TV ads. PR agencies kick into high gear in the week leading up to the game. It’s important to resist the temptation to merely show variations of a costly ad throughout the digital sphere. Video teases across social media get consumer awareness to a higher level. Mobile video, in particular, provides a full-screen immersive experience that allows for not only a splashy companion piece, but a round trip interactive link back to social media and specialty sites. This virtuous circle can effectively froth up the brand before, during and after the game. 

Stunts and gimmicks that distract from the brand promise are just as damaging as bad ad executions during the game. Smart marketers opt for a cohesive and comprehensive strategy that uses video as the prime vehicle, with different unique executions that take advantage of the timing, form factor and the good old consumer mindset.

The bottom line is, there are so many other ways to project and enhance the brief flashes dancing across the screen between plays and chicken wings. 

1 comment about "Avoiding The Super Bowl Stunt Factor ".
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  1. Leonard Zachary from T___n__, January 29, 2015 at 1:16 p.m.

    Patiently waiting for the Buffalo Wings/Deflated Footballs commercial with a zing of missing cleats.

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