It’s Game Time: Marketing Lessons from the Super Bowl

It is that time of year again – time for the epic clash of two football titans in the most-watched single-day event in the world, the Super Bowl. This year, the Seattle Seahawks will take on the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, which will be played at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
People all across the country will come together and watch these two teams face off, some of which will simply be watching for social purposes or to enjoy the often entertaining commercials and/or halftime show. In fact, a 30-second commercial that airs during the Super Bowl will cost $4 million, which will be seen by approximately 169 million viewers.
There is no doubt that marketing and the Super Bowl go hand-in-hand, but what marketing lessons can we learn from this annual event?
Marketing Lesson #1: The Team that Performs the Best Wins
Everyone knows that the best team does not always win. The same is true in marketing – the best company does not always get the customer.
For example, just because you have the best product or the best service, does not necessarily mean that your business will be the most successful. At the end of the day, marketing matters. The company that has the best marketing strategy for the target audience and implements that plan effectively – even if the product is mediocre – tends to be the most successful.
Take a look at McDonalds. Do they have the best hamburgers? Chances are your answer is an immediate “no.” However, look how successful they are. Why? Because they have marketed themselves and positioned themselves over the years to be just that. Plus, they have created a process where they can take any average Joe in off the street and teach him how to make the exact same hamburger, regardless of the location.
In short, the company is scalable and markets effectively – two things that directly led to the success of McDonalds even though their quality is definitely subpar.
Marketing Lesson #2: It’s Not All About the Big Plays
Let’s face it – there are some of us who watch the Super Bowl (or other sports games) and will talk about huge plays for weeks. A good example from college football this year is when Auburn miraculously beat Georgia this year when two defenders ran into one another and the ball tipped off of them and into the hands of an Auburn receiver, ultimately leading to the game-winning touchdown.
There was also the memorable game-winning field goal kicked by Adam Vinatieri from 48 yards out in 2002 to give the New England Patriots and Tom Brady their first Super Bowl win. What we don’t remember is the six-yard pass from Brady to unheralded tight end Jermaine Wiggins with seven seconds left to set up the kick attempt.
People will remember these big plays. However, there were other, small plays that resulted in these dramatic wins. Without those smaller, less talked about plays, that touchdown and that field goal would not have won either game.
This weekend there will more than likely be some big plays – some that may even be talked about for decades. However, ultimately the win will go to the team that was able to build long, sustainable drives from several small plays strung together. This play-by-play grind wins games. The same is true for marketing.
Sure, you can purchase a $4 million Super Bowl commercial spot; however, there are still a number of smaller – and often more affordable – things that you have to do on a daily basis to ensure marketing success. For example, there is no doubt that social media is incredibly important in today’s society. The small posts that you post for your company each day adds up and ultimately helps you to win the overall marketing competition.
Marketing Lesson #3: Your Message Has to Rise Above the Noise
Let’s face it, the average person will encourage a marketing message around 3,000 times per day. This number includes everything from billboards and television commercials to social media advertisements. Therefore, there is no doubt that in order to be effective your message has to rise above the “noise.”
The same is true for the Super Bowl. Can you imagine trying to call an audible and have key players hear the change of play with around 82,500 people cheering – not to mention the band, announcers, and variety of other noises that will dominate the stadium. That is exactly what both Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson and their teams will be up against this Sunday.
What are you doing to ensure that your marketing message will stand out in an already crowded market and rise above the noise?
When thinking about your marketing strategy, remember these key marketing lessons learned from the Super Bowl – set your marketing team up for success by performing the best, remembering the importance of the small plays, and ensuring your message can rise above the noise.
Contact Uptick Marketing today to drive traffic, generate leads, and increase sales.