Ambush marketing is a popular marketing strategy that has risen dramatically in the past several years as a tactic used in social media marketing. In the past, ambush marketing was used to tap into the local culture, identifying trendsetters and thought leaders, and targeting consumers with an emotion-evoking message. Online communities and chat rooms were used for brands to do ambush marketing and go beyond the realm of television commercials.
As social media as evolved, ambush marketing has risen again to become the epitome of digital brand strategy. And it’s a tactic that is increasingly being used at the Super Bowl.
The Super Bowl is not just about fried foods and sports but also about marketing and advertising opportunities for brands. The Super Bowl has been a go-to advertising medium for brands that want to make a maximum impact, and for good reason. Here are a few facts:
- An estimated 103.4 million people watched last year’s Super Bowl.
- Ninety-three percent of Super Bowl viewers talk about advertisements.
- Sixty-seven percent of viewers post ads on social media during the game. What’s more surprising is that one-fourth of viewers do so before the game!
- Facebook said 62 million people worldwide generated 270 million interactions during last year’s Super Bowl, with about 90 percent of those occurring via mobile.
Of course, every brand would love to run a Super Bowl commercial. But the estimated cost for a 30-second Super Bowl TV spot this year is said to be in the $5 million range! If a brand does not have those deep pockets, is there still a way for your brand to make an impact on Super Bowl Sunday?
How to ambush Super Bowl LIII
Here is how a couple of brands have recently engaged in social media efforts that leveraged the Super Bowl without shelling out the big bucks for a commercial.
Doritos® had hosted a yearly Crash the Super Bowl contest with a cash prize to get fans to produce Super Bowl video commercials for the brand. The idea was centered around user-generated content, to have consumers create their own commercials using amateur equipment. The program was very popular and led to millions of impressions for the brand. After running the contest for several years, they awarded the winner of the final content with actually running their commercial during the Super Bowl.
Newcastle Brown Ale put a lid on its plans to spend $4.5 million on 30-second advertisements during the Big Game. The brand went in a different direction with the campaign, “Band of Brands,” which was its first-ever crowdfunded Big Game ad campaign for the Super Bowl. The campaign set an illuminating example of ambush marketing of a brand capitalizing upon a big event without doling out whopping sums to participate via official channels.
Last year, the Skittles® brand perpetuated a stunt where they created a Super Bowl ad starring David Schwimmer. But instead of dropping the $5 million to run it during the game, they decided to show it to only one lucky fan. Just the idea of showing it to one person instead of 100 million was a brilliant. The result? Tons of earned media impressions.
It’s important to point out that these efforts did not entail a generic Super Bowl message. Any brand can do that. The social Super Bowl is the new-age digital branding media for brands that wish to build their community, expand their consumer base, and rise up the success ladder. It’s all about how creative brands can be on this platform.
RITTA is a leading advertising agency in New Jersey and brings together the latest happenings from the ad world. Reach out to us today if you are interested in an ambush marketing social campaign for any future pop-culture event.
REF:
https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/how-win-super-bowl-without-spending-5-million-30-second-spot-169278/
https://www.businessinsider.com/advertise-at-super-bowl-for-cheap-2016-2
