IMC Hawks Blog

Tag: Super Bowl Ads

  • Super Brand: Chrysler’s Super Bowl Success

    Though the Super Bowl commercials are known for their celebrity appearances and (sometimes) hilarious gimmicks, rarely do the viewers get a look into the heart & identity of a company while also being entertained. Last year, Google’s “Search Stories: Parisian Love” set a new standard for showing Super Bowl viewers what a company’s product actually did while also making a touching commercial that triggered an emotional response.

    Google didn’t have a spot in this year’s game, but one company capitalized on using the ad time to set a definition for their brand and that company was Chrysler.  Chrysler’s lengthy 2-minute spot focused on defining the building blocks of their brand’s identity.  Although the commercial was essentially a straight minute of voice-over narration, the use of the urban backdrop of Detroit and celebrity endorser Eminem’s riff for his mega-hit “Lose Yourself” still provided viewers with a chilling emotional response.  Chrysler may have been using the commercial to announce its new 200 model, a “luxury” car, but the ad focused primarily on the American grit and hard work that goes into each and every one of its vehicles.

    During a time when America is constantly being classified by how behind we are in the global marketplace, Chrysler chose to define its brand as purely American. Everything from the visuals, to the voice over, to Detroit born & raised celebrity Eminem provided a united identity for Chrysler that culminated in the company’s new tag line: “Imported from Detroit”.

    Anna Kate Babnik, Katie Eagle, Deji Adeleke, Tiffany Evans, and Carissa Niederkorn

  • Who really came out on top during the Super Bowl? The Packers or Bud Light?

    Overall, this years Super Bowl commercials were not as satisfying and did not meet the expectations that previous years commercials met. Usually there is a wide array of different brands being represented, but this year the same ones were repeated. Nonetheless, there were a few that caught our eye.

    Bud Light, which always creates entertaining commercials, did not disappoint. The first commercial that appeared mimicked Extreme Makeover Home Edition and other similar shows.

    The target audience for this commercial is women, different from their usual predominantly male target audience. It begins seeming like the couple, with the typical crazed anticipation of the woman, was going to receive a new kitchen.  Surprise! Only Bud Light was added to the room. The wife was shocked at first and a little unsure, but as people started to party in the kitchen, the host says “now this is a room that everyone wants to be in!”. This adds emphasis to their slogan of “a sure sign of a good time.”

    The second one (our favorite) that spoofed how outrageous product placement has become.

    Product placement is meant to be subtle, something to quietly promote a brand name without interfering the television show or movie (for example, a soda can on a kitchen counter). Bud Light took this fad to the extreme by mentioning how every time you place a product, you get free stuff. Bud Light appears almost twenty times in the thirty-second ad. Since it is such a recognizable brand, they do not have to explain what their product is or why you should buy it. Instead, they are able to use they creativity to make funny and memorable ads that people will talk about. This strengthens their brand by creating a buzz (figuratively and physically).

    They also created a commercial in which the dog sitter throws a party and has the dogs do all the work.

    The dogs open the door, serve beer, DJ, bartend, cook, basically running the party. This is memorable because most people can relate to owning a pet but by having the dogs personify human actions, it creates a humorous and different twist. This ties directly into their current slogan. Even though the commercial does not demonstrate the benefits of drinking Bud Light, it creates an image of how much fun you can have while drinking Bud Light.

    As one of the only three beers represented during the Super Bowl, they stood out as the frontrunner in beer ads for the year.  This indicates their financial prosperity as a company.

    -Allison Day, Jessica Berinson, Megan Canny, Melissa Gagliardi, Scott Burgess

  • Social Media and the Super Bowl

    How do you analyze the popularity of Super Bowl commercials and the companies that produced them? One way is to check the fans and followers that each company has on their Facebook and Twitter accounts. That is exactly what Clickz ,an internet resource for interactive marketing news and information, did to interpret the success of individual commercials and how they relate to brands that own them.

    The Super Bowl isn’t just a platform for NFL superstars to show they are the best; it also represents the top competition among brands and their advertisements. Clickz recorded the number of Facebook “fans” and Twitter “followers” for each of the advertisers on February 2, Super Bowl Sunday. Then the site collected data a week later to see what kind of increases took place. Evidence from the research reveals that the Super Bowl ads actually boosted some advertisers’ social media accounts considerably.

    According to the research analysis some of the big hitters in the big media dance include HomeAway, Volkswagen, E*Trade and Monster.com. These companies were among half of the Super Bowl advertisers that mentioned their commercials on either their Facebook pages or through their Twitter accounts prior to the game.

    “”By incorporating a dedicated Facebook page, Twitter account, and micro-site as part of the ‘Fiddling Beaver’ campaign,” according to Kathy O’Reilly, director of social media for Monster.com, “we were able to engage with folks before Super Bowl Sunday.”

    Social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter have been great building blocks to cultivate a larger fan base among the consumers. These websites have built a bridge over the gap that once existed between companies and their consumers. However, what is the return of investment? What kind of sales come out it? This question will be asked until there is a legitimate connection between ‘fans’ of the brand and the purchasing consumers of brand  products and services.

    -Jesse Bazemore

  • Happiness Hits

    Coca-Cola’s launch of their “Open Happiness” social media campaign has successfully raised over $64,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America by allowing users of the social network, Facebook, to send virtual gifts through the site. For every gift sent, Coca-Cola donates $1 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Coca-Cola hopes to raise $250,000 with this campaign.  Once the Facebook gift is given, the gift giver receives a 20-second sneak preview of one of the two Coca-Cola Super Bowl advertisements. The gift is also posted on the receiver’s profile, and provides a link to the Coca-Cola fan page where others can send gifts. One of the Super Bowl advertisements features characters from The Simpsons while the features actor Denzel Washington. “Open Happiness” is a part of Live Positively.

    In January, Coca-Cola released a viral video on Youtube.com titled “Happiness Machine.” The video now has over 1,000,000 views, and they continue to rise as word spreads globally. The “Happiness Machine” is a Coca-Cola vending machine that delivers anything from multiple coke bottles to a colossal sub sandwich! This “Happiness Machine” dovetails perfectly with their “Open Happiness” campaign, which they have launched globally.

    Shortly after the Super Bowl, Coca-Cola is expected to sweep headlines with their sustainability plans for the winter Olympics in Vancouver. Coke will aim to make everything eco-friendly and produce “zero waste.” For example, the coolers they use will run on eKOfresh technology, which nearly eliminates direct greenhouse gas emissions. The vehicles they use to deliver beverages from their facilities will run on diesel-electric hybrid energy. Electric carts will be used within the venue. The tables and chairs will be made from wood salvaged from the pine-beetle epidemic in British Columbia, menu boards will be made of recycled materials, and the list continues.

    With Coca-Cola leading the “beverage battle,”  Pepsi will have a challenge with its new “Pepsi Refresh Project” campaign.

    Rachel Kaylor, Writer
    Danielle Murray, Researcher
    Mandy Baker, Designer