Entertainment or Revenue

People are still talking about and reacting to the Super Bowl commercials. For airing once, these multi-million dollar commercials receive a week’s worth of airplay. They also receive more commentary than any other commercials. Most of the comments center around how much those commenting liked or disliked the commercials. This week, I have heard lots of agreement in the critics’ remarks. “This year’s Super Bowl commercials were the least entertaining in several years.”

The commercial which has received the most positive attention is one which addressed a negative situation: the one featuring Letterman, Oprah, and Leno. This commercial got attention because it was shocking, addressed a recent controversy, and starred three memorable celebrities. Its message was simple and funny. In addition to the critics, the commercial has received airplay this week on the celebrities’ shows. Unlike many of its counterparts, this commercial will be replayed and remembered for quite a while.

Quite likely, this commercial accomplished its objective. What objective was that?

Since this was a commercial for his show, his basic objective was to promote David Letterman. He wanted to be funny. He wanted to be “a good sport.” He wanted to talk to more than his viewers; he wanted to talk to Oprah’s and Leno’s viewers, too. Ironically, this unpaid, network promotion may be the most effective commercial from this year’s Super Bowl.

This commercial accomplished reaching its target market, delivering its message, and prompting those receiving the message to act. It did an excellent job associating its product, David Letterman, with its message. Its target market was late night viewers. Its message was that Letterman is funny, perhaps that he is funnier than Leno. I have not seen any numbers, but I suspect that his show’s viewership is up this week. Whether those numbers will remain up when Leno returns to late night is yet to be determined. However, Letterman seized an opportunity offered by the Super Bowl, a highly-watched program, being positioned during a time when his competition was weakened to promote his show.

That was smart marketing.

While not all of us as business people get the opportunity that Letterman did, we all can learn two lessons from his commercial. One is to be alert for opportunities such as this, and the other is to create a commercial which accomplishes your objective. Letterman achieved his objective by creating an entertaining commercial that promoted his show well. I assume that increasing sales was the objective of the businesses running the paid commercials, most of which were entertaining. To be so, many sacrificed association of their products with the commercial. These commercials were expensive entertainment which, I suspect, did not reach their objective.

Unfortunately, the Super Bowl has fostered a competition to create an entertaining commercial. I understand the attraction for doing so. However, if this entertainment comes at the expense of achieving more sales because the entertaining commercial is not associated with the product or service, then what has the advertiser accomplished?
As an example, name three commercials from the Super Bowl and the products or services that they were promoting. Can you do it?

For those that you named, have you purchased the product or service this week?

A "Super" Opportunity Missed

During the past few days we have witnessed the one time each year that press and advertising meld. The topic which brings these two normally opposing teams together is the commercials aired during the Super Bowl. To many in marketing, including me, the action of press and advertising joining forces is amazing. However, this has become a cultural phenomenon. The "Super Bowl commercial watch" is as big as the game. To some, the commercials are more important than the game.

What's up with that?

When I sold television advertising, clients often commented to me about the cost of the Super Bowl commercials, which this year was three million for thirty seconds. Unable to grasp paying that much for that little a time, these clients were shocked. They thought that the dollar outlay was foolish. They couldn't believe that a business could reap enough from the ad to make spending three million worthwhile. "Why would someone do that?" they asked.

I replied, "Because they get more than the normal thirty seconds."

First of all, they get thirty seconds to sell to the largest audience of the year. Although some viewers may be taking a break during commercials, with that large an audience you have a good chance to reach more people than at any other time.

Second, before the game the press anticipates the commercials and gives them lots of buildup. Last Friday the Today Show had a significant segment previewing the commercials with two experts commenting on them. "In general," one noted, "this year's commercials are more pragmatic. Many are promoting Web sites, such as monster.com and carrerbuilder.com. Denny's has a surprise, which we cannot disclose, and Pedigree takes a different tack on adopting a dog by never showing one in the commercial."

Although they cannot show more than five seconds of any commercial in their sneak peeks, the attention drawn to the commercials by the news segments feeds the viewers’ desire to see them. No other commercials get this buildup. The buildup permeates all media: online, radio, and print. The commercials may air on one network, but all media cover them.

Third, after the game the talk about these commercials continues. Viewers are able to vote online for their favorite. Coworkers debate which one they liked best. The press spends much of Monday reviewing and discussing the fans' favorites, the critics' favorites, and the anchors' favorites. In fact, once a commercial has aired on the Super Bowl, it has the potential to be forever a part of the media's Super Bowl coverage. A television show, The Greatest Super Bowl Commercials, aired for one hour last Friday. This gives a company with a good commercial an opportunity to get that commercial aired again and again and again several times every year around the Super Bowl for no additional dollar outlay.

Think about it. Can you think of any other commercial which receives this amount of attention from all the press and all the country for that amount of time?

In light of this attention, why don't local businesses prepare special commercials for the Super Bowl and get local press coverage about their commercials? The "Super" opportunity is certainly there. Local press would love to pick up a story about a local business which took the extra effort to prepare a "Super Bowl" caliber commercial.

This doesn't happen because local businesses do not know how to use publicity, much to their detriment. Although this is the only "Super" opportunity, local businesses have many other press opportunities that they miss, too.

Which of them have you missed?