Mad 4 Blog

Last week, we reported that the Feb. 5 Super Bowl pulled in 111.3 million users, but Madonna’s halftime show pulled in 117.7 sets of eyes. And 114 million were tuned in for the last half-hour, watching as the Giants came back to shut down the Patriots.

Aside from the small screen, there were also an additional 2.11 million viewers watching the game online via live-streaming hosted on NBC. And an estimated 98 million fans used an app on their mobile devices at some point or another to check on the game, reports USA Today. The same article states that users increasingly checked their phones during the first three quarters of the game, but then were more likely to watch the fourth quarter and halftime on their television sets. With so many people likely checking the score online or on their mobile device, those broadened the spectrum for advertisers to reach Super Bowl audiences without the millions of dollars necessary for a television commercial.

And the TV commercials themselves have garnered quite an interest online; in fact, for the second year in a row, Hulu has dedicated an entire channel to viewing the ads. Yes, people are actually logging online just to watch commercials. The art form has certainly come a long way. An estimated 73% of Super Bowl viewers today consider the commercials a part of the night’s entertainment, according to a BIGinsight survey. However, only 16.9% say they feel they come away from watching these pieces with expanded brand awareness.

Then again, numbers can’t tell us everything. Although we mentioned last week that the Skechers ad was a critical favorite, USA Today article tells us that Flurry considers commercials the strongest where people looked up from their phones toward the TV: This happened primarily for the Elton John Diet Pepsi spot. But those rating commercials on Hulu have the Volkswagen ad eking by sheerly on terms of popularity. And the Hulu critic’s pick was an out-of-the-box baby-in-a-sling Doritos ad. (Neilsen reports have this as the most memorable ad days after the fact, as well.)

Which Super Bowl commercials were your favorite, and why?

Super Bowl 2012 boasted the largest viewership in the championship’s history, with 111.3 million tuned in to their TVs (a rise of 0.3 over the previous record from last year). Naturally, that’s going to mean it’s “super” important which commercials showed and what trends advertisers were using to promote those expensively promoted brands.

Many of the ads we saw this year were derivatives of success stories from former years. Top contenders were Budweiser, E*Trade, GoDaddy, Volkswagen and Doritos. No major brands made a surprise appearance during what would have been a smash year to debut.

Another trend was the introduction of dogs – perhaps a cheeky reference to the day’s other big televised event, the Puppy Bowl? Canines were featured in commercials for Volkswagen, Skechers, Doritos and Bud Light:

• Volkswagen showed a dog getting in shape to chase the new Beetle. But at the end, it cuts to a surprise scene calling back to last year’s Darth Vader triumph, a smart little wink to audiences.
• Skechers highlighted a French bulldog named Mr. Quiggly who wins a race by running in the brand’s sneakers. (This ad was picked as the best overall by the Michigan State University Department of Advertising, which has been rating the event’s commercials for 15 years.)
• Doritos showed a Great Dane bringing his owner chips in order to stay quiet about the neighborhood’s missing cat.
• Bud Light featured a rescue dog trained to fetch beers, and the commercial ended by informing viewers how they can also connect with pets in need.

One viewer favorite was a Honda CRV commercial featuring Matthew Broderick spoofing cult classic “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Another hit was David Beckham’s latest underwear advertisements for H&M, which prove to the world that the aging athlete’s still got it. Elton John’s Diet Pepsi spot caused a lot of controversy in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, as he panned Madonna’s upcoming halftime performance and touted his own appearance (the ad also highlighted Fox’s “The X-Factor”). M&Ms once again toed the line between risqué and humorous as red character stripped out of his candy shell, confusing the brown female character for being naked.

Check back next week for a by-the-numbers look at how these ads performed.

Although Steve Jobs, Apple’s iconic CEO from 1997-2011, was mostly known for his exemplary inventions and developments at the forefront of computer technology, his contributions to the marketing landscape can’t be overlooked. With a firm emphasis on user engagement and sleek design, Jobs left no stone unturned when it came to thinking about every product’s ultimate advertising appeal. From the crisp white, sleek lines of the Mac to the intuitive touchscreen of the iPhone, Jobs refused to settle for less than the most sellable attributes for each of his products.

Apple first came into focus as a marketing role model in 1984, when it debuted its now-famous third-quarter Super Bowl XVIII commercial. This ad played on Orwell’s
“1984” themes of Big Brother, showing a woman fighting conformity with a hammer and representing the unique attributes of the market’s newest PC, Macintosh. At the time, the commercial was a record-setter with a production cost of $900,000. It set precedence for major commercial debuts during the annual American football event; as of 2010, costs for a 30-second spot averaged at $2.65 million.

Even 22 years later, Apple would again make a splash via TV ads for the Mac that showed a hip, young male claiming to be the face of the brand as compared to a slower, dowdy and more conservative rep for the PC. The “Get a Mac” campaign spawned 19 spots and inspired several reverent riffs; it was quickly lauded as the best commercial campaign of the decade, if not the century thus far.

But the genius of Apple, Inc.’s advertising wasn’t contained to one mass format. Who can forget 2006’s iPod print ads featuring dancing silhouettes wearing the recognizable white ear buds of Apple’s groundbreaking personal music storage device? Musicians who later partnered with the advertising efforts for iPod through their faces and tunes included U2’s Bono, Mary J. Blige, Eminem and Coldplay.

Jobs’ focus on image went far beyond television commercials and print advertisements. He even went so far as to use himself as part of his brand’s iconography, becoming known for his standard outfit of jeans, sneakers and a black long-sleeved shirt when debuting the latest Apple products to the public. On the stage, Jobs showed supreme command of his audience by blending humor, forthrightness and showmanship to enthrall fans and investors alike. With his modest personality and choreography, paired with the flawless execution of graphic displays and accessible product demos, there was a precision and thoughtfulness to the shows that matched the high level of quality with which the brand has always been associated. These presentations superseded the role of press junket to become hotly anticipated events among the who’s who of tech media and moguls.

Jobs understood that even consistently offering the newest and best products wasn’t enough; standout branding that’s consistent from top to bottom in all media is also imperative to successful marketing. At age 56, following a long battle with pancreatic cancer, Jobs passed away among family on Wednesday, October 5, 2011.

Television advertising is far from dead. Although viral marketing via website banners and streaming video is the new bandwagon in media placement, a well-executed TV commercial is still a guaranteed way to increase your company’s sales while expanding brand awareness. But only if you do it right. Here are five tips for successful television advertising:

1) Entertainment is essential. Let’s face it, no matter how smart and practical your products or services are, when people are facing the television screen, they’re expecting some form of entertainment. This doesn’t mean comedy; serious spots work just as well. But from start to finish, it’s important to keep a viewer engaged so that they’ll remember your message and absorb all of the information your commercial is seeking to convey.

2) Be brief. Televised ads traditionally average 30 seconds in length. Identify a key message or a few main points and make sure that your advertisement explicitly features these elements. Because television ads aren’t something that prospective customers can reference at their leisure, your message must be clear-cut and easy to understand on the first viewing. Clouding your message with too many other details or off-topic iconography can strongly undercut your ROI. However, even the most concise commercials may take several impressions per viewer to create a lasting, measurable impact, so be patient rather than worry that your message didn’t take hold.

3) Visuals are vital. While print advertising allows you to outline facts about your business, and radio focuses on speaking directly to the potential buyer, television is about conveying a message primarily through pictures. Your goal is to create visual impact that enforces your key messaging and leaves a strong impression with the viewer. Advertising agencies that specialize in storyboarding and graphic messaging will help elevate your commercial content; you’ll also want a knowledgeable director on your set when filming.

4) Call to action is critical. Give your captive audience a valid reason to call or visit your website to make further contact and begin developing a relationship. Provide viewers with a strong impression of your brand and let them know what sets you apart from the competition—this will serve as a reminder when they’re ready to commit or seek more information. Remember, if a television viewer goes to bed humming your theme song but doesn’t know what you do or how to reach you in the future, then even the biggest blockbuster commercial won’t actually improve your bottom line over time.

5) Seek out specialists. Consult with an experienced media buyer to help you ascertain the correct locales, stations and times for airing your ad within your budget. Media buyers have access to comparative data about viewer demographics and reactivity, and they can offer valuable insight to the logistics and statistics of when and where your ad would make the greatest impact. Then, of course, they can help you purchase those time slates. Working with a comprehensive advertising agency that has plenty of experience with purchasing, designing, creating and tracking commercials is the best way to ensure that you’re on the most surefire path to successfully advertising on television.