Score a touch down with your branding
The American Super Bowl has become as much about entertainment as it has about sport and never more so than the 2015 Super Bowl that was aired to millions of viewers earlier in the week. The entertainment factor saw us watch arguably the most theatrical half-time performances the game has ever seen with Katy Perry riding a giant tiger, singing with dancing sharks and jamming out with Lenny Kravitz.
The Super Bowl itself has a brand to uphold and has led viewers to expect not only a nail-biting game of football but a spectacular hit of entertainment. The Super Bowl has become the pinnacle of branding by offering a platform that can reach millions of sports fans and consumers and millions more virally through the internet. It has also established itself as the place ‘to be seen’ if you are a serious player in your million dollar industry.
As per every other year, the big guns in advertising pulled out their secret weapons for the onslaught of spectacular Super Bowl advertising. The ads that are played during the Super Bowl game are almost as anticipated as the game itself with sponsors paying millions of dollars for screentime ($US4 million for a 30 second slot) and production.
This year for the Super Bowl XLIX there was no lack of variety in the advertisements. There was Snoop Dogg (aka Snoop Lion) selling a fast food app through to the Brady Bunch eating a Snickers bar, Matt Damon and Lindsey Lohan promoting insurance, Pierce Brosnon getting his James Bond on for Kia, a bit of Victoria Secret and of course what’s publicity without an appearance from a Kardashian as the new face of T-Mobile.
However some brands do rely on content more so than a celebrity face with Dorito’s, Budweiser, Dove for Men and Jeep also adding some flavour to the mix with some clever story-telling and a bit of occasional cinematography thrown in there for good measure.
The one common factor that ties this large menagerie of advertisers together is the message which is purely 100% branding. There are hardly any websites mentioned, no ‘buy now’ invitations and in some commercials don’t even show the product.
Branding is about connecting with both your existing and new customers. You want your brand to affiliated with something that is positive and something people want to be a part of. Although most businesses will never be in the league for splashing out a cool $4million for a television commercial, there are some things we can learn about what makes good branding from these big spenders in Super Bowl advertising.
When considering how you are going to build your brand and the awareness of your brand, take into consideration these following factors that helped the Super Bowl sponsors score a touch down:
- Humour
- Story-telling
- Special effects
- Celebrity appearances
- Targeting the audience
- Ending the commercial with the company logo
Branding is about connecting with people and reinforcing that they have made the right decision by becoming one of your customers. It’s also about getting peoples attention.
If you would like any advice on how to create a successful brand or campaign for your new or exisiting business, pop in for a chat and perhaps a Snickers that really satisfies.