Online power at the Super Bowl

Super Bowl 49 was the most watched  event in US television history which meant it brought a lot more to the table apart from the football. 114 million people tuned in to the “biggest show on earth” between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots (Business Insider source). The media thrives on what goes on before during and after the event, everything is judged on numerous platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Records were smashed in Super Bowl 49 where over 65 million people conversed about it online according to Facebook statistics. As a digital marketing tool the super bowl is instrumental to gaining access to an international audience and market, brands that pay the price can reap the benefits from exposure to a worldwide audience. According to statistics  50% of people watching the super bowl are tuned in alone for the adverts. There were winners and losers on the day and here are the pick of the bunch according to personal preference  and how they went down with the general public online.

The like a girl advert  was one that caught the public’s eye in particular as it wasn’t the norm for super bowl adverts, it caught on very quickly online and has brought to light a girls confidence issues in adolescence. It just shows how powerful social media has become with #LIKEAGIRL trending worldwide and the YouTube video having more than 50 million hits.

BMW used the historic development of technology to launch their all electric i3 car model into the competitive environmentally friendly car market, humour was key in this advert and it went down well.

 

Budweiser seem always smart and cute in their marketing techniques, again they were a huge hit with the lost dog story theme that highlighted the buds symbol that epitomizes the brand that is Budweiser. This particular advert has more than 27 million views on YouTube currently (CBC news top 10 ranked advert), not only does the super bowl expose these adverts to football fans but the general public which allows multinational brands such as BMW and Budweiser to gain new and keep loyal customers to their products.

  The halftime show is another massive topic to discuss in Super Bowl 49, the main performances were by Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliot. A performance at such an event as the Super Bowl can launch or re-launch a career in case of Missy Elliot her last chart hit going back to 2008 which peaked at no.95 (source usatoday.com) the exposure of performing at the biggest show on earth can do nothing but good for her career in the future. The power of social media and the online consumer was shown in this years Super Bowl and will no doubt continue in the future.

Media Domination of Super Bowl XLIX

The Super Bowl has become a media dominated event, where two franchises battle it out to win the Vince Lombardi trophy. It is the most watched American event of the year. However, to millions around the world, the Super Bowl is more than just a game of American Football. It is an opportunity for everyone around the world to get involved in the biggest social media event of the year. It is also an opportunity for large multinationals to capitalise on this occasion, and to broadcast their advertisements to huge worldwide audiences.  According to an article from Mike Ozanian (Forbes.com), NBC will need an average television audience of at least 120 million for this year’s Super Bowl between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots in order for advertisers to get the same bang for the buck as last year’s NFL championship game.(Business Source Complete).  Super Bowl XLIX ended up setting a U.S television record with 114.4 million viewers. This extraordinary figure shows why marketers all around the world choose the Super Bowl as an advertising medium.  However, this medium comes with large costs, as latest figures shows that a 30 second advertisement during the Super Bowl will cost the company an astounding $4.5 million.
Having an advertisement for may not turn out fully positive if not utilised properly. In fact, during this year’s Super Bowl, Nationwide
(Columbus, Ohio-based insurance company which has a rich sports marketing imprint with sponsorships of the NFL) got it wrong in a big way with their ad about a dead child. Twitter nearly erupted over the ad with many calling it the worst Super Bowl ad ever. (Article from Kurt Badenhausen, Business Source Complete) This has generated hugely negative publicity across the whole country for Nationwide, which might turn out to be catastrophic for the business.

To show how big a role media plays during the Super Bowl, the NFL dedicates a full day of the week of the build up to the Super Bowl to the media. This day usually takes place on the Tuesday (6 days before the game) known as ‘Media Day’.  The ‘Media Day’ is held at the stadium holding the event on the following Sunday. This year’s Super Bowl took place at US Airways Centre in Phoenix, Arizona.  Media Day offers the fans of both teams to hear from their favourite players and coaches, but it also offers marketers the opportunity to flood the day with advertisements in order to brainwash the viewers that are tuning into the event.

The event is sponsored by Gatorade, known all around the world for their energising sports drink. The publicity that Gatorade  generate in the game of American Football is the reason why they are in the top 100 (#86) of the world’s most powerful brand names, according to Forbes Magazine.

The most memorable, and without doubt, most controversial moment that caused the Twitter world to erupt was when Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch refused to answer any of the media’s questions with any other answers than “I’m just here so I don’t get fined”. According to an article from Sean Gregory (Time.com), the NFL threatened Lynch with a $500,000 fine if he didn’t show.( Business Source Complete)

Video of Full Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1kvwXsZtU8

This interview began to trend under the hashtag #BeastMode, which allowed for the whole world to get involved with the event, and extend their input on the matter.