For some interested spectators, the real winners and losers of SuperBowl XLVII had nothing to do with either the San Francisco 49ers or the Baltimore Ravens. The real competition being waged last night was among marketers looking for the biggest impact and, correspondingly, the most bang for their buck.
As a result, some analysts and marketing professionals have observed today that SuperBowl XLVII was a significant occasion for mobile marketing because of how elements of mobile were integrated into no shortage of large campaigns.
A widely cited example of such is Oreo’s ad, which directed viewers to Oreo’s presence on Instagram. It was, without question, one of the most prominent calls to action by an advertiser during the big game – this year or any year.
Oreo clearly wanted people to pick up their smartphone or tablet and engage with the prominent brand further online.
In addition to the well-orchestrated campaign by Oreo, the company also used social media – and brilliantly – in response to the briefly catastrophic power outage that temporarily halted the game. During the blackout, Oreo tweeted the following: “Power out? No problem.” Accompanied by a photo of an Oreo in a blackout, the phrase “You can still dunk in the dark” humorously resonated with the masses. The tweet was quickly retweeted thousands of times, drawing high marks from fellow marketers impressed by the prompt reaction to the game’s unanticipated delay.
Of course, not all brands were successful with mobile or in their reliance on social media during the game. Speedstick and Coke, for example, were said to have “tried too hard” in their efforts to mobilize the masses in response to their ads. But while an understandable learning curve still remains, it’s of critical importance that approximately half of all the brands that advertised during the Super Bowl tapped into mobile in some fashion.
In the coming days, we’re bound to get more details and insight in response to the ads that yielded the best results. For now, audiences are still picking their favorites and bashing the perceived “losers.”
Who was mobile’s best marketer on Super Bowl Sunday from your perspective?