You probably think Super Bowl, and think football. When I think Super Bowl, I think halftime show and advertisements. It is hard to fathom the amount of exposure numerous companies benefit from by taking part in an event that attracts 108 million viewers. While Beyonce put on an excellent show, I was more excited to get online and see the buzz surrounding the multi-million dollar, high caliber advertisements. Take a look at one of my favourites:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2prAccclXs
There is no doubt that a great deal of thought, planning, and not to mention money goes into each advertisement. But how can a company ensure that their advertisement is effective? Stephanie Vozza’s article on the Entrepreneur talks about 5 lessons companies, big or small, can takeaway from this past Sunday’s ads.
- Have a call to action
- Be different
- Highlight your unique selling proposition
- Take advantage of every opportunity
- Use timely messaging
I think each of these is extremely important, but I wanted to focus on the first: a call to action. The above Budweiser commercial has a story that resonates with viewers, pulling at their emotions. It successfully connects with and involves the consumer – a tactic that is extremely effective in advertising, especially since companies are moving towards a consumer-focused mentality. Including consumer involvement by using its Twitter campaign (#clydesdales) to name a baby Clydesdale highlights the importance of the consumer being the key focus in all that the company does. Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Audi and Toyota were a few among the many to successfully include consumer involvement at some level. This tactic together with the other four, are important for any company to consider when creating an advertisement.