Everybody knows that the Super Bowl is the… umm, Super Bowl (for lack of a better term) of marketing. At $4.5 million for 30 seconds of airtime, marketers are becoming more inventive every year with the way they deliver messages. So, what can we learn from these marketers, in order to deliver a better message about our events, or products?
Social isn’t easy
Social media, a key digital marketing strategy, is becoming more and more complex. There is an upward trend of video and link posts in order to combat the ever-changing social media algorithms. Marketers are becoming less dependent on the image and the text, instead creating more complicated content in real time.
One of the most trending hashtags during this year’s Super Bowl was #TheMoreYouKnow, NBC’s PSA slogan from years ago, because of Katy Perry on a flying star. It’s difficult to predict what’s going to trend, but within minutes, photoshopped versions of Katy Perry on the “More You Know” star were all over the twittersphere. Timing is everything!
What we can predict is that 2015 is the year of the link post. The share of link posts is up 69% year over year, while text posts continue to drop, down 77% year over year.
Wider audiences for digital media
Although you may not be advertising your event on television, it’s important to be aware of the rise in TV-everywhere consumption, up 108% in the third quarter of 2014 compared to the same period in 2013. For the Super Bowl, over 10% of the share of viewing comes from devices such as Xbox or Apple TV, replacing desktops in the living room. Android and gaming consoles have the most engaged viewers for TV everywhere content.
So what does that mean for your event marketing? It’s important to create original content that is mobile-friendly. No event should have a website that is not mobile friendly in 2015.
Mobile means more shoppers
Super Bowl 2015 had more viewers than ever watching from their mobile devices. Not only were they able to watch the game, but they were instantly able to visit advertisers’ websites as they watched. Mobile consumption of Super Bowl content and mobile traffic to advertisers’ websites is at record levels. With larger phone screens equipped with mobile wallets, the ROI for each mobile visit has increased. Nearly half of all mobile sales came from customers using iPads and 50% of visits to Super Bowl advertiser websites came from mobile devices.
There’s a high chance that your audience viewing your event’s advertising content is on a mobile device. Make it easy for them to register through a mobile device, pay using a digital wallet, and you’ll create a higher ROI.
Keep it light
A great funny or moving ad is crucial to stand out in this crowded multichannel landscape. Incredible visuals, emotion stories, or humorous marketing can help you breakthrough the onslaught of other digital ads. The top ads for Super Bowl 2015 were the Budweiser “Lost Dog” ad that pulled at heartstrings, Always “Like A Girl” ad that sent a powerful message, and the hilarious Fiat “Blue Pill” ad. The worst ads were the Jublia “Tackle It” ad that shared way too much about toenail fungus and the Nationwide “Boy” ad that depressed audiences everywhere by mentioning accidental child deaths. Even if you can’t afford to spend a lot on marketing your event, creating emotionally charged and humorous content means the content is highly shareable. Be creative, use images, and keep it light.
In conclusion, if you plan to successfully market your event in 2015 remember these things:
- Social algorithms change too often to keep up with, so focus on link posts to reach the largest audience.
- Create original mobile-friendly content to ensure everybody can view your message.
- Enable visitors to your website the ability to register instantly and pay using a digital wallet.
- Make your message shareable by evoking emotions and using humor, but keep the message positive.
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