Over the last several weeks there's naturally been lots of discussion about the value of advertising on the Super Bowl: Is it worth it? Who should/Who shouldn't? Etc. But whether or not one should advertise during the big game is a big decision. When is it the right thing to do?
As with many things, if we look back into history at some of the best Super Bowl ads, I think it's possible to find some guidance...
The first thing to remember is when an ad is on the Super Bowl, it's talking to EVERYONE. (Or, as much as everyone is physically possible today in media: roughly 95 million people.) This is really important to embrace. Advertisers must ask: Is our message really something for everyone? And they must be honest with themselves. If the message is not highly relevant for 95 million Americans there's definitely better ways to spend $3 million.
So if the message passes the everyone test, an advertiser should then find themselves within one of three scenarios to best make a Super Bowl ad work:
1. It's a new product that many will find value in. The key is "new." The advertiser is saying, "hello." After all, the history of Super Bowl-Advertising-As-Event started with Apple Computer launching Macintosh; something that was new and relevant to the mass audience. And when online job seeking was hatched as a category in '99, Monster used the game for the same reason...
2. It's a household name that has an important message to say. The key is "important." After the game, many of the commercials panned as lame largely didn't embrace the fact that the Super Bowl is one of the biggest events of the year. If the core message isn't perceived as important enough to be worthy of that environment, there's a high risk the audience won't like it. This is a tough one to do well, but Master Lock in '74 and Budweiser in '02 come to mind...
3. A household name, who's number one in their category, and wants to further establish their position, gain more market, or expand the way we think about them. I feel this is primarily reserved for products that show well when we're in our football-watching mindset. Products that are social, fun and enjoyable for many. Brands like Tabasco, McDonald's and Coke have executed well here...
In my view, that's really it. Those are the reasons to advertise on the big game. Chances are, if the decision to advertise on the Super Bowl is an easy one, the brand and product and message easily fit into one of the above three areas. If the decision is difficult, perhaps advertising on the Super Bowl is a force-fit.
