Every year in early February, hundreds of millions of viewers continue to tune in live to watch the Super Bowl. With such staggering viewership, it’s also the perfect opportunity for businesses of all sizes to launch a creative marketing or promotional campaign that takes advantage of the Super Bowl season.
While Super Bowl ad time can be too pricey for many organizations, and was sold out by November anyway, modern marketing can help any business build an effective promotional campaign around the big game that bolsters brand awareness, expands market share, and generates sales.
The following tactics will help you fold an effective and engaging Super Bowl marketing campaign into your annual marketing strategy.
Not sure if you have what you need to build out an extensive, effective marketing campaign? Download Impact’s guide, The Ultimate List of Marketing Resources for Any Campaign, to get the full list of what you need.
Why is Super Bowl Marketing Advantageous for Businesses?
The Super Bowl is one of the most-watched and most-talked-about events every year. It regularly brings in hundreds of millions of viewers on television. And it is the host of the most expensive ad placements in the world with slots going for more than $7 million for 30 seconds of airtime.
Not only has the Super Bowl seen record viewership over the last several years, but with Taylor Swift’s new association with the Kansas City Chiefs through her relationship with star tight end Travis Kelce, the Super Bowl in 2024 is expected to shatter previous viewer records.
“Swift’s presence is expected to spike viewership in a game that drew 115.1 million viewers in 2023... the ’Taylor Swift Effect’ could potentially increase the numbers from 115 million to 130 million.”
This phenomenon makes advertising around the 2024 Super Bowl an even richer opportunity for a wider breadth of businesses. With a projected 15 million viewers tuning into the Super Bowl just for Taylor Swift, there is a whole new demographic that Super Bowl campaigns can target.
With how much money a 30-second ad spot goes for during the Super Bowl, it may seem like an impossible dream for organizations operating on a smaller budget. But it’s not! Even though the headlines tend to shine on the massive amount of TV viewership and the astronomical ad pricing, a huge portion of the Super Bowl’s reach is digital, and therefore, accessible to anybody.
The phrase ”super bowl” is mentioned over 480,000 times during the month of the game and will generate over seven billion impressions, with an overwhelming number of them being positive. Using tools like social media and email, you can take advantage of Super Bowl mania by producing related content (like this blog!) or by inserting your brand into the conversation on social platforms.
For example, this year’s Super Bowl features the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Fransisco 49ers. As such, a hypothetical small bakery in California could run a 20% off promotion for anyone wearing 49ers gear during the weeks leading up to the big game. The campaign could be promoted on social media to save on cost and improve reach.
This is just one way a business could use the Super Bowl season and Super Bowl marketing to their advantage.
4 Ways Stores are Capitalizing on Super Bowl Promotions: Ideas for 2024
The National Retail Federation projects that spending around the Super Bowl is going to reach a record $17.3 billion in 2024, accounting for food, drinks, apparel, décor, and other big game-related purchases.
While corporations and conglomerates with the spending power will be hitting the pedal to the metal when it comes to ad time during the game, there are several ways that organizations with smaller marketing budgets can still carve out a piece of this $17.3 billion pie.
- Hot Takes and Trends
- Social Media
- Themed Promotions
- Full-Scale Marketing
1. Hot Takes, Trends, and Noteworthy Moments
Each year there’s a slew of NFL drama that plays out in the playoffs as teams battle for their spot in the championship game. Just earlier this year, the number one ranked offense, the Dallas Cowboys fell to the youngest team in NFL history to win a playoff game, the Green Bay Packers. In the same weekend, the Detroit Lions won their first playoff game in over 30 years.
These historic moments create perfect opportunities for creative, unique, and engaging marketing campaigns. For instance, if your brand is just starting out, you could run a marketing campaign comparing your young but super-star staff to the roster of the Packers.
2. Rely on Social
Social media is going to be critical for your marketing efforts around the Super Bowl. Not only will social media help you promote your campaign before the big game, but it will also allow you to engage with your audience during the game itself.
Some companies will use social to post bold predictions, create fun and engaging memes based on game results, or even provide simple commentary that creates conversation.
However you aim to use social during Super Bowl season, you’re going to want to have a solid plan in place prior to launching your campaign. But it’ll be important to create this plan with some flexibility in mind as live events tend to be unpredictable.
With a strong plan in place, you can authentically add to the conversation around the game, engage with your audience, and build awareness. Not to mention, if you use social media effectively while the game is ongoing, you can generate additional customer loyalty through sports fandom.
3. Plan Themed Promotions
Whether it’s in-store or online, a Super Bowl-themed promotion is a great way to get a slice of that $17.3 billion pie. During the time around the Super Bowl (and especially on the weekend of the game), people will be buying everything they need for their parties or events, including food, drinks, apparel, décor, and just anything else you can imagine.
By running a specialized promotional campaign leading up to the Super Bowl, you can position your brand to benefit from this uptake in consumer spending, generate additional brand awareness, and ultimately improve your market share.
4. Form a Full Marketing Campaign Around the Game
There’s potentially a lot of money to be made during Super Bowl season. But you need to be organized to take full advantage. A day-of sale or promotion is nothing without a proper campaign backing it up. This means creating emails, publishing content, and posting on social media to promote your business and the associated campaign.
If you do have the budget to run a Super Bowl ad, you’re going to garner a lot of attention and you don’t want all that effort, and money, to go to waste. By supporting your Super Bowl ad with a larger, full-scale promotional campaign you can fully capitalize on newly acquired customers and generate conversions that lead to a sustainable increase in market share.
This also means establishing a powerful and reliable IT infrastructure capable of handling a sudden massive influx in traffic.
For a full-fledged and strategic Super Bowl campaign, you need audience data, ad placements, email cadences, social media content, and much more. However, if you take the time to plan and invest the resources for a serious Super Bowl campaign, it might just be the one that takes your business to the next level.
Super Bowl marketing isn’t just for gigantic companies that spend millions. It’s a unique one-of-a-kind marketing and advertising opportunity for brands of all shapes and sizes looking to make a splash at the top of the year.
Wrapping Up on Super Bowl Ads
The Super Bowl captivates millions of viewers every February. This colossal viewership provides an unparalleled platform for businesses to showcase their creativity through marketing and promotional campaigns.
The key lies in crafting an effective promotional campaign that extends beyond traditional advertising methods. By employing modern marketing tactics, businesses can amplify brand awareness, broaden market share, and drive sales during the Super Bowl fever.
As the world gathers around screens in troves to enjoy the big game, savvy marketers can seize this moment to make a powerful impression and elevate their brand for the foreseeable future.
To build effective campaigns and take advantage of big events like the Super Bowl, you need the best tools and tips. Download Impact’s guide, The Ultimate List of Marketing Resources to help you create successful, unique, and engaging campaigns.
2. Rely on Social
Social media is going to be critical for your marketing efforts around the Super Bowl. Not only will social media help you promote your campaign before the big game, but it will also allow you to engage with your audience during the game itself.
Some companies will use social to post bold predictions, create fun and engaging memes based on game results, or even provide simple commentary that creates conversation.
However you aim to use social during Super Bowl season, you’re going to want to have a solid plan in place prior to launching your campaign. But it’ll be important to create this plan with some flexibility in mind as live events tend to be unpredictable.
With a strong plan in place, you can authentically add to the conversation around the game, engage with your audience, and build awareness. Not to mention, if you use social media effectively while the game is ongoing, you can generate additional customer loyalty through sports fandom.