Super Bowl Sunday takes a lot of pre-party shopping.
That’s what I was doing when I overheard a conversation between a four-year-old boy and his mom:
Boy: “Can I have some gum?”
Mom: “No.”
Boy: “Please.”
Mom: I said, ‘No’”.
Boy: “Please!”
Mom: “No! Now be a good boy.”
Boy: “I am a good boy!”
Mom: “ Well, no gum today.”
Pause…
Boy: “Dammit, I’ve been a good boy all day!!”
Savvy advertisers can empathize with that four-year-old. They’ve been on their best behavior all year. Now they’re looking to cash in on Super Bowl Sunday. For those who can afford it, the Super Bowl is the premier venue for putting names and products in front of key demographics
A profile of NFL/Super Bowl fans conducted by Experian Simmons indicates that 68 percent of the audience has an annual household income of more than $50,000. Twenty-eight percent have an income over $100,000. Males comprise the majority of the audience; however, female viewership comprises 36 percent of the audience and is increasing significantly.
Fifty-four percent of viewers are parents, 80 percent are non-smokers, 41 percent are Republicans and 38 percent are Democrats. Sixty-one percent have used email in the last 30 days. Thirty-nine percent read the news and weather on daily basis. Fans are 44 percent more likely to have looked up financial information or stock trading online in the last 30 days. Forty-five percent are involved in exercise and fitness. Thirty-seven percent drink light beer, 66 percent use Visa and half plan to purchase a new vehicle in the next year.
Those are some of the numbers behind the advertising that is coming your way on game day.
As of this writing, CBS is reporting that they have sold out all of their advertising space. Average ads sell for between $3.7 and $3.8 million. The usual suspects will be on hand – Pepsi, Bud Light, Kate Upton, and Danica Patrick for GoDaddy. You can expect car commercials along with insurance. Anheuser-Busch is usually the largest advertiser and is expected to be on top of the spending heap again this year. Last year they averaged 4.5 minutes of advertising over six commercials. This year they will be introducing a new beverage.
Big, medium or small, all businesses can learn from Super Sunday. With the largest advertisers footing the bill, we can assess for ourselves what works, what doesn’t and why. Commercials will be heavy on entertaining, but their effectiveness is still dependent upon the basic fundamentals of marketing.
Know your audience – You can’t conduct marketing successfully if you don’t. Statistics such as those contained within this article tell the story of who will be watching. Shaping your message to target demographics pays off big time.
Determine what media work with your message – Few businesses can afford Super Bowl advertising, but other venues can be tailored to your special products or services. Know those venues well and capitalize upon them at every opportunity.
Planning is essential – Ads appearing on Super Bowl Sunday will be the results of intense research, planning and strategy. They won’t be off-the-cuff efforts thrown together at the last minute. For better or worse, each ad is designed to engender positive feelings toward particular products or brands. Facebook, Twitter, print ads and broadcast media will be utilized to leverage the ad blitzes, but consistency will win the day.
Long after the game, we’ll still be talking about some ads.
And somewhere out there, a good boy is still campaigning for gum.
Stacy Cornay is the owner of Communication Concepts Public Relations & Advertising.
Visit www.comm-concepts.com or call 303-651-6612.