Today, it’s not enough to watch the Biggest Game in Football, 78% of consumers also engage in social media while watching. The number one activity is to talk about the commercials, but does that really translate into the objective of advertising?
38% say “sharing my thoughts about the commercials” represents their No. 1 online activity, followed by:
- 32% say “reacting to the game” is the No. 1 reason they go online during the broadcast.
- 18% say “sharing photos of my game-day party” is why they tap into social platforms while the game unfolds.
- 10% say “seeing what my network is doing.”
- 2% say “sharing strategy about the game.”
Get ready for the hype around the commercials for the big game. Once again brands will spend a lot of big money to grab air time on the Superbowl and once again a lot of those spots are a waste of marketing dollars.
While some people believe that ads should entertain people, I think that is complete bullshit. I am entertained by a lot of the spots but they don’t make me go to the store to even consider their products. However, let’s remember that a lot of these spots are not about marketing, they are about the business of marketers making a name for themselves as well as agencies getting huge commissions on the spots. Executives can then pat each other on the back in the executive suites as they watch the game stroking each others egos.
There will be a lot of people who will talk about the “buzz” around the spots, but very few will actually ask “what did it do for sales?”. Buzz does not equate to sales.
Marketing budgets are being scrutinized by management who wants to focus on the balance sheet to ensure the stock price remains high. To spend money on the Superbowl is a waste of money for a lot of brands that could have been used to drive sales rather than say “look what we did”.
