The day after Super Bowl 50 most people probably spent more time discussing the ads than they did analyzing the Denver Broncos defense, Peyton Manning’s NFL legacy, or Cam Newton’s petulance.
The USA Today ad meter rated Hyundai’s “First Date,” Heinz’s “Winner Stampede,” and Doritos “Ultrasound,” Doritos, “Doritos Dogs” and Hyundai “Ryanville” as the top five ads. Such ad ratings and others like it gain significant media coverage. Some brands and their agency brag about high ad ratings.
There’s a problem with such ratings. Just because consumers say they like an ad doesn’t mean they like the company or product and it certainly doesn’t mean they will buy the product.
Brands Watch the Wrong Scoreboard
Many brands watch the wrong scoreboard, said Matthew Fenton, of Three Deuce Branding, writes for The Business Journals. They want people to love their ads and they seek awareness. Consumers loved Radio Shack’s 2014 commercial in which 1980s pop culture icons dismantled a Radio Shack store. About four weeks later, Radio Shack closed about 20 percent of its locations and eventually filed for bankruptcy.
Rather than spending $5 million for a 30-second commercial that simply makes viewers chuckle, some savvy brands found a more effective strategy: Combine advertising with social media marketing and measure results through social media monitoring and measurement.
Ironically, one of the most talked about brands on Sunday wasn’t an official in-game Super Bowl advertiser. In a pregame ad, Esurance announced a contest in which the insurance company would award up to $1 million to people who tweeted its #Esurancesweepstakes. Tweets mentioning the brand spiked. Social media analysis revealed that Esurance obtained the most favorable mentions on Twitter during the game, according to CNBC.
“We wanted to leverage second-screen culture,” said Sarah Evans, Esurance social media communications specialist, told CNBC. “No one these days is just watching the TV. We’re surrounded by technology. We know the only way into somebody’s house, into somebody’s life, is not just through the TV screen, but through handheld devices and social media.” That’s probably true for millennials, but not so much for baby boomers.
Mountain Dew also obtained a large number of social media mentions with its commercial that featured “puppymonkeybaby” creature. However, at least one social media analysis found that conversations surrounding the hashtag were negative, countering the brand’s assertion that conversations were mostly positive.
Advertising agency Warschawski CEO David Warschawsk praised Mountain Dew’s advertising and marketing campaign, even though it might not have garnered a positive response overall. The key is to connect with your target audience, young men in Mountain Dew’s case.
“If you’re trying to make an emotional connection with a 25-year-old male, your mother shouldn’t love that commercial as well,” he told CNBC. “Too many advertisers make everyone love an ad and that isn’t the right approach.”
Bottom Line: Analyzing social media sentiment of a brand’s mentions is a more accurate gauge of an advertising campaign than popularity votes from the general public or media pundits. Major brands and their advertising agencies may celebrate if television viewers pick their Super Bowl ads as their favorites, but ads that appeal to the target audience are more likely to increase sales.
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
Social media is a big giant everywhere. Advertising, political campaigning, you name it. I still think it is a good idea to put up ads at sporting events like the Superbowl. People see them, but I also agree that these ads should go hand in hand with social media campaigns. This is the best way to reach people.