The NFL’s Super Bowl is prime material for us marketing folks. Granted, a number of us love the actual football being played on the field, but a huge majority are even more excited by the entertainment during the time outs. And I’m not talking pom poms and dancing girls (fans of the cheerleaders though we are at Synergy…).

In advertising terms, Super Bowl is prime real estate. The most expensive ad spots in the world offer brands the chance to reach 111 million U.S. viewers – this year all watching on FOX – with the price tag reaching up to $100,000 per second. Yes, that’s right, per second. Between $2.5 and $3 million for a 30 second ad spot. Phew.

This is a sporting event that so embraces its sponsors and advertisers that a whole section of the NFL website is dedicated to showcasing that ads that run throughout the programming. So ingrained is the element of entertainment to the action on the field.

Expectedly brands go all out in preparation for this miniature slice of branded entertainment. So much so, that this year, we saw adverts advertising adverts. For real. Non US-based fans were obviously bereft of this fervent marketing build-up, but trusty BrandChannel was on hand to give us regular updates of the preview ‘teaser’ ads (and then later the actual adverts) as they became available on screen and online.

These teasers ran across Network TV (presumably not just FOX) in the build up to last weekend’s clash at the Cowboys Stadium, building anticipation for the actual 30 second spot that would run in one of the many time outs during the game.

The most effective of these thas to be the Bridgestone ‘Reply All’ and ‘Carma’ spots, both of which I just loved:

Bridgestone, official tire sponsor of the NFL, carried its Super Bowl website URL at the end of each spot where viewers can catch the full versions of the final ads – should they not have tuned in to the big game.

2011 was certainly the year of the car, with Chevy, Audi, VW and BMW all taking a spot. Quite a cluttered marketplace. On entertainment value alone, VW’s mini Darth Vader seem to deliver the most buzz online with Contagious Magazine reporting how, three days before the big game, the video went from 100,000 views to over 1,000,000 in the first couple hours – hitting 5.3 million after the first day. But did the cute factor do more to shift children’s Darth Vader costumes than actual cars?

The spot that seemed to attract the biggest UK media commentary, was the U.S. XFactor trails. Given the UK love affair with Cowell and Cole, it is possibly not surprising. Cowell took centre stage in the dramatic 30 second spot – which again was touted as having close to a $3m price tag.

No Super Bowl would be complete without a beer or two, and Bud Light probably took the crown for the most entertaining execution – seeing a bunch of bored office workers go to extreme lengths to get their hands on a six pack (the office setting seems a popular choice for football marketing, given Reebok’s brilliant Terry Tate/Office Linebacker campaign from several years back).

And then there was Glee. The hit US TV show bagged the much-coveted post-Super Bowl TV slot on FOX, evidence (if it were needed) of its immense popularity and cult following. Interwoven into this year’s Glee Super Bowl extravaganza was Chevrolet. The uber-American car brand – one of GM‘s stable, themselves an official NFL sponsor – have actually bagged themselves a deal with Glee, in addition to their NFL partnership.

This all beautifully dove-tailed on Super Bowl night, with a Glee/Chevy ad spot – at once a trailer for the show and the car – and positioning both as integral to the entertainment of Super Bowl night. Branded content meets sponsorship meets advertising. All in one glorious explosive, all-singing, all-dancing package:

These provide just a snapshot of the 50 adverts that aired last Sunday. So perhaps it is no wonder that you hear of some U.S. viewers nipping out of the room to the bathroom, or to the bar for beers during plays in order not to miss the adverts. The NFL Super Bowl is a world where the advertising becomes central to the evening’s entertainment and fuels the pre-game build up – especially amongst a wider fan base – more than any sporting preview analysis can.

There may be talk of the death of advertising, but on this particular playing field, an audience of 111 million is pretty difficult to argue with.

By Lucie Bartlett on February 9th, 2011

Tags: Advertising, Alcohol, American football, Branded content, Broadcast sponsorship, Cheryl Cole, NFL, Television, Television audiences

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Chris Moyles’ commitment to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of Comic Relief caught my attention. The idea, inspired by Take That’s Gary Barlow, sees Chris join a host of celebrities, including Ronan Keating, Cheryl Cole and 2007 Strictly Come Dancing champion Alesha Dixon, attempt to climb Africa’s highest mountain over seven days. Whilst not the most likely candidate to undertake a feat of fitness, my belief is that Chris is very likely to be successful.

 

Altitude sickness will be his biggest challenge, but records show that it is the super fit that experience this symptom, rather than the less fit. Walking slowly is recommended as the best course of avoidance when walking at altitude.

 

BT, supporters of Comic Relief since 1985, is sponsoring the expedition and BT employees are actively engaged in the fundraising. However, it isn’t just the sponsors or Comic Relief that will benefit – hopefully inspiring others to get active will be the over-riding success. Good luck to Chris and the team.

 

By Alison Moor on February 26th, 2009

Tags: Charity, Cheryl Cole, Radio, Sponsorship

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