1 Thing Everything Advertiser Must Do (Super Bowl LVIII Nod)
Choose Media Strategically To Reach Your Customer
The NFL Super Bowl LVIII is this Sunday, Feb 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, NV. 100MM+ people will tune in to watch the NFL’s biggest game of the season on CBS stations. So much energy and money is riding on this one day. Not only will viewers watch a football duel between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs, they’ll also be entertained by the 50+ brands who will compete for consumer attention and post-game action in commercials.
As an advertising and marketing professor & practitioner, I spend a lot of time thinking about WHY brands choose the advertising strategies & placements that they do. After years of pondering, the key thing I’ve learned is that many brands want to appear in a lot of places to try to catch a wide array of people in myriad media platforms.
Yet other brands are more strategic. Not only do some brands take the time to identify a specific target audience, they think further about their media usage throughout the day, in order to develop an advertising message to intercept them with value at the right aperture for maximum impact.
Choose The Right Media Strategy For YOUR Brand
At the beginning and end of the day, advertising and the subsequent media placements are rooted in strategy. And at the baseline, all brands need an audience, because audiences include people, who buy things. So, is a Super Bowl ad the best thing to do for all brands? Let us explore this.
Spending $7MM for one 30 second spot is a luxury for many brands, and a very big investment for those who choose to do so. Super Bowl advertisers choose this entertainment event because they are able to present their brand to a massive audience primed to view ads. In most television viewership cases, people skip out or flip channels when commercials interrupt the viewing experience. But this is the one time of year in which people actually pay attention to the ads. Also, there are certain product categories in which brands know they can present their brand as an alternative to what they are currently consuming e.g. beer, snacks and beverages.
Super Bowl advertisers tend to sell mass products consumable by a range of people. So this choice of programming is not suitable for all brands, especially those targeting a specific niche. So it is imperative that each brand truly identify their audience, and know what media their audience consumes, and why before setting their media in place.
In order for people to buy your brand, they must first know of your brand. And then know what your brand will do for them.
So, when thinking of your brand, always think first about your audience, then next about which media they consume. Lean into when and how they use media, e.g. a mom using an app in the afternoon for meditation vs an app in the afternoon to pick up her kid after school. Apps would be a part of your strategy, but the messages would differ greatly if you want to truly engage her.
Then, ensure your message represents seeing your customer, and offering value to their life. Every person on the planet wants to feel seen. So, when your brand represents knowing your customer, and what they need, your brand has the chance to deliver a solution to the program they presently have or will have in the future. But acknowledgement of their life and needs is the first step in gaining that trust (that’s a whole different article).
Sharing this video featuring PETERMAYER President & CEO Michelle Edelman as she shares her take on creating a strategy for your brand.
Olivia F. Scott is Assistant Professor of Advertising at Loyola University, Adjunct Marketing Professor at NYU, Founder of Omerge Alliances Marketing Consultancy and Freedom at The Mat. Learn more at oliviafscott.com.
