It's a Wrap on Super Bowl LX's Ads and Social Media Conversations

What do you remember from Super Bowl Sunday? Were you eagerly waiting for touchdowns? Or were you part of the 18 percent who only watched the game to be entertained by the ads? For marketers and many others, we tend to keep only one eye tuned onto the game because we really only want to watch the ads.

According to USA Today, "For one day a year, people can't wait to cozy up on the couch and watch commercials during the Super Bowl. For some, it's a nice sideshow to the big game. For others, it's the main event. In a world where everything is an ad, we do our best to escape them, unless it's the Super Bowl. Companies spend a fortune for just 30 seconds of our time, hoping to capture a market. It might just be the one day a year where the public isn't buried in their phones, channel-surfing, or doing a variety of other things at once."

For Super Bowl 1 in 1967, a 30-second Super Bowl ad cost $37,500 (which was more than the cost of the average house!) - and with inflation, that is about $350,000 in 2025 dollars. For Super Bowl 60, that same 30-second ad cost $8 million with some premium spots costing $10 million, according to Mike Marshall, head of global advertising for NBCUniversal.

According to Aimee Picchi, associate managing editor for CBS MoneyWatch, "Super Bowl ads command a premium because the game is typically the most-watched media event of the year. That gives brands a chance to reach more consumers at one time than anywhere else, and many companies use the opportunity to trot out new products or introduce a new slogan. There's another reason why brands are so willing to pay up: About 3 in 4 people say they are actually excited to watch the ads during the Super Bowl."

According to Sean Muller, CEO of advertising research firm iSpot, "Advertisers are seeing the Super Bowl as an opportunity to catch a break from concerns about the economy and polarized political views. They really want to get people to not worry for a few hours. I think that's why humor has made such a surge."

An interesting note about the Super Bowl and branding. Ever wonder why the logos include Roman numerals? According to CBS Sports, "For nearly 60 years, the Super Bowl has become a central part of American culture well beyond the sphere of pro football and is one of the select few mainstream events still using Roman numerals, a system that has largely been forgotten. Although the numeral system of Ancient Rome began to fall out of use in favor of Arabic numerals around the 14th century, there are still a few instances in which Roman numerals are commonly used: on clock faces, to identify lineages -- particularly for royalty and other important figures -- and to denote each edition of the Super Bowl. The use of Roman numerals for each Super Bowl dates back to the fifth Super Bowl, with the league adopting the use of the system to avoid confusion over the year the game is associated with. The Super Bowl is always played in the year following a chronologically recorded season, so while this Super Bowl is being played in 2026, the game itself will determine the champion of the 2025 NFL season. In addition, the idea to use Roman numerals for the Super Bowl is also credited to Kansas City Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt, who believed that their use would add an element of grandeur to the NFL's biggest game. Hunt, of course, is credited with coining the term Super Bowl."

According to AdAge's Amani Duncan, "When Cambridge Dictionary declared "parasocial" the word of the year last year, it captured a defining characteristic of consumer expectations: connection drives commerce. People want intimacy. They expect brands to feel like people, behave like peers, and communicate like someone who's read the channels they're in. You can't do that by holding growth audiences at arm's length. To build trust with these communities, a winning approach is to have a genuine and sustained posture to understand the experiences, habits, and perspectives that shape how these growth audiences move through the world. Today's growth audiences, who are younger, more diverse, and will continue to represent trillions in spending power, are driving culture. Economists see it, anthropologists agree, and consumers following behavioral patterns confirm it. They're reshaping aesthetics, values, and expectations at a pace that legacy marketing playbooks were never designed to match.

Here's the good news: we're in the middle of a once-in-a-generation reset that rewards the brands willing to get closer, listen harder, and step fully into the conversation. It requires showing up with enough humility and curiosity to be shaped by the communities you hope to serve. Because the brands that will win the next decades won't be the ones with the biggest budgets (although that never hurts). They'll be the ones who treated this as a real strategic assignment, engaging consistently, and understanding the communities' shaping taste and buying behavior. That's why the mandate for business leaders everywhere is simple: if you haven't won the trust and loyalty of growth audiences by 2030, you haven't built a business to last."

With that commentary in mind, it's worth repeating this timeless quote from Landor Associates: "Here are three tips to help you, your dad, or even your football-crazed grandma decide which brands scored a touchdown with their commercials: Is the ad on-brand? Will you remember the brand tomorrow? And, does the ad speak to the times?"

While there was no ad similar to Apple's 1984 ad; no ad that was as memorable as Budweiser's post-9/11 ad from 2002 with the kneeling Clydesdales; no animated Coca Cola polar bears; and no Tweet clever enough to rival Oreo's "dunking in the dark" from 2013's "Blackout Bowl" at the Superdome in New Orleans; some ads did stand out to me, and without further ado, here they are:

BUDWEISER - "American Icons": Whenever the Clydesdale horses appear in an ad, the ad tugs at the heartstrings. This ad was no exception. A young foal found an eaglet, a baby eagle, and during the span of the ad, helped it to learn how to fly. The ad's imagery was impressive - and the ad was the best of this year's crop of ads.

PEPSI - "The Choice": At the Super Bowl time of year, a polar bear is synonymous with Coca-Cola. So once the viewer sees a polar bear, Coca-Cola immediately comes to mind. However, not so fast. In this humorous ad, the polar bear is happy once he drinks from a PEPSI can!

LAY'S POTATO CHIPS - "Last Harvest": A father celebrates retirement as a farmer and gives his farm to his daughter. The ad celebrates family and American farming.

MINIONS & MONSTERS: A day before the Super Bowl, there was a post on Twitter/X with the message "getting super close." (Note the use of the word "super.") Then, there was a brief ad during the big game mentioning that the new Minions film would arrive in theaters on July 1st - and invited viewers to watch the trailer. So, this Minions fan immediately visited Twitter/X to watch the film's trailer. Looks like fun! This was an excellent combination of TV advertising with social media.

While there weren't more memorable ads, during the game, there were numerous "on brand" posts on Twitter/X. Here are some, in case you missed them:

* Krispy Kreme shared a dozen specially-decorated doughnuts with the message: "$2 original glazed dozen when you buy any dozen. A winning play for your gameday spread. Don't fumble this sweet deal."

* Encyclopaedia Britannica shared a fun fact: "Behind only Thanksgiving, Super Bowl Sunday is the second biggest food consumption day in the U.S. Bon appetit."

* Encyclopaedia Britannica also shared an interesting infographic: "Time to update your Super Bowl stats, everyone."

* Merriam-Webster shared a funny post: "snacks - noun - a light meal: food eaten between regular meals."

* Peeps Brand shared a number of posts throughout the game with cute graphics: "The Big Game goes small."

* Avocados from Mexico shared a number of posts throughout the game with memorable graphics: "The real championship was all the guac we ate along the way." (That one was my favorite.)

* Avocados from Mexico responded to Pepsi on Twitter/X: "@Pepsi Find someone that looks at you like your polar bear stares at guac."

* Dr Pepper featured a cute graphic of several bears drinking Dr Pepper rather than Pepsi: "Just wait til that Polar Bear tries a Dr Pepper."

* Ty Inc. shared a post with some of its toys plus the message: "Who's ready for some football? Time for play."

* Library of Congress shared an amusing post: "WHO is excited for Superb Owl weekend? These owls from the Library's Japanese prints and drawings collection don't seem that thrilled, actually, although it's sure to be a hoot. They're enthusiastic about Bad Bunny, but they may not understand that he's a man, not a delicious small mammal."

A few timeless words from Jacques de Cock, a faculty member at the London School of Marketing: "The Super Bowl is a phenomenon unsurpassed in the world. It is one of the few national social events, which is also why social media traffic during the game is so high...What is also remarkable is that advertising is not viewed as something to skip but is seen by 77 percent of viewers as part of the entertainment, and therefore, more watched and engaged with than any other television advertising during the year."

Today, the official countdown begins for Super Bowl LXI, scheduled for February 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in my hometown of Los Angeles. This will be the 9th time that the Los Angeles area has hosted the Super Bowl, commemorating 60 years since the first title game in 1967. 

According to the Tallahassee Democrat, "The Super Bowl has never been on Valentine's Day. The closest the game has ever come to Valentine's Day was in 2022, when Super Bowl LVI was played on February 13th. So why is Super Bowl 61 being played on Valentine's Day? It's all thanks to the NFL's expanded season. In 2021, the NFL announced that all 32 clubs would play 17 games. While the Super Bowl is not held on the same day every year, it was held in January from 1967 through 2003. It shifted to the first Sunday of February from 2004 to 2022. It has since been the second Sunday of February due to the expanded season. However, there has been discussion of adding an 18th game to the season, which would push the big game to mid-February. According to USA TODAY, another game will require amending the league’s collective bargaining agreement, yet will also expand the revenue-sharing pie for owners and players."

No matter how many games are played during next year's regular season and playoffs, will we see an ad or two that will go down as the best of all time during Super Bowl LXI? We'll have to wait and see.

Image credit: Budweiser, Pepsi, and Illumination (Minions).

To read any of my previous Super Bowl ad review posts (I've written them annually since 2012!), search #DebbieLaskeysBlog using the term "super bowl" to access all the links.

To learn more about eagles, check out this link:

https://www.nationaleaglecenter.org/learn/faq/

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.

A Review of the #Ads from #SuperBowl51

Super Bowl 51 may easily go into the history books as the best in history with its overtime surprise win, but if you live and breathe marketing and branding, the ads are the day’s focus. With a staggering cost of $5 million for 30 incredibly short seconds, is it possible for a brand to tell its story effectively and memorably? Were there any ads that rivaled Apple’s 1984 ad or Oreo’s Tweet during the 2013 power outage? Bottom line, can YOU recall any of the ads?

According to Landor Associates, "Here are three tips to help you, your dad, or even your football-crazed grandma decide which brands scored a touchdown with their commercials: Is the ad on-brand? Will you remember the brand tomorrow? And, does the ad speak to the times?”

During the game, Jim Joseph of Cohn and Wolfe in New York hosted the #SuperBowlExp party on Twitter (minus chips and guacamole). Although it's always fun to see what fellow branding and marketing folks say about the ads in real time, there are a couple of challenges. First, some ads run in regional or local markets, so there were some instances that Tweets referenced ads I didn’t see. Second, there are so many hashtags that draw attention to the ads that it’s sometimes a challenge to keep up. In addition to Jim’s party, there were these hashtags that I followed: #BrandBowl, #AdBowl, #SuperBowlAds, and #whartonfoa.

For a complete recap of my Tweets during the #SuperBowlExp chat party, visit my Storify link:
https://storify.com/DebbieLaskeyMBA/superbowl-51-ad-review

This year, many brands and brand icons were noticeably absent. There were no Oreos, M&Ms, polar bears wearing scarves featuring the colors of the competing teams, or the entire group of Clydesdales with their pal, the adorable Dalmatian. This year, politics was in the air. According to New York Senator Chuck Schumer, “Great Super Bowl ads this year. Shows the country moving the right direction, pro-women, pro-environment, pro-immigrant, pro-diversity.” Without further ado, here were my five favorite ads:

AUDI – A father and daughter were featured with the theme of #EqualPayForEqualWork and #DriveProgress. While some viewers complained about the ad afterward by stating that the company has an all-white male Board of Directors, the critical issue is that equal pay for equal work must be implemented before women will earn a place in the C-Suite and Board room.

BUDWEISER – During a national and international time of immigration crisis, this ad pushed the envelope. Adolphus Busch came to America in 1857, and during his lifetime built an enduring brand, the King of Beers. America represents open doors and opportunity around the world – and always will. Most of us are hail from immigrants – something we must remember. Allegedly this ad was created quite some time ago, but in the current economic climate, the irony was not lost on anyone.

AIRBNB – In an uncertain and troubling political climate full of protests, demonstrations, and political disagreements, AirBnB presented an ad with a powerful and uplifting statement that, no matter where you live, who you love, or what you believe in, the answer is #WeAccept.

KIA – Comedienne Melissa McCarthy appeared as an Eco Warrior tasked with saving the planet. She saved trees, whales, rhinos, and icebergs while simultaneously introducing the new Kia Niro vehicle. Her hashtag was #SmarterWay, and her humor was contagious.

TIFFANY AND CO – This ad featured half-time entertainer Lady Gaga as she talked about being a rebel, being true to herself, determining her own direction, and creating change. Tiffany jewelry has been a timeless brand, always unique – and representative of Gaga’s themes. Created in black and white and without any color, this ad was a good representation of rebellion combined with beauty.

To answer Landor Associates’ questions, these five ads were totally on brand – true to their core brand promises. I will remember the ads, and, all were incredibly timely – just recall Senator Schumer’s comments.

If you’d like to see some stats about how the ads rated, here are some links:

USA AdMeter:
http://admeter.usatoday.com/results/2017

Kellogg School’s Super Bowl Advertising Review:
http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/news-events/super-bowl/results.aspx
 
AdWeek Tracker and Roster of All Ads:
http://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/super-bowl-ad-tracker-all-about-2017s-commercials-175124/

Don’t forget to check out Jim Joseph’s post on Huffington Post:
http://linkis.com/huffingtonpost.com/XHBJj

If you need a Budweiser Clydesdale fix, here’s a link to their party via the #ClydesdaleCam on Periscope:
https://www.periscope.tv/Budweiser/1BRJjEzAvABGw

And lastly, this ending appeared in my post last year, but it’s just as appropriate this year. Jacques de Cock, a faculty member at the London School of Marketing, said the game will have been watched in half of US households. "The Super Bowl is a phenomenon unsurpassed in the world. It is one of the few national social events, which is also why social media traffic during the game is so high...What is also remarkable is that advertising is not viewed as something to skip, but is seen by 77 percent of viewers as part of the entertainment and therefore more watched and engaged with than any other television advertising during the year."

So, are you counting the days to Super Bowl 52? Will that mean a trip to freezing cold Minnesota or simply tuning in to watch and critique the ads?

Today's post-Super Bowl game Instagram share.

Image Credit: Thanks to Tom Fishburne for use of his cartoon at the top of this post. Tom is the Founder and CEO of Marketoon Studios, a content marketing studio that helps businesses reach their audiences with cartoons. Check out his work at www.marketoonist.com.

A Review of the #Ads from #SuperBowl50

There is no dispute that the annual Super Bowl football game is one of the most-watched TV events around the world. But for those of us who live and breathe all things marketing and branding, the final football showdown of the season provides a different focus. 

The incredibly high-priced ads that grace the TV screen during the game have become known as the Brand Bowl, and since I watched the game with my smartphone for the ad discussion in real time on Twitter, it's time to determine if the millions of dollars spent on the ads achieved the desired brand recognition.

"Advertisers covet the Super Bowl because of the size of its audience — the biggest on television, by far. 2015’s game drew 112.2 million viewers, making it the most watched show in U.S. TV history," explained John Ourand, staff writer for Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily.

Were any of the ads as memorable as Apple's from 1984? Were any of the Tweets as memorable as Oreo's power outage Tweet from 2013? Can you recall any of the ads? What was your favorite, and which ads fell short?

According to Wikipedia, "CBS set the base rate for a 30-second advertisement at $5,000,000, a record high price for a Super Bowl ad (the price represents an 11 percent increase over the base price that NBC charged for Super Bowl XLIX last year of $4.5 million). This will be the final year in a multi-year contract with Anheuser-Busch InBev that allows the beer manufacturer to air multiple advertisements during the game at a steep discount. It is also the final year that Doritos, a longtime sponsor of the game, will hold its "Crash the Super Bowl" contest that allowed viewers to create their own Doritos ads for a chance to have it aired during the game. The Pokémon Company will be airing an ad for the first time as a way to celebrate their 20th anniversary. QuickBooks is sponsoring a "Small Business Big Game" contest, in which one of ten small businesses from various parts of the United States will have a 30-second commercial aired free of charge courtesy of QuickBooks."

"The Super Bowl 50 Host Committee has vowed to be "the most giving Super Bowl ever," and will dedicate 25 percent of all money it raises for philanthropic causes in the Bay Area. The committee created the 50 fund as its philanthropic initiative and focuses on providing grants to aid with youth development, community investment and sustainable environments."

According to Landor Associates, "Here are three tips to help you, your dad, or even your football-crazed grandma decide which brands scored a touchdown with their commercials: Is the ad on-brand? Will you remember the brand tomorrow? And, does the ad speak to the times?”

During the game, I participated in a TweetChat hosted by Jim Joseph of Cohn and Wolfe using #SuperBowlExp, and although it's always fun to see what fellow marketing folks are saying about the ads in real time, there are a couple of challenges. First, some ads run in regional or local markets, so there were several instances that Tweets referenced ads that not only hadn't I seen during the same commercial breaks, but I didn't see some ads at all. Second, there are so many hashtags that draw attention to the same thing, the ads, that sometimes, it's hard to keep up. There was #SuperBowlExp, #SuperBowlAds, #BrandBowl, #SuperBowl, and many more.

Sadly, this year, there were no Oreos, M&Ms, polar bears wearing scarves featuring the colors of the competing teams, or the entire group of Clydesdales with their pal, the Dalmatian, so while I was missing those brands or brand icons, here were my favorite ads:

Audi’s ad entitled, “The Commander,” honored David Bowie’s musical legacy and featured a memorable tagline that “Choosing the moon brings out the best of us.” According to Audi, “The legacy of the first moon landing lives on at Audi. The same spirit of discovery drives us to dream, innovate, and explore, from creating a car that goes 205 mph to building a lunar rover. It’s why we're constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.” As a previous Audi owner, I’m ready to get into an Audi driver’s seat again.

My second favorite ad was Subaru’s ad entitled, “Puppy.” A dog parent was driving around the neighborhood to keep his puppy asleep in the back seat, and when he parked in his driveway and turned off the car's engine, the puppy immediately woke up and started barking. This situation was easily identifiable for parents, but the ad was even more convincing with its final message: Dog Approved.

Two ads tied for my third favorite: Budweiser’s #GiveADamn ad featuring British actress Helen Mirren and the NFL’s #NoMore ad to speak up, become educated about, and end domestic violence. Mirren was seated in a restaurant, and told viewers to not drink and drive. The NFL’s ad featured two friends texting, and one friend stopped suddenly. Hopefully, viewers watched both while sober and paid attention. With such a large audience on Super Bowl Sunday, I believe that serious issues should be addressed by advertisers.

Learn what the Joyful Heart Foundation (@TheJHF on Twitter) had to say about the NFL’s ad:
http://www.joyfulheartfoundation.org/blog/new-super-bowl-ad-premieres-about-friend-who-may-need-help-know-when-know-how.

One of Doritos ads featured a group of dogs who desperately wanted to enter a grocery store to purchase some Doritos. Despite many unsuccessful attempts, they devised a clever disguise to fool the store employees and walk away with their purchase. You just had to laugh at this ad.

While the product was not as memorable as the actor featured in the ad, LG’s use of Liam Neeson in a role similar to his “Taken” film role was spot on. His cadence and some of his comments were reminiscent of the film series of the same name.

To answer Landor Associates’ questions, Audi’s and Subaru’s ads were on-brand (driving excitement for Audi and family fun with dogs for Subaru); I vividly recalled the ads the day after viewing them, and the ads speak to the times (people want excitement in their cars even if they’re stuck in freeway traffic, and people also want cars that their entire family – two-legged and four-legged – can be comfortable in).

None of this year’s ads stood out like the following ads from the past: Apple’s 1984 ad; the surprise featuring Jay Leno, David Letterman, and Oprah; the young boy dressed as Darth Vader for Volkswagen; Budweiser’s talking frogs; Budweiser’s Clydesdales bowing down to New York after September 11; and Chrysler’s launch of its “Imported from Detroit” campaign.

And now, I’d like to hand over the virtual microphone to Jenn Herman. Jenn provided a social media tip for one of my blog posts back in December, and now she’s sharing her thoughts about the Super Bowl ads. Jenn is a social media consultant, speaker, and globally recognized Instagram expert. She is the forefront blogger on Instagram marketing and her blog, Jenn’s Trends, has won the title of a “Top 10 Social Media Blog” in 2014 and 2015. Through her blog, consulting, and speaking, she provides tips, resources, and training for small to medium sized businesses that need to structure their social media strategies. Her business background includes Administration, Sales, Human Resources, and Marketing, and she enjoys bringing these skills together to help grow businesses. Visit Jenn’s website at www.jennstrends.com and connect on Twitter and Instagram at @jenns_trends.

My favorite commercial from the Super Bowl this year was the Doritos spot with the baby on the ultrasound. It was funny, entertaining, and downright lol-worthy. Not to mention, I craved Doritos nacho cheese chips the whole time I was pregnant, so I might be a little biased! But I honestly loved every aspect of the commercial and I always enjoy the Doritos commercials as they really take the competition aspect of Super Bowl seriously. Now, I know a lot of people got all upset about this one, and to each his own, but I found it funny and entertaining. I don't see the need to take it too literally.

Second on my list is the Mini #DefyLabels spot. Even though it wasn’t a funny or innovative commercial, it was timely and relevant to the trending topic of rhetoric these days, and I thought it did well to dispel those labels. It felt empowering and supportive, and that resonated with me. It also showcased the car well, and in all reality, that’s still the point. With the right marketing message, Mini could do well with this new campaign.

I’ll admit that my third choice didn’t start out that way. The Prius commercial began with the bank robbery suspects evading police. It seemed awkward and drawn out. But as it continued and really played on the advantages of the Prius, it got pretty entertaining. The real winner came in the follow-up spots that took the story that much further as the police get involved with their own Prius. I loved the way this played into trends, behaviors, and marketing all together.

The Hyundai Genesis commercial featuring Kevin Hart started the day off strong and was definitely one of my favorites. It had a slightly Bad Boy (when Martin Lawrence’s daughter goes on a date) theme to the content but I liked that. It was quirky, funny, and sold the features of the car in a way that made you feel like you couldn’t live without them, even though you totally could.

Finally, and apparently against what many have to say, one of my favorites was the Audi R8 Commander spot. I found it endearing and it gave me goosebumps. Not to mention, the car was gorgeous! So, yeah, those who found it insensitive, unrealistic, or ridiculous to compare the car with a space shuttle, it’s a commercial – calm down.

Of course, there were plenty of other good ones. Overall, it was a “good” representation of ads. But there really weren’t that many knock-it-out-of-the-park winners for me. On the other hand, there were some serious WTF commercials! Chronic constipation, digestive issues, and toe nail fungus all took the top honors for cringe-worthy spots. Why do they insist on torturing us? And, finally, the whole #PuppyMonkeyBaby...don't even get me started on this ridiculousness! If this represents the product you’re pushing Mountain Dew, you quite effectively convinced me never to touch that toxic concoction!

A big thanks to Jenn for sharing her thoughts with me and appearing here on my blog. And if you’d like to see how the top 50 ads rated, here’s the link: http://admeter.usatoday.com/results/2016.

PR Week reported that brand tracking companies differed over who “won” the PR battle during last night's Super Bowl, but all pointed to Doritos, Hyundai, and Budweiser being among the best at engaging the public and social media users. Brandwatch tracked social media brand mentions during the game’s four-hours and crowned Doritos the winner with 89,000 mentions, followed by Pepsi with 38,000 mentions. Pokemon, Mountain Dew and Budweiser made up the rest of its top five.

Jacques de Cock, a faculty member at London School of Marketing, said the game will have been watched in half of US households. "The Super Bowl is a phenomenon unsurpassed in the world. It is one of the few national social events, which is also why social media traffic during the game is so high...What is also remarkable is that advertising is not viewed as something to skip, but is seen by 77 percent of viewers as part of the entertainment and therefore more watched and engaged with than any other television advertising during the year."

Image Credit: Thanks to Tom Fishburne for use of his cartoon with this post. Tom is the Founder and CEO of Marketoon Studios, a content marketing studio that helps businesses reach their audiences with cartoons. Check out his work at http://tomfishburne.com.

_______________________________________________________________________________

A quick wave to Julia Carcamo, who attended Mardi Gras this year. Julia and I collaborated in 2012, 2013, and 2014, to discuss the Super Bowl ads, and here are the links to previous posts:

Julia’s post from 2015 – I was sidelined:
https://juliacarcamo.wordpress.com/2015/02/02/advertising-on-the-biggest-entertainment-stage
 
Joint Post on February 3, 2014:
http://debbielaskey.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-game-ended-early-but-super-bowl-ads.html

Joint Post on February 4, 2013:
http://debbielaskey.blogspot.com/2013/02/when-ads-take-center-stage-post-game.html
 
Joint post on February 6, 2012:
http://debbielaskey.blogspot.com/2012/02/which-of-super-bowl-ads-do-you-remember.html