Matthew Ho's Blog

Pawngo.com took advantage of Super Bowl mistakes made by the Patriots

For those of you who witness Wes Welker drop a crucial ball in the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl, you couldn’t help but feel bad for the guy. (Even if you dislike the Patriots as much as I do.) However, Pawngo.com thought it would be a perfect opportunity for some guerrilla marketing. The Denver based online pawn shop delivered 900lbs of Butterfingers candy bars to Copley Square in Boston, with the note, “Thank you, Wes Welker.” (The New England Patriots eliminated Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos in the NFL Divisional Playoffs this year.) This small revenge tactic has exposed their website to many keen football fans, and is bound to gain exposure across North America. After all, 900lbs of Butterfinger candy bars is equivalent to almost 8,000 bars. This venture backed by Daylight Partners, Access Venture Partners and Lightbank, and the $100 million fund started by the founders of Groupon, has successfully exposed their website to millions of North Americans (minus any Patriots fans) through the Super Bowl without having to spend the millions of dollars on a Super Bowl Commercial.

As a devote football fan, my love for the game always falls a tiny bit short during the T.V. timeouts in Canada. However, this year Budweiser surprised me. They took advantage of a Canadian market looking for unique, engaging, and entertaining commercials during the Super Bowl. Budweiser’s youtube commercial has already gained over 1 million views for their flash fans commercial and continues to support sporting events. As beer is a popular beverage consumed during sporting events, especially professional football and hockey, Budweiser impacts the attitudes of consumers. Fans are highly emotional while watching their team play. Budweiser brings that affection for their team and associates the highs and lows (but more importantly the emotions and loyalty towards a team) with their beverage. This is the beer that cares about Canadians and is willing to be apart of the Super Bowl experience for Canadians. They are targeting their commercial towards consumers who are devote fans, looking to gain the most exceptional experience during the game. These fans fall under the segmentation mainly between age 20-34, both male and female, and a sports fan. (Once again smart move on Budweiser’s behalf for connecting beer and football!) Also, they gain the attention of an audience who are taking part in the festivities of the Super Bowl spirit. Spending the additional costs towards a Canadian commercial does not cost nearly as much as broadcasting a commercial on American networks, and was a great play by Budweiser. They associated themselves with a great Sunday event, and are focusing on positioning themselves as the choice of beer for sporting events.