With Super Bowl Sunday now only a few days away, retailers
and brands are gearing up for a surge in beverage, food and consumer product
sales. Amazon
is even getting into the Super Bowl hype, paying for a 30-second ad spot
during the game to promote its Echo and Alexa devices. The National Retail Federation
(NRF) projects total spending related to the game to reach $15.5 billion.
The RTP team
discusses how retailers are preparing for this year’s Super Bowl, and
highlights additional steps they should be taking in order to capitalize on the
Super Bowl spending spree.
Debbie Hauss,
Editor-in-Chief: The Super Bowl is a one-time-a-year crowded and
potentially expensive marketing opportunity for retailers. It can reap huge
rewards – if done right. But because the Super Bowl audience is so diverse,
marketers must be careful with the types of promotions they present. Last year
GoDaddy learned a quick lesson when animal rights groups protested the message
an ad featuring a lost puppy seemed to portray. Other retailers have really
missed the mark with Super Bowl ads, including Skechers, Carl’s Junior and Budweiser. Then there are ads
we’ll never forget, like Coca-Cola’s Mean Joe Greene spot from 1979 – yes 1979!
Although I may watch more of the Puppy Bowl than the actual game, I’m looking
forward to seeing what the retailers have to offer this year!
Adam Blair, Executive
Editor: Retailers seeking to score big with Super Bowl-themed promotions
have multiple opportunities beyond the traditional basics of beer, chips and
sandwich platters. There’s always a lot of time to kill before the game
actually starts, so perhaps Cards Against Humanity could create a
football-themed addition to its naughty pack of questions. With so many people
watching (and participating) via multiple screens, promotions and contests that
deploy the resources of various social networks are a natural. They can also
help connect those who can’t be in the same place with friends and relatives
who are geographically distant. Finally, retailers might follow a bit of
baseball advice and “hit ‘em where they ain’t,” running promotions
aimed at those who, for whatever reason, aren’t interested in football.
Discount offers on dinner and a movie sound like fun for the anti-football-fan.
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Alicia Fiorletta,
Content Strategist: Personally, I think retailers could do a lot more to
capitalize on the Big Game by implementing unique promotions or fun, themed
campaigns. The only brand I can think of that successfully invested in Super
Bowl advertising and turned it into a multi-touch campaign was H&M. The retailer
did a bang-up job promoting its new line with David Beckham. The commercial
captured attention because of Beckham’s good looks and international stature,
and the corresponding Twitter hashtag drove folks to share their feedback on
social and generate more buzz. Because the video was promoted across other
channels and housed on YouTube, H&M was able to create a closed-loop
marketing approach. Do all retailers need to invest in a Super Bowl ad? No way.
But retailers would be remiss if they didn’t take a similar approach to their
marketing campaigns and strategies.
David DeZuzio,
Managing Editor: If you’ve spent $5 million for a commercial and your web
site is ready to handle all the potential traffic, I’d say you’ve done all you
can in terms of promoting your product or service. But, every retailer should
make sure their social media campaign is ready to go! In 2015, there were 28
million tweets and 65 million users generated 265 million posts, comments, and
likes on Facebook, so the right social marketing campaign could be the
difference for a surefire 2016 winner. Apple was confirmed as a first-time
Super Bowl Host Committee official sponsor, so I’m hoping (but not holding my
breath) for something cool from Apple if they decide to run an ad.
Klaudia Tirico,
Associate Editor: Even if retailers don’t want to shell out big bucks for a
Super Bowl ad, they can (and should) still get in on the action with themed
promotions ahead of the big game. I think capitalizing on the Super Bowl party
opportunity, as Kmart has done, is a great idea and should be implemented by
more retailers. Walmart, for example, is using this time before Super Bowl to
promote TVs, and offer free shipping or in-store pickup on top of a decent
discount. This is a very smart and simple decision as 7.7% of viewers are
planning to purchase a new television for the game, according to NRF’s Super
Bowl Spending Survey. Plus, those who don’t even watch the game can take this
opportunity to score a deal on a television for other reasons (perhaps an Oscars
viewing party). It’s a win-win for everyone!
Glenn Taylor,
Associate Editor: Super Bowl advertising isn’t for everyone, of course. But
companies don’t have to spend $5 million for 30 seconds of airtime to drum up a
little bit of anticipation for the game. In fact, CPG companies come to mind as
a group that can build campaigns designed around food/beverages over a stretch
of time building up to the game itself. In 2014, Schwan’s Consumer Brands launched a campaign to kick
off the college football season and promote its pizza brands online. While this
promotion lasted the entire season, the site included sweepstakes, recipes,
tailgate hosting tips and contests that engaged consumers and helped spread
brand awareness throughout the four month stretch. I can see retailers/brands
using this strategy for the whole NFL postseason so that consumers will be
warmed up to the products come Super Bowl Sunday.
