Super Bowl Advertisers Shoot Mobile Blanks

If things hadn’t been following the same tired, now decade-old script, my face would’ve matched the 30 seconds of air during the second quarter of Super Bowl LII—blank.

Just how many of the more than 100 million in the U.S. watching the game had a mobile device either in hand or within four feet? My bet would’ve been at least 80 percent.

And just how many times did advertisers paying up to $5 million for a 30-second spot ask viewers to do something with their phones? Even by giving a few of the brands the benefit of the doubt, the percentage was less than 5 percent.

It again was as if we were looking at a telecast from 1975.

Among the misses on not-so-Super Sunday:

If Wendy’s fresh hamburgers are really better than those frozen at McDonald’s, the spot was a perfect opportunity to give folks the incentive to try them with a mobile call to action for a discount, a free one or buy-one, get-one offer. One way would’ve been through a call to action to text in for a coupon. Then Wendy’s could’ve asked for an opt-in for future offers.

In 2009, Arby’s did so with a product introduction on Jimmy Kimmel Live. More than 100,000 people responded. Approximately 65,000 then opted-in to join the mobile loyalty club. The restaurant created 172 local databases. There was nothing sexy about it, but the buy paid off for months, if not years.

For what it’s worth, Wendy’s did engage effectively in social, for example, tweeting, “If you’re frozen, you’re gonna get burned.”

I’ll remember Super Bowl LII as the time when several advertisers championed the good in humanity. MassMutual kicked off this effort in the pregame show by highlighting positivity, courage and kindness. While it inspired and brought goose bumps to the three of us in my viewing area, it did not offer up a way for us to engage and participate in future efforts beyond attempting to send us to unsung.com which was part education on the program and part education (sales effort) on the company’s financial products.

Mobile is for action. except, obviously, during Super Bowl telecasts.

Kia’s “Dream On” ad with Steven Tyler was an ideal springboard to push the Stinger with mobile. It’s common for automakers to enable consumers to customize a vehicle in an app. Augmented reality could’ve put the Stinger in one’s driveway. But none of this came to be on Sunday. Only a #kiastinger hashtag that had to be searched for.

The movie houses collectively spent tens of millions of dollars, yet their trailer-type ads for films due out months from now built fleeting excitement but no meaningful way for those interested to stay engaged. How about driving people to an app or mobile site for behind-the-scenes footage, a message from a movie star or a sweepstakes to win premiere passes?

On the plus side, Kraft did encourage viewers to create and upload family photos taken during the game. The creation of content certainly wasn’t a stretch given the fact that selfies are now as part of Super Sunday as dip and chips. But the effort was primarily promoted way before the kickoff on Twitter and Instagram, leaving most in the audience unaware that there was a user-generated effort going on.

The Kraft spot with the UGC late in the game was memorable, but not more than the selfie during halftime that featured Justin Timberlake and a young fan.

Also, while not the call to action I’ve been waiting for, the fact that TurboTax showed the ease of paying taxes on a mobile screen felt like some progress in moving the spots into the wireless era. And it was busy in social channels.

So it’s wait ‘til next year.

Will anything change? It’s been said that Super Bowl ads are for brand anthems, not for calls to act. But there are other reasons for noninviting, vintage-type efforts – many brands aren’t all in on mobile, silos frequently prevent “what’s best for the customer” initiatives, and, in many marketing organizations, creativity still sits as the top objective, not sales.

But Nick Foles did best Tom Brady, so anything is possible.

(first appeared on adweek.com - http://www.adweek.com/digital/in-mobile-super-bowl-marketers-still-struggle-to-think-beyond-the-hashtag/)

Unlimited Moves? Nah, Super Bowl Advertisers Stand Still

Justin Bieber and T-Mobile asked Super Bowl viewers to show their “unlimited moves”. Brands did the opposite, following the same tired plan of ignoring the fact that more than 100 million people had a mobile device in hand or close nearby and were open to engagement.

Let me list just some of the fumbles:

- Exclusivity is a key driver for those joining mobile loyalty clubs, yet for the 51st year in a row, we saw what felt like generic movie trailers that were without mobile calls to action. What about asking viewers to opt in to see more, enter for a chance to go to the premiere, or get a personalized call or ringtone from the film’s stars? Nothing of the kind was included.

- Every pizza company is trying to drive mobile ordering, yet Pizza Hut’s spot missed on the chance to invite viewers to download the app, enter to win a year’s worth of pizza, or to go to the mobile web for discounts and ability to sign on for personalized ordering? The brand wouldn’t even have had to ask us to say “Cheese”. Instead, it ran a spot vintage 1985 (except for the quick look at the app in the closing frame).

- I tweeted about the lack of a mobile call to action in the avocados spot, then received this response from Avocados From Mexico on Twitter (@AvosfromMexico): “Since you like secrets, join our Secret Society as a VIP member & win! http://sot.ag/t/2ht#AvoSecrets #SB51”. Two problems here – why wasn’t the CTA part of the TV ad? And was the account sending automated tweets rather than having real-time interaction that would’ve been more personal and meaningful?

- Alfa Romeo introduced new beautiful automobiles, but put aside the fact that mobile and car buying are intertwined. Why not ask viewers to download an app, customize their dream car with color and features, put the vehicle on a virtual track, or have a chance to win one? Apple’s Sean Bartlett, one of mobile’s pioneers, says the lack of calls to action is because advertisers use the Super Bowl to run brand anthems. This was a case of that, for sure.

In my mind, the No. 1 big Super Bowl miss was in 2009 when Denny’s offered viewers free Grand Slam breakfasts, but failed to ask patrons to opt in to receive the free food. While more than two million showed up for free eggs and hash browns or grits, Denny’s had no way of knowing who came in or how to remarket to them.

Contrast that with an Arby’s product introduction on Jimmy Kimmel’s show just a few months later that called for a text response for a free Roastburger. More than 65,000 opted in for on-going offers and enagement, and Arby’s built 172 local databases to further cater to its mobile-carrying customers.

Why isn’t something like that happening in 2017?

During last year’s Super Bowl telecast, NO MORE, an advocacy group that works to combat domestic violence and sexual assault, maximized the moment by building a mobile database.

People who opted into the text program received action-oriented messages educating them on common signs of abuse and steps that they can take to help victims of domestic violence or sexual assault.

There was no more of that or anything similar this year despite the airing of messages that asked viewers to get involved in making the world a better and more forgiving place.

In summation, Tom Brady and the Patriots made history Sunday. Advertisers made those of us in mobile hope again for a more engaging day. And for truly unlimited moves.

-

article first appeared on Mobile Marketer - http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/opinion/columns/24443.html

Will Super Bowl Advertisers Take Another Pass On Mobile?

In the X’s and O’s game of Super Bowl advertising, marketers have consistently taken a pass on mobile.

Sure, we’ve seen spots with Shazam calls to action and others that have asked viewers to download a mobile app, but I can’t point to one meaningful attempt to engage tens of millions or more after the Big Game is done.

The missed opportunities have been many, including this one that goes back seven years:

Some, probably many, may have had too good a time to remember, but a great deal of us among the 95 million who watched the Super Bowl in February 2009 remember the television spots run by restaurant chain Denny’s to promote free Grand Slam breakfasts. The campaign’s elements were easy to follow—all viewers needed to do was to go to a Denny’s the following Tuesday for free eggs along with toast with hash browns or grits.

Denny’s reported that approximately 2 million took advantage of the offer. Although many might view that as a success, Denny’s was left with egg on its face when quick service restaurant Arby’s did it one better two months later by building in a way to remarket to patrons through a high-profile, national television campaign.

Here’s how it worked:

To start out, for the launch of its Roastburger product, Arby’s had comedian/entertainer Jimmy Kimmel create, eat, and promote the new sandwich on Jimmy Kimmel Live, a late-night nationally broadcast TV program airing on ABC.

Viewers were urged to text the word Roastburger to short code 27297 to receive a free sandwich with the purchase of any drink. After texting, customers were asked to respond with their zip code to be entered into a local database and to receive additional offers from Arby’s. By doing this, the restaurant gained a valuable remarketable database.

As a result of the one segment:

- Arby’s received 177,745 total entries from 152,280 unique participants

- Approximately 65,000 people opted in to join the mobile loyalty club

- The restaurant created 172 local databases to cater to the opted-in customers on a hyperlocal level

Two years ago, I asked Sean Bartlett, then director of mobile strategy and platforms at Lowe's, for some perspective on the lack of mobile calls to action on Super Bowl telecasts.

“I'm going with preserving creative integrity,” Bartlett, now Worldwide Industry Lead for Retail at Apple, told me.

But can we not have “creative integrity” that includes a mobile call to action?

“Yes, though most are brand anthems, not direct response,” he said.

Last year, on a scale of 1-100, the risk that the Seattle Seahawks took at the end of Super Bowl XLIX by throwing instead of giving the ball to Marshawn Lynch at the 1 sat at 379. And we know how that turned out (the New England Patriots intercepted a pass and won the championship).

On the same scale, on the risk that the telecast advertisers chose when it comes to mobilizing their marketing messages, the number rested squarely at 0.

My belief is that with the right trigger, a Super Bowl spot lives on well beyond the stench of putrid play-calling and uneaten nachos.

It is not hard to imagine some of that from many of the commercials.

What if last year in the last seconds of an ad that was instantly beloved, Budweiser urged touched viewers to save a dog and provided a keyword and short code to be contacted after the game? Do you not think the emotional string pulled would have resulted in pet adoptions?

To me, it gets back to the question of risk.

Just what would advertisers lose if they took the last three seconds of a commercial to add a call to action for viewers to use their phones? What is the worst that could happen? No one would respond.

Will the Super Bowl 50 telecast mark a mobile milestone? On a day when more money will be wagered than any other in 2016, I’m not betting on it.

-

(article first appeared on imediaconnection.com - http://blogs.imediaconnection.com/blog/2016/01/31/will-super-bowl-advertisers-take-another-pass-on-mobile/)

Tradition Is For Sports, Not Super Bowl Telecasts

I’m a traditionalist when it comes to sports. I go for vintage uniforms and zero rules changes so we can have apples-to-apples comparisons of players from one era to another.

But when it comes to coverage of events and advertising within telecasts, I embrace change. After all, I sit with a smartphone and tablet within reach, and have an interest in interacting with the programming as well as brands that interest me.

On Super Bowl Sunday, more than 100 million were there for the advertisers. Yet few brands took advantage of the fact that for many, television viewing has moved from passive to interactive.

On other days, we vote. Or text to win. Or go to mobile Web sites to learn more, be entertained, and to buy.

On Sunday, all we did was wait.

It had a 1983 feel to it -- and felt as stale as a 30-year-old advertising concept (nerd kisses model, Coke makes us feel good).

Missed opportunities to engage and sell more stuff?

I could name one for every minute of stadium blackout time.

For example, Pizza Hut lost out on the chance for more dough by failing to set up a name capture as part of its free product giveaway on Tuesday. Denny’s made the same mistake in the 2010 Super Bowl telecast.

In contrast, consider how Arby’s introduced its Roastburger sandwich. For the launch, Arby’s had Jimmy Kimmel create, eat and promote the product on "Jimmy Kimmel Live." Viewers were urged to text the word ROASTBURGER to a short code to receive a free sandwich with the purchase of any drink. After texting, customers were asked to respond with their ZIP code to be entered into a local database and receive additional offers from Arby’s. By doing this, the restaurant gained a valuable re-marketable database.

As a result of the one segment, Arby’s received 177,745 total entries from 152,280 unique participants; 65,000 people opted-in to join the mobile loyalty club; and the restaurant created 172 local databases to cater to the opted-in customers on a hyper-local level.

Elsewhere Sunday, Oreo actually added a mobile element to its $4 million spot, but the call to action -- go to Instagram to decide if Oreos are great because of the cookie or the cream -- was confusing and hardly inclusive, given the large number of viewers who aren’t Instagram users.

Pepsi sought to give away one million bottles of Next, but the URL shown flashed on the screen so fast that it likely was missed by most. In fact, the call to action said to go to the site by midnight Sunday for a chance to win, yet a visit there Monday morning had the contest still live.

The eagerly anticipated Clydesdale spot hit the yearly emotional right note. Budweiser easily could have built off of the moment with a mobile site showing previous Clydesdale efforts and by running a contest to determine from viewers which year’s ad was the most heartwarming.

What’s behind the reluctance to add mobile calls to action to Super Bowl spots? Some say it’s the silos in agencies where traditional and digital media are separate entities. Others throw out the idea that agency creatives don’t want to muck up 30 seconds of “art.” Still others say engagement after the Super Bowl takes a backseat to the buzz built off of a $4 million buy.

On a day when a football winner is decided, we need a champion off the field -- someone from the traditional media side who sees the opportunity to run a Super Bowl spot with a mobile call to action that takes into account the viewers’ behaviors and interests -- not to mention the brand’s need to keep the conversation going and to sell product days and months later.  

(article first appeared on mediapost.com - http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/192645/tradition-is-for-sports-...)