While the ratings for the 2008 Super Bowl were up, the reviews of Super Bowl commercials were down. However, a growing trend is the integration of marketing messages beyond the commercials into on-line platforms. Over 97 million people tuned in to watch the New York Giants upset the New England Patriots and end the quest for perfection. Previous Super Bowl advertising sought to capture the viewers with a single 30 second commercial. According to Fox, a 30 second commercial cost advertisers $2.7 million (cost per reach of 2.7 cents each). This year, advertisers used the Super Bowl as a medium to engage and connect viewers with their on-line strategy. Over half of the ads included a website address on the screen or in the voice over.
GoDaddy.com, which has created controversial, but effective ads, combined their advertising with extensive search marketing. Their Danica Patrick “Exposure” ad, which Fox deemed inappropriate, was offered for viewing on http://www.godaddy.com/. As part of their integration attempt, GoDaddy reportedly purchased more that 500 keyword phrases related to Super Bowl ads. As a result, their integration strategy resulted in a tremendous surge in traffic. Doritos “Sing Along” ads featured viewer generated content that included a viewer performing a song that was also featured on their website.
The ads for the Tide Pen encouraged users to visit the Tide website and share their story. So many people responded to the “talking stain” that traffic to the Tide site caused problems with their servers. While I did not like the CareerBuilder “Follow Your Heart” ad, CareerBuilder reported a surge in traffic. The Audi “Godfather-esque” ad included a reference to http://www.truthinengineering.com/
From a pure entertainment perspective, the Bud Light commercial featuring the Dalmatian and Clydesdales was my favorite. The Coke commercial featuring the Macy’s parade balloons was a close second. The FedEx and Bood Light spots were entertaining. While reviews were not overly positive, I liked the Under Armor Nation spot. The SalesGenie.com ads were a complete bomb- a waste of ad dollars. The commercials also featured several stars including Shaq, Ray Lewis, T.O. Charles Barkley and Justin Timberlake.
Classic Super Bowl Ads
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7754794/Classic-Super-Bowl-ads-through-the-years
View Super Bowl Ads
http://www.superbowl-ads.com/
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