Viva’s Blog: Learn from this year’s Super Bowl ads

I confess. I care more about the Super Bowl commercials than the game. So, for those of you who also like to look at the business side of sports, here are 4 lessons to learn from this year’s big game:

Lesson #1: Be consistent.
I’m sure the folks at Go Daddy are bored of another ad with Danica Patrick. For the rest of America, we associate the brand with her, and think of them when we see her racing. Smart move by Go Daddy in staying the course with Danica.

Lesson #2: Leverage your spending.
The latest twist in Super Bowl advertising is offering sneak peaks of ads online. Given how much they’re spending on production and ad placement, advertisers need to get more bang for their buck. Getting early buzz and awareness generates a bigger payback. There are also press releases about the ads, interviews with the talent, behind the scenes ‘making of’ videos online, and contests blanketing social media sites. Doritos has shared the finalists for their viewer submitted spot, Audi and Coca-Cola are encouraging viewers to watch their ads online and vote for their favorite ending, and Ford’s spot for the Lincoln features five crowd-sourced tweets solicited by late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon. These advertisers are getting a lot more mileage from their marketing investment.

Lesson #3: Go niche.
Advertising developed to appeal to everyone speaks to no one. Toyota gets it as evidenced by its ad for the RAV4. By selecting Kaley Cuoco, a star of the CBS sitcom “The Big Bang Theory”, they’re demonstrating that they understand their target audience. Importantly, Cuoco’s character in the ad is consistent with her character in “Big Bang”. The passionate fans of “Big Bang” will love the commercial and thus have a wonderfully positive association with the RAV4.

Lesson #4: Be emotional.
Audi achieved tremendous buzz with its vampire theme in 2012 and will surely get plenty of water cooler chatter after this year’s Super Bowl. Audi gets the power of creating a strong emotional connection with its audience. This year’s ad features a prom theme that will appeal to any guy who wasn’t a stud in high school. The underdog character wins the day and evokes a feeling of power and prestige that connects seamlessly with the product. Note that they don’t mention price, features or functionality. Instead they use emotion to create a longer lasting, deeper tie with the brand.

Borrow from this year’s Super Bowl advertisers and get the most out of your marketing dollars.

Editor’s note: Laura Sheridan, President of Viva La Brand, was recently selected to be the Brand Blogger for Crain’s Cleveland Business.