By: Sahil Patel
For a long time, a Super Bowl advertiser knew that advertising during the big game was essentially a one-off deal. Sure, they could recoup some of their investment by running those ads on TV for weeks and months to come, but the real value was when millions and millions were tuned into the biggest TV event of the year.
That’s no longer the case, and the rise of web video, via platforms such as YouTube, has a lot to do with it. “These days, Super Bowl advertising isn’t just a 30-second spot that airs during the game,” says David Paull, founder of research technology developer Dialsmith. “At upwards of $4.5 million a pop, brands are looking for ways to build an integrated strategy around this effort.”
The Super Bowl is still the tentpole, for sure. But the massive amounts of video consumption on the web helps advertisers who, as Paull says, view the release of their Super Bowl ad as a “launchpad for a year-long campaign.”
This is why some advertisers are pre-releasing their ad on the web, recognizing that the lifespan of the spot will be far longer if it’s distributed as a piece of branded content across platforms, rather than just a TV commercial.
“Pre-releasing an ad allows them to start generating buzz early and drive social interactions in the week leading up to the game,” says Paull. “The downside is they lose the element of surprise, which is why not all brands do it.”
Some brands try to get the best of both worlds, by teasing their Super Bowl spot with mini-trailers on the web. “That’s what Skittles is doing this year and they have some fun teasers that leave you wondering where it’s going,” says Paull. “In the end that may prove to be an even more effective strategy because it builds curiosity and buzz without giving too much away so they can also capitalize on game-day buzz.”
This article was originally posted on VideoInk and is reposted on [a]listdaily via a partnership with the news publication, which is the online video industry’s go-to source for breaking news, features, and industry analysis. Follow VideoInk on Twitter @VideoInkNews, or subscribe via thevideoink.com for the latest news and stories, delivered right to your inbox.
