How PR and social media saved the Super Bowl ads

So the question facing many CMO’s today is, what happens when 106 million people see your Super Bowl ad….and it sucked?

Is it worth the millions of dollars that you spent on it just to get the exposure?

In the discussions I’ve had around the THP water cooler today and with others in Richmond’s heralded ad community, the general consensus is that with a few exceptions (Google, Hyundai, CarMax…and yes in the spirit of full disclosure we have friends at CarMax) there were few advertisers that really hit the mark this year.

And they all agree that this is the continuation of an alarming trend in the Ad world, that Super Bowl advertising just isn’t what it used to be.  The ads leave us sort of like The Who’s performance did, longing for a time gone by and having us wanting for much more.

So the question I pose to the class is, is the worth the money spent?  

My answer to this question will surprise you and not for the reasons you think.

I think the money is still worth it not because of the eyeballs you get that night but for the buzz you get before, during and after.  As with many other stories, the media has created an “event before the event.”  Now matter how bad or good the commercials are almost don’t make a difference any more.  Many companies judge success by the amount of public relations coverage they get before, during and after the event.  Think GoDaddy.com.

Or think about all the furor over the creatively tame Tim Tebow and mom spot.  Mission accomplished

Some, like Pepsi, make news by not participating in the game at all.  They figured out it was best to spread the money around in a social media excercise that I would argue looks a lot more like a good old-fashioned PR campaign enabled by the internet.  Just because you are doing social good, doesn’t mean you are doing social media.

A second reason while the money is worth it, is the buzz created instantly online, as virtual game and ad viewing parties empower thousands of people to give their immediate thumbs up or thumbs down.  These opinions are shared on social media platforms like Twitter through the use of hashtags like #brandbowl (sponsored by Mullen and Radian6), #sbads44, etc. 

Before and after the Google ad ran last night the company’s CEO Eric Schmidt tweezed the momentous event and then told folks where they can watch it again on YouTube.  Most marketers that bought ads followed the same social media formula throughout the night.

So was the money worth it?  Yes, for now.  Mainly because public relations and social media are providing platforms to extend the reach of the advertising.

A word of caution to my brothers on the ad side.  We can only save you for so long.  You better raise the bar and soon or the public will soon lose interest in this annual story as they have in countless other cases.