Super Bowl Sunday not just for Football

          
            The 42^nd annual Super Bowl kicks off this Sunday night; and while most of the focus will be on the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers, many marketers and advertisers will be watching which brands make the biggest impact with their game day commercials. With big named brands such as Blackberry, Doritos, Toyota, Go Daddy and Sony shelling out major dollars, upward to $4 million for just a 30 second spot, you can bet those companies want to get the most out of their money and be the highlight of the night.

Few things are must-see-TV anymore, and that’s why advertisers are so geared towards advertising during the Super Bowl. All you have to do is look at the statistics to see why; T.V audiences last year reached a record 111 million people. This is mass marketing at its best - being able to reach as many consumers as possible with just one consumer touch point, doesn’t come around too often. Companies are starting early and releasing their commercials prior to game day in an effort to create buzz around their brand. Last year companies had around 300 million views per commercial on YouTube. Then YouTube did some research into the early release of Super Bowl commercials and found that companies with earlier release dates had on average 9.1 million more views.  Super Bowl ads are arguably the best part of Sunday’s championship day; it is the part of the event that will make us laugh, cry and love, regardless of the love of football. Social media will be abuzz on Monday, with everyone’s thoughts and reactions to the outcome of the game, where all will be judged and scrutinized.

            This trend suggests that the price for Super Bowl commercials isn’t going to dip anytime soon, and with an 84% increase for a 30 second TV spot from just 10 years ago, you can almost guarantee it. As an advertiser it would almost be cheaper to ink yourself on one of the heavily tattooed players on one of the two teams for the four hour show.

 

The Best Game You Can Name (NHL Lockout)

   The puck dropped on Saturday night for the first time since the 2012-2013 NHL lockout ended, and teams are doing their best to entice fans back with free ticket giveaways, open practices to the public, autograph signings, and apology letters. After a 113-day lockout and 1,020 missed games, the NHL is faced with a public relation nightmare.  With only 48 games guaranteed for each team this season, NHL marketers are going to have to do their best to fill those seats with fans and get sponsorship dollars back in their pocket.  

   The NHL players had an estimated total loss of about $400 million, and you can double that for the league. Marketing departments of the NHL are doing their best to encourage fans back to the rink.  Here in Toronto, the Leafs held an open practice last Thursday that attracted 1,400 fans; they will be also giving away about 1,000 tickets to Monday’s home opener through various promotions against the Buffalo Sabers. Among giving away commemorative scarves at the game, 1,500 season ticket holders will be seeing the first game free of charge. In less traditional hockey markets like Chicago, the Black Hawks are giving away 1000 autographed jerseys, and a lucky fan in San Jose is going to be selected to drop the ceremonial puck in their home opener.

   Whatever ways NHL marketing departments decide to coax fans back to the game, sponsorship dollars will not flock back until companies see that faith has been restored in fans’ loyalty across the league. The NHL must been seen as a stable enterprise, with the ability to provide an interrupted season to the good ol’ fashioned hockey game– after all, they’re what drives the fans.  

The Dawn of Mobile Marketing

As the dawn of the smartphone age sets in, there are more tablets and smartphones than personal computers. Mobile platforms are building at increasing speeds, and industry giants such as Facebook and Twitter are building their mobile capabilities to meet the amplified demand of this consumer trend. Marketers need to keep up with one of the fastest growing trends in marketing today, or risk being left behind. Today, smartphones and tablets are two of the fasting growing consumer products on the market. In a high-paced world, where people have less and less time to be reached and influenced by the  more traditional forms of media;  marketers have yet another tool through which to distribute their advertising. Thanks to the advancement of mobile search, apps, SMS and mobile websites; the ability to stay connected with consumers has never been so easily attainable. In the near future, mobile marketing may be poised to surpass television as the most dominant consumer access point. Mobile searches account for more than 50% of searches on the web today; which is an enormous amount of consumers that can be reached through their existing mobile devices.

In order for marketing campaigns to be successful, they must integrate mobile marketing into their campaign strategy. One of the greatest things about mobile marketing is the ability to connect with consumers on a personal level, helping them use their mobile devices to get information and to make their purchase decisions. Driving traffic to business, product or service is one of the most vital components in measuring the success of any campaign.  Running part of a campaign through mobile media is now an integral part of marketing strategies. Targeted mobile advertising is cost effective, measurable and drives conversations between consumers. Combining mobile apps, mobile websites and SMS messages can lead to success in a new campaign.