Super Bowl Proposal: A Marketing Case Study
We are entering the anticipation zone for 2007 Superbowl Ads, and I’m wondering how a brand can really do something that gets attention. Shall we turn our attention to consumer-generated ideas and new media buzz?
First, let’s re-cap: The New York Times media columnist, Stuart Elliott, wrote a helpful article (reg. required) on the good, bad and ugly of 2006. One of his "bad" selections was the Cadillac Escalade "fashion show" ad that we all knew would bomb. One ad that Stuart left out was the Dove Self-Esteem Fund ad (a series of images of girls and young women with text like "hates her freckles" and such overlaid). Perhaps there was no way to measure the sales-generating "success" of this piece, but anecdotally,it got a lot of women and men I know thinking and talking - and paying more attention to how their daughters and nieces felt about themselves. That’s a success, any way you slice it.
So, what may happen this year? We know that Frito-Lay is just one of the brands planning a consumer-generated ad. Otherwise, we generally expect big bucks will be spent and perhaps a "hot" celebrity or two will appear and.. well, the usual. (yawn)
There is one intriguing possibility brewing, however, and it may be just the humanizing, storytelling sponsorship opportunity a Superbowl advertiser needs: The SuperProposal (aka "the superbowl proposal").
Here’s the quick rundown: A guy who calls himself J.P. wants to propose to his longtime girlfriend during the big game (and wants to keep it a secret). At first he put out the online call to get donations, and raised $75,000. Then he realized that all the 2007 ads were long-since sold, so even if he raised several million dollars, he’d be out of luck. So - he has decided to proceed by getting the sponsorship attention of an existing Superbowl advertiser. So this is my marketing to women nudge for the cause.
For those brands interested in gaining the attention of the women who watch the Superbowl as well as the men, consider these reasons:
- You will be connecting people to one another around your brand. (You sponsor it, and consumers will make note of who aligned with this intriguing event.)
- You will be presenting an emotion-filled event with which lots of Superbowl watchers - and many of your consumers - can relate.
- You will offer something very different in a "same-old" saturated several hour timeframe that is all the more likely to catch viewers off guard, and keep them from running to the kitchen for the chips.
I will keep you updated as things progress with this consumer-generated sponsorship opportunity/marketing to women case study. <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Superproposal" rel="tag">Su
[Edit. note: As of Jan. 26, 2007, you can check out this page to get more information on the Superproposal as a marketing case study.]perproposal</a>
December 18th, 2006 at 1:14 pm
For more on the best-loved and most effective ads (in general, not just Superbowl), see this USA Today article: http://www.usatoday.com/money/advertising/adtrack/2006-12-17-year-end-ad-track_x.htm
December 26th, 2006 at 7:32 pm
I will never forget watching Apple Computer air their Superbowl Ad; it was so amazingly innovative; and when you think about it, it marketed to all genders and age groups. I liked your post, thought provoking.
December 26th, 2006 at 7:58 pm
I will never forget that Apple ad either. That tells me there is so much power in getting it right, doing something innovative and/or surprising viewers with cleverness (as Apple did then). If this marriage proposal is successful, it might be another “history of advertising” case study.
January 6th, 2007 at 10:41 am
Joe Morin - an Internet marketing consultant/blogger who first tipped me off to this, just posted a very thorough update of how much publicity a mainly blogger-generated buzz has garnered. His post is: http://equitymind.blogspot.com/2007/01/my-super-proposal-super-bowl-commercial.html
And, one section of the post - particularly related to the NFL Commissioner’s interest in raising female viewership is below:
This year, the NFL is on a push to increase viewership of the Superbowl and the demographic where they see the biggest increase is in female viewership. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell recently stated:
“It’s a very big initiative,” he said. “(Women) fans want to be treated as real fans because they love the game, understand the game and want to have the opportunity to experience the game just as anyone else does.”
While women comprise about 40 percent of the U.S. television audience for the Super Bowl, media watchers note the broadcasts fail to address them.
Commercials during the game, the most expensive television advertising event of the year in the U.S., are dominated by beer, cars and electronics.”