Twitter and 2023’s Super Bowl

 

With all the buzz surrounding Twitter, this year’s Super Bowl is bound to be very, very different than years past. The reason is simple for those who live and breathe in the Twitterverse and can be explained with two words: Elon Musk. Since Musk officially took over Twitter in October 2022, the Twitterverse has changed dramatically, and the Super Bowl will be one example of the drastic change.

Many users left Twitter – some migrated to Mastodon, and others simply took a hiatus from the real time news and commentary social media platform.

Many brands stopped advertising on Twitter and put a pause on their tweets.

But the most disappointing change for this marketer will be the loss of a real time conversation during Super Bowl Sunday about the ads. Whether the hashtag is #SuperBowlAds, #SuperBowlAdvertising, #BrandBowl, #Ads, or any other marketing or branding hashtag, the conversation is bound to be substantially smaller than in years past, if at all.

Remember the Oreo tweet during the 2013 Super Bowl? When the electricity went out in the stadium, the Oreo marketing team pivoted quickly with a great idea and tweeted: “Power out? [Photo: No problem. You can still dunk in the dark.]”

In response, Lowe’s home improvement stores tweeted: “Hey dome operators at the Big Game, there are a few Lowe’s nearby if you need some generators.”

And also in response, PBS (public television TV channel) tweeted: “This might be a good time to think about alternative programing. #SuperBowlBlackOut”

And remember the Apple Ad during the 1984 Super Bowl that introduced the Macintosh computer? No ad has rivaled that one in terms of impact except, perhaps, the 2002 Budweiser ad in which the Clydesdale horses knelt in memory of the lives lost on September 11, 2001.

So, what will happen off the field during this year’s Big Game? Where will the most interesting conversations take place to discuss the ads? Your guess is as good as mine – but be sure to check out my blog on the morning after the game on February 13, for my annual review of the ads.

Image Credit: Debbie Laskey.