Is the Super Bowl
an Example of the Importance of Marketing?

Everyone has been talking about the power of Super Bowl advertising.
It probably all started with that crazy 1984 Orwellian Super
Bowl ad by Apple. Super Bowl XLVI is right around the corner and
what’s the big buzz? The ads of course! The Ferris
Bueller mystery ad is all the buzz this year. Who do you think is behind
it? By the way, if you want to see last year’s ads go here Super Bowl Advertising XLV.

A Corporate
Marketing Question

If you had a choice between buying a Super Bowl commercial or
doing marketing online, which would you choose? Many people would choose the
Super Bowl ad. There will be millions of people watching, some only for the
ads. So is this a good choice? Can marketing online even come close to what a
Super Bowl ad could do?

When it comes to strategic marketing and advertising, the question is ‘what is the
overall goal?’ Is it just getting a bunch of people to see your name? Is it to
give people something to chat about at the water cooler? Or is it something
bigger than that? The goal of integrated marketing communications is to drive business
and bring in more sales, right?

Experiential
Marketing Requires Integrated Marketing Communications

So who will be advertising during the Super Bowl? Billion
dollar companies right? The biggest brands in the world like: Budweiser, Snickers,
Geico, essurance, GoDaddy, eTrade to name a few.

Have you noticed that most of these billion dollar companies
are using a more integrated marketing communications approach? Super Bowl ads
promoting not only their products but also their online marketing efforts
(Facebook Fan Pages, Twitter accounts and “online only” offers). Why?

The Largest Brands
in the World Are Stretching their Advertising Dollars

They want to get you with the big splash of their Super Bowl
advertisement and then drive you to the web where they can:

•  connect with you

•  engage with you

•  get you to follow them

•  develop and nurture a relationship

•  follow you and your future buying
habits

•  create special offers that you can’t
get anywhere else so you will spread the word and hopefully take their
integrated marketing efforts “viral”

So is a Super Bowl ad worth the money? Only if it is part of
a bigger integrated marketing strategy. The main thing that will drive big
business for these advertisers is going to be the big post-Super Bowl
engagement they get through their social media sites and other marketing
online. The real value is not only going to be whether these ads help you buy
the advertiser’s product, but buying the product and connecting with them to
become a loyal customer, this is where the big gamble is for Super Bowl
advertising.

Let’s say you don’t have the budget for a Super Bowl ad. Can
you still create an integrated marketing campaign that delivers
the same thing that an integrated Super Bowl ad does? Is it going to cost you
millions? Are you going to make a splash the size of a Super Bowl ad? How many
watchers of the Super Bowl are a perfect client for you and could you really
handle all that business?

Is an integrated sales and marketing communication strategy
the answer for Super Bowl ad jealousy? Here’s one way to learn about Sales
and Marketing Integration.