Brands That Scored with Real-Time Marketing

In years past, a brand’s Super Bowl moment was won or lost in the live television broadcast. The moment was amplified in the digital space and we created war rooms to respond and reinforce the message, all centered around the television spot. In 2013, Oreo’s tweet heard around the world changed the game and created the new holy grail of Super Bowl brand moments. In just two short years a shift in focus has sparked a new approach on advertising’s biggest day; we aren’t just trying to make a highlight-reel-worthy-catch in thirty seconds, we are trying to win the pre-game week and all four quarters of the big game. 

This year has been the dawn of the idea platform, where campaigns are integrated, responsive and often thriving more in the digital space. And while no brand had that holy grail moment from 2013 (many even struggled to create a killer :30 spot with well-played real-time marketing), there were some outstanding plays in personalization, relevant moments and right time messaging. 

The highlight reel: 

MVP: McDonalds 

During the big game, McDonalds became a standout player with the most comprehensive and integrated campaign. McDonald’s “Pay with Lovin’” created an online to offline experience and leveraged other brands’ creative to deliver an innovative Twitter sweepstakes that received over one million retweets. They localized the campaign, highlighting regional ads as well as national brands. And what’s more, the conversation continued the day after, as my husband and three-year-old daughter had the chance to “Pay with Lovin’” and dance together for their breakfast on Monday morning at our local McDonalds. The well-coordinated effort paid off. McDonalds put a smile on my face and made me think of their brand in a different light.

Outstanding Personalization: Coca-Cola and T-Mobile

Coca-Cola’s #MakeItHappy hashtag is an outstanding idea and spot-on with their brand. Throughout the night, they replied to thousands of tweets and posts with personalized messages. And while the traditional :30 spot struggled to bring the idea to life, the real-time experience and pre-game content was an experience that brought some happiness. 

While T-Mobile might not have broken the internet, they did make some Kim Kardashian fans pretty happy with thousands of personalized selfie pics sent in reply to #KimsDataStash users. 

Relevant and Right-Time Plays of the Game: Always’ #LikeAGirl, Cheerios, Denny’s and Monster

Always’ #LikeAGirl received a lot of cross-brand love and we saw sideline players jump in the brand bowl with relevant and timely messages. JetBlue tweeted a picture of two of their female pilots with, “Fly #LikeAGirl” and Ram Truck offered up an image with, “We know women who shoot and drive #LikeAGirl, and to us that’s @Always been a good thing…”

Cheerios and Denny’s provided the right-time message during the in-game action. 

When Malcolm Butler picked off a pass by Russell Wilson at the goal line to win the game for the Patriots, Cheerios delivered a timely post receiving 880+ retweets. Denny’s jumped in on the conversation and provided a light-hearted take at the player scuffle in the last few minutes of the game and received over 1,200 retweets. 

Monster delivered a right-time message close to the end of the game resulting in an epic Twitter troll moment. Their “Congratulations Seattle” organic post generated more than 4,300 retweets while creating a relevant brand message. The full post revealed job opportunities for social media managers and congratulated New England in the fine print. 

How will brands win the Super Bowl next year? It will take idea platforms that can thrive in every channel and real-time marketing that brings relevance, personalization and right-time messaging to every play in the game. 

Kari Shimmel is Director of Marketing and Planning at Lowe Campbell Ewald