| |
| |
|
Marketing Information |
|
|
|
Marketing and Advertising Techniques of Super Bowl Advertisers
Each year, advertisers with super sized budgets sink millions of dollars into Super Bowl advertising. While most of us do not have a large enough budget to advertise on the Super Bowl, the commercials -- both past and present -- demonstrate several marketing techniques we can apply elsewhere. Here are some lessons for us all, as demonstrated by Super Bowl advertisers: Make Advertisements EntertainingThe primary focus of Super Bowl advertisements is usually entertainment. After the fact, discussion and analysis revolve around how amusing or interesting the commercials were. Little or no mention, however, is made of how effective they were in advertising the product. I love an entertaining commercial as well as the next person, but entertainment value can be a two-edged sword. Sometimes, the creators get so caught up in the entertainment aspect they forget the ultimate goal -- to sell more product. To me, the advertisers guiltiest of forgetting to sell are those that give no branding clue until the very end. People come away thinking how cute, funny, or otherwise entertaining the advertisement, but with little or no idea of the actual product. There are, however, ways to entertain while communicating your brand throughout the commercial. Remember the frogs -- Bud, Weis, and Er? Total entertainment, yet who didn't know it was a Budweiser commercial? You can do the same with your own marketing. Whatever form of entertainment you choose -- games, performances, contests, etc. -- remember to simultaneously reinforce your brand or business. A couple of ideas: (1) display your logo prominently and (2) give premiums, coupons, or other discounts to participants. Gain Celebrity EndorsementsCelebrity endorsements are frequent in Super Bowl advertisements. Past and present endorsements include Coke's Mean Joe Green (1980), McDonald's Larry Bird and Michael Jordan (1993), and MasterCard's Homer Simpson (2004). Celebrity endorsements are a way to draw initial attention to a product or company, which creates an opportunity to deliver the marketing message. If the celebrity is highly regarded by your target audience, endorsements can also give credibility to a brand. If you do not have a large enough budget to hire a national celebrity, try redefining "celebrity" by thinking in niche terms. Your "celebrity" could be someone well known in the industry -- one of your customers or suppliers, for example. Another way to redefine "celebrity" is to think locally. Brainstorm a list of people who are well known locally in certain circles. Your list could include well-regarded business people, minor league sports personalities, and other high-profile citizens. Then, approach your favorites with a proposal. The key is hiring someone known and respected by your target customers. Demonstrate an Important Product Benefit or FeatureMy favorite Super Bowl commercial of all time is the 1998 Tabasco commercial. The commercial shows a man sitting, eating pizza on his front porch. Before each bite he splashes on a liberal dose of Tabasco. A mosquito flies in, bites the guy on the hand, and flies off. A second later, we see the mosquito explode in a mass of flames. Cut to the guy chewing and smiling, Tabasco bottle clearly displayed on screen. Besides being incredibly entertaining, the commercial demonstrates the product's primary benefit in a way that is simple and straightforward. All the while, very clearly communicating the brand. There are many ways to demonstrate an important product feature to your audience. Think of other commercials you've seen and adapt the technique to your own budget and situation. Detergent commercials, for example, often show how the product removes stains better than the competition. You can set up your own comparison and communicate it through print ads, on a Website, or in a retail store. Target The AudienceHave you noticed an abundance of fast car, junk food, and beverage commercials during the Super Bowl? A major reason for this is targeting. Smart marketers try to get their products seen in places where their target audience hangs out. It is not too much of a stretch to imagine that folks attracted to testosterone-laden football may also like speedy cars. And if you watch football, you most certainly like to snack during the game. Hence, we see an abundance of junk food, beer, and soda commercials. When putting together your own marketing programs, try to imagine where your target audience can be found and think of ways you can be seen in those venues. If you are a Virtual Assistant, for example, participating online in small business groups makes much more sense than being seen in sports groups. Associate Your Brand with a Mascot or SymbolMy favorite commercial from this year's Super Bowl was the donkey that wanted to be a Budweiser Clydesdale. I must confess the Clydesdales are near and dear to my heart (I live less than a mile from Grant's Farm where they breed and raise the Budweiser Clydesdales). I'm pretty sure, though, I'd love this commercial anyway. Besides telling a cute, heartwarming story, the entire commercial reinforces the connection between the Clydesdales and Budweiser beer. It's a connection that Anheuser Busch has worked hard to establish and maintain over the years. Today, I'm sure most people immediately think "Budweiser" when catching a glimpse of the famous Clydesdales. So you don't have billions of dollars and decades of time to invest in a mascot? Think smaller. How about hiring a freelance illustrator or art student to develop a character, then begin using that character at key points of contact with your audience. To name a few, you could use your "mascot" in a logo, on postcards, on your Website, and/or on store signage. Take these techniques to heart, apply them diligently, and watch your business grow. About the AuthorBobette Kyle draws upon 12+ years of Marketing/Executive experience, Marketing MBA, and online marketing research in her writing. Bobette is proprietor of the Web Site Marketing Plan Network, http://www.WebSiteMarketingPlan.com, and author of the marketing plan and Web promotion book "How Much For Just the Spider? Strategic Website Marketing For Small Budget Business." ( HowMuchForSpider.com/TOC.htm ) Copyright 2004, Bobette Kyle. All rights reserved.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Preventive Marketing Offers Small-Mid Sized Business Owners An Ideal Way To Maximize Their Results As the owner of a creative services boutique - I have realized that at least 9 out of 10 prospects/clients have suffered from one or all of the following (very detrimental) symptoms of trying to grow their businesses:Trouble defining their "BIG PICTURE"Little to no understanding of "evolution focus"Overwhelming feelings of "being stuck", "spinning wheels", "not knowing what to do next"Not enough information about options, alternatives and solutions to common strategiesNot enough knowledge or support to ask the right questions when researching opportunitiesChallenges in differentiating between "good advice" and "bad advice"Difficulty bouncing back from ill advised decisionsExhausting unnecessary dollar amounts for otherwise less expensive projectsNot enough resources to avoid future mistakesUnrealistic expectations about each unique component of the marketing mix and how enlisting one does NOT guarantee another.Somehow along the way the corporate mentality of "delegate everything" has convoluted the fact that small-mid sized businesses don't always have the resources to do this. Advertising Your Private Practice: 6 Tips for Maximizing Your Results-Part 2 As discussed in part 1 of this article, "Your Private Practice: Beware of the Problems," I usually don't recommend advertising as a main method of marketing a practice for new coaches, counselors and healing professionals. There are often more cost-effective ways to get the word out and attract clients. Marketers VS Consumers Predators VS Prey The distance between marketing consultants and the real world can truly be mind boggling. When a marketing consultant tells someone to send out 10,000 postcards in order to get a 3% response rate and that the actual sales will be something less than that . Determining Marketing Effectiveness Even If You Didnt Track What if you've done a variety of marketing activities over the past year, but you did not establish any way to track the response? Now you don't know what worked and what didn't.Is there anything you can do now before you continue with your marketing efforts and potentially continue spending money on not-so-effective marketing activities?First of all, don't beat yourself up. How To Sell To Howard Stern... Oprah Winfrey... And Paul McCartney! Do you know what Howard Stern.. How to Run a Successful News Release Program Marketing public relations gives you cost effective ways to reach your audience. The trade-off, however, is time. 20 Tricks to Help Get That Envelope Opened When your envelopes aren't opened, you can't make money! Beforeyou can get an order, the recipient of your mailing package mustfirst open the envelope. Unfortunately, many recipients ofdirect mail simply discard the material without opening theenvelope. Maximize Your Lead Generation Efforts by Recycling Your Leads The basic lead generation process is pretty much the same from company to company. Inquiries come in?they're qualified?and then sent to the sales team. Maslows Marketing Filter One of the basics of all marketing and advertising training is a teaching of "Maslow's needs pyramid". This pyramid shows the different motivators and needs in a person's life and how they are built one upon the other. Nice Guys Finish First Volunteering your services can be an excellent way to form new business relationships and raise your business's profile while lending a hand to a good cause. However, unless you take care, it can also become all-consuming, with little return (besides creating good karma). Website Marketing: 10 Uncommon Bonuses That Will Help Make Your Product Hotly In Demand Giving away free bonuses is an important website marketing secret that can ignite your sales.1. Direct Marketing Puts Information In The Buyer's Hands Direct marketing is advertising from a manufacturer or front-end supplier directed to the ultimate consumer of a product or service. Another way of looking at direct marketing is selling to a consumer directly, whether is from a printed magazine campaign, TV or radio spot, or from a direct mail package. So What Do You Do? Once you have the attention of a business prospect, at some point in the conversation, the prospect will ask you, "So what do you do?". In most cases, you will only have 60 seconds, to catch the interest of the prospect. How to Use Business Cards to Network and Market Your Business You've had one thousand of the finest, most eye-catching business cards printed. Now, what do you do with them?Networking with business cards is one of the most cost effective means of marketing your business--and yourself. Business Marketing For Consultants, Coaches, Speakers, and Trainers: How To Be Noticed and Trusted Business marketing is essential for professional services, such as consultants, coaches, speakers and trainers.Creating trust with prospects and clients is essential. A Good Marketer: What's the Measurement? As a business owner, you know how valuable being good at marketing is. Yet, I have found working with business owners for the past 20 plus years that 99. Have You Tried Cause Marketing? To help promote your small business or professional practice, consider tearing a page out of the corporate marketing playbook. For years big companies have partnered with nonprofits to co-promote their brands. Behold the Power of the Tip You are an expert. You have lots of content - even more than you deliver from the presentation platform or in your consulting engagements. The Advantages of Full Color Brochure Printing A brochure can be a great promotional tool, whether it is for is a real estate listing, a trade show handout, a data sheet, or another application. The most professional and eye-catching brochures are usually those that are full color. Always Sell To New Eyes And New Ears One of the hardest things for you to do as an advertiser to do is to step into your prospect's shoes and really understand what makes him buy, and to find out how the prospect reacts to your marketing and advertising efforts. It's easy to get caught up in thinking that just because you spent $14,000 -- or $140,000 -- on your latest batch of ads that every person on Earth saw the ads and paid really close attention to them.
|
| Article List | Index | Site Map |
|
All logos, trademarks and articles on this site are property and copyright of their respective owner(s).
The comments are property of their posters, all the rest is Copyright © 2006 CanadaSEEK.com - All Rights Reserved. |
