Brief:
- Bud Light and Mercedes-Benz are the only brands that have received more than 5,000 mentions on social media from revealing their ads, according to data that social media analytics firm Talkwalker shared with Mobile Marketer.
- A news report announcing Pizza Hut's expansion of beer delivery before the Super Bowl spurred more than 125,000 social shares. Pepsi received more than 20,400 mentions on social media, mostly in connection with its sponsorship of the Super Bowl halftime show featuring rock band Maroon 5. The cola wars may heat up on Twitter with the game being played in rival Coca-Cola's hometown, Talkwalker said.
- Bud Light received 17,900 social media mentions with a promise of free beer to the city whose team wins the Super Bowl. Verizon was mentioned more than 6,900 times, mostly for its campaign that honored first responders who saved the lives of NFL players, per Talkwalker.
Insight:
The study suggests Super Bowl advertisers haven't picked up much traction by revealing ads before the game on Sunday. While brands have struggled to more than 5,000 shares, Super Bowl LIII has received more than 3.8 million mentions on blogs, news sites, forums and social media, Talkwalker said. The top five hashtags were #NFLPlayoffs (482,329), #SuperBowl (144,627), #NFL (87,259), #SBLIII (83,250) and the New England Patriots' fan slogan: #EverythingWeGot (70,142).
Where brands are having more success on social media for the Super Bowl is with announcements that are relevant to the game day experience, like beer delivery or the halftime show.
History suggests that there is potential for a brand's reveal to take off if it is particularly exciting, although many brands keep their creative work under wraps until premiering it during the big game. Last year, Amazon released the "Alexa Loses Her Voice" commercial four days ahead of last year's Super Bowl to build excitement going into the game. The ad was a hit with cameos by celebrities who were recruited to replace Alexa's voice. Anheuser-Busch InBev's Bud Light also teased a new commercial on Facebook in the game's lead-up as part of its popular "Dilly Dilly" campaign.
