Despite digital marketing's steady rise to power, Super Bowl advertising, for the most part, has remained all about the television spot. And it still is. But this year, more than ever, expect to see big brands making the most of their gargantuan TV commercial investments by stretching their reach via every new media channel possible.
According to The New York Times, "synergy" is the name of the game this year. "We're probably in the 3.0 phase of how to think about the Super Bowl," said Jim Lecinski, a managing director of Google, which owns YouTube. In other words, advertisers will be turning heavily to social media to extend the lives of their spots beyond the big game.
For the third year in a row, YouTube will feature its Super Bowl Ad Blitz channel, where consumers can watch commercials after the game. But brands aren't just counting on YouTube views. For example, in addition to its 45-second game spot, Unilever plans to boost visibility for the commercial via blog posts, Facebook, and Twitter.
"During the Super Bowl, we're going to use Twitter to engage the audience in real time by reaching out to people tweeting and urging them to watch our commercial again," said Kathy O'Brien, vice president for personal care at the Unilever.
Meanwhile, the Times reports that E*Trade Financial Group also plans to get more miles out of its talking baby commercials through Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. And the company is stepping up its game with a new initiative called BabyMail, which will enable website visitors to send email messages featuring baby talk voices.
Want to hear more about the latest in social media brand strategies (and watch the Super Bowl) among a network of top thought leaders in the digital marketing industry? Attend the iMedia Brand Summit, Feb. 7-10. Learn more about the iMedia Brand Summit and request your invitation today.
