What Happened to All the Brands that Didn’t Have Super Bowl Ads?

The Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots weren’t the only ones competing on Super Bowl Sunday. Twitter turned the big game into a social media competition with #BrandBowl52.

#BrandBowl52 marked Twitter’s attempt to solidify themselves as the social network for all Super Bowl advertisers. They honored not only brands that viewers saw over and over, but they included brands that didn’t air commercials during the big game. The brands that were the most often referenced on Twitter during the game were the big winners.

Besides the spotlight, winning brands will receive actual trophies, as well as access to exclusive Twitter ad products and consumer research and exclusive 90-day use of a custom emoji. Ryan Oliver, Twitter’s head of brand strategy for the U.S. and Canada, called #BrandBowl52 the “first ever social subscription for users to get TV spots delivered to them on Twitter.” What does this mean for the future of the multimillion-dollar Super Bowl commercials? One things for sure, Twitter is making it more inexpensive for brands to get their message out there.    

Here is the full rundown of the #BrandBowl52 brand winners:

#MVP
Awarded to the brand that received the highest percentage of brand-related tweets.
Winner: Pepsi

#Blitz
Awarded to the brand that generated the most tweets per minute.
Co-winners: Doritos and Mountain Dew

#Quarterback
Awarded to the brand that received the most retweets on a single tweet.
Winner: Universal Pictures’ “Jurassic World”

#Interception
Awarded to the brand that did not run a national TV spot during the game but received the highest percentage of brand-related tweets.
Winner: Ally Bank

Twitter also recognized the most tweeted-about brands in several verticals.

Alcoholic beverages
Winner: Bud Light

Automotive
Winner: Ram Trucks

Consumer packaged goods
Winner: Tide

Dining
Winner: Avocados from Mexico

Entertainment
Winner: HBO’s “Westworld”

Financial services
Winner: E-Trade

Home and health care
Winner: No winner named (no home and health care brands enrolled in the competition)

Retail
Winner: Amazon Echo

Technology and telecommunications
Winner: T-Mobile

Travel
Winner: Tourism Australia

Written by Nicole Naiden from Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Funny Bone No More, Lessons in Advertising to the Heart

If you were among the 4.5 million viewers of Super Bowl XLIX then you might have been reaching for the tissues this year during commercial breaks (even more so if you are a Seahawks fan). This year major companies decided to appeal to viewers’ hearts rather than their funny bone.  Companies such as Budweiser, Always, Nissan, Coca-Cola and Nissan ditched the giggles and made us all cry with their advertising messages (it wouldn’t be a Super Bowl without at least one memorable ad!).  

Brands are starting to think a little more seriously about the role they play in their audiences’ lives. These ads are becoming helpful for the rest of us looking to change up our marketing game. Here are three lessons we learned while watching this year’s Super Bowl ads:

Get Emotional: Ever since the beginning of consumer marketing, we know that humans buy emotionally. We buy something because we feel a certain way or want to feel a certain way. Later, we find ourselves looking back on that purchase and then justify it with logic.  If you want your marketing strategy to be a success, hone in on how your brand can provide your audience with a positive emotion about life. Coca-Cola beautifully embodied this with their ad, which transformed online hate messages into happiness on the Internet.

  - Don’t Be Morbid:  Who DIDN'T hate that ad from Nationwide where the kid dies? While Nationwide probably had the best intentions for that ad, they overkilled the emotions and made the message outright depressing. Fear-based advertisements only go so far with your audience.

  - Use the Power of Social Media: After watching Always #LikeAGirl commercial, who else hopped on Twitter to be a part of the movement? Today, social media is an integral part of all advertisement. Many viewers turn to social media outlets to comment or share their opinions about advertisement on social media outlets.  So, why not give them a hashtag to start the buzz with?

What do you think about this year’s Super Bowl Ads? Let us know!

Written by Tori Simmons of Rebecca Adele PR & Events