Every year, two NFL titans meet for one of the largest sporting events in the world: the Super Bowl. Last year brought in 111.5 million views, setting a new record for Super Bowl viewership. Despite the NFL’s recent controversies (Deflategate), this year is predicted to bring in even more views as the Seattle Seahawks try to defend their title against the New England Patriots. But, as we all know, the Super Bowl isn’t just about football. The Super Bowl is about gathering around the TV with friends, eating chicken wings and pizza, a fridge stocked with Budweiser, yelling at the refs for any call against your team, smack talking, and celebrating. And, in comparison to how all of these activities make your Super Bowl experience, commercials are now just as much a part of the event as the football itself. With 111.5 million views, companies have 30 seconds to successfully use their $4 million spot to capture an audience.
We have seen it all during the Super Bowl. Terry Tate delivering bone crushing office tackles for Reebok, Budweiser and Miller jabbing at each other, and the famous “1984” add from Apple. So, why do these company’s spend millions of dollars to produce these ads, then millions of dollars to show them during the Super Bowl? Well, I can think of 111.5 million reasons. No other show or sporting event in the U.S. can measure even close to the numbers that the Super Bowl brings in. This is a chance for large companies to boost sales and for growing companies to break into that industry leader role.
Super Bowl advertising is especially picky. Commercials must be quick and funny during the Super Bowl to effectively resonate with the audience. Budweiser is the king of this style, which has positioned the company as one of the top advertisers during the Super Bowl. Let's take a look at one of their recent adds:
Then there is Volkswagen, who used Star Wars and the their new keyless start feature to create a funny advertisement that would become one of the top viewed Super Bowl commercials:
Sometimes the best way to capture an audience is with humor. What these advertising teams have successfully done is knowing their audience and what they want to see. You may not have millions of dollars to drop on one 30 second advertisement, but that doesn’t mean you can’t market successfully to your demographic! Be smart, be sharp, and even funny!
Need a way to get to know your audience? Check out our buyer persona templates to help you learn how to effectively market to your demographic!
