As most people in the U.S. know, Sunday February 3rd is the Super Bowl. For some, it is when friends and family get together to root on their favorite football team. For others, like myself, it is a time to get together with my family and enjoy the commercials. I don’t know who is playing, and I’m not sure I really care. I want to see what these big brands, paying millions of dollars, have come up with to keep us entertained.
But, in today’s socially connected world, I don’t have to wait until Super Bowl Sunday. On Thursday, January 31st, I came across a list of the top 10 Super Bowl commercials, before all commercials were even available for viewing. On Friday, Samsung premiered their new spot, taking a shot at a certain company’s willingness to sue for trademark infringement. And, Mashable has articles on numerous commercials that will be appearing this Sunday.
In fact, viewing these commercials early is a huge activity. In just four days, the new VW Super Bowl commercial has already gained 4.5 million views on Youtube, and the Audi “Prom” commercial has 4.3 million views in the last week. And, who isn’t waiting for the risque GoDaddy commercial that will premier, with more than 75,000 views in just 1 day. Same for the 2013 Budweiser ad, which already has nearly 1 million views since it was released on Thursday, January 31st.
Let’s not forget that almost all the commercials also have Twitter hashtags associated with them, including #Clydesdales, #GetHappy, and #BraveryWins, making this one of the most social sporting events we have.
So, why have companies changed their strategies? Why release these videos before their big Superbowl debut? Not only is the Superbowl the showdown between two football teams, it is a competition between companies. They are looking to social media, whether it be Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest, to get their word out and to get the conversation going before the game even occurs. In fact, the “winner” of the commercial war will be the company that can get the most traffic and mentions on social networks, especially Twitter, according to Peter Shankman (see, Super Bowl ads get report card from social media in the resources).
In fact, with the pre-game viewing stats, it would be easier to bet on the commercial winner than the winner of the game. My bet? With over 8 million views, and with the hashtag #WishGranted, it looks like the winner will be the Kaley Cuoco Toyota commercial.
Where are you placing your bets?
Resources:
Super Bowl ads get report card from social media (video)
Few surprises in Super Bowl Ads
Super Bowl ads released on social media
Wacky Super Bowl Ads are Already Getting Serious Play
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Dear Craig,
I can’t decide if I am happy or sad to know what commercials will be airing on today’s Superbowl game. But one thing is for sure, I love what you wrote. It reassures me that there are those of us who are so fanatical about social media that we go to such lengths to care about these things.
I must confess that I am not quite as sophisticated as you. I was still rooting for one of the football teams. Now I can’t decide if I should spend all those hours watching the game or just go right to YouTube and check out those commercials. See you at the popcorn bowl.
Thanks, Alison!
I really didn’t know who was even playing until a few days ago. I watch for the commercials, as do my kids. And I’m sure I haven’t seen them all, yet.
Enjoy the game (commercials)!
Craig