2012 Superbowl Advertisements, Selling Sex at a Big Cost

by Rick McNeely

Its that time of year again, Super Bowl 46 is set to kickoff on February 5^th, 2012 at 6:30 EST on NBC. Like many people, my favorite part of Super Bowl Sunday is the commercials. With over 100 million viewers and 30-second ads selling for $3.5 - $4 million, the pressure for advertisers to produce ads that grab the consumers attention is greater than ever.

Like most “average” marketing folk, the thought of spending up to 4 million dollars on one 30-second commercial is hard to grasp. Keep in mind, the air-time cost doesn't include production expenses and neither celebrities nor pets work cheaply.

Stakes and interest in Super Bowl commercials are high, so high in fact that there are recognized experts on Super Bowl advertisements. Two such internationally recognized experts are Dr. Rama Yelkur and Dr. Chuck Tomkovic of the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire Marketing Department. So after nearly 20 years of research, their observations might surprise you. “We found that the more sexual content there is in a Super Bowl ad, the less people like it,” stated Dr. Yelkur. “Sex appeal does not cause ad likability.” However, there are some elements that can help sex sell in a Super Bowl commercial, namely to include humor or other appealing elements.

So what about GoDaddy? When I think of Super Bowl commercials, GoDaddy is the first name that comes to my mind. “The GoDaddy spots are almost like soft porn,” according to Tomkovick. “They are way, way over the top, adds Tomkovick. But they use the ads to drive people to their website. Their goal is clearly product name recognition and not likability. They don't need to be liked.”

While not being liked by a Super Bowl viewer is one thing, liking a considerable growth in market share may be more important. When GoDaddy began SuperBowl ads in 2005 they had a market share of about 15%, in 2012 they have a market share of 52%. Estimates place costs to create and broadcast their ads at $70 million. These same estimates credit their Super Bowl campaigns of generating about one billion dollars in revenue. That's a ROI that's easy to like.

In closing, what is the experts' advice to advertisers regarding sex and Superbowls ads? “TV that is built around sexy women, sex appeal is becoming more a part of our TV culture again,” Tomkavick said. “Sex appeal is being used again in Super Bowl ads for everything from cars to beverages.”

“To make ads likable, advertisers should pair sex appeal with other ad elements that will be viewed favorably,” Yelkur said. “For example, humor often boosts ad likability.”

Agree with the experts or not, this Super Bowl should provide some great likeable commercials. If this research is true, Madonna might want to tell a joke during her halftime set.

What is SOPA and where is Wikipedia? Does SOPA = Censorship?

Wondering what's up on Google and Wikipedia today?

Online giants like Google, AOL and Wikipedia are taking a stand and urging viewers to contact congress and voice their objections to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).  Specifically, it's the opinion of these online giants that the proposed "SOPA cure is worse than the disease."   Its their belief that SOPA or PIPA would give media giants with huge budgets the ability to shut down or cripple small sites and businesses that don't have the money for drawn out legal battles over copyrights.

I think the online powerhouses have a good point.  In fact it reminds me of my last trip to China where the government takes a guiding hand in controlling what Internet viewers can see and what they can't.  Would the result of SOPA be giving similar censorship powers to large U.S. media and government or squashing online piracy?  Do your homework and let your representative in Congress know.  SOPA should be an immediate concern for any online marketing company.

Since the birth of Napster and online file sharing, big media has been looking for a way to control the Internet channel and protect a huge revenue stream.  If SOPA is indeed passed, it may be the ultimate act of piracy.       

Learn more about the SOPA site blackouts.

Newsjacking: Generating Press Coverage for Yourself or Business

I love the concept of "Newsjacking" and how a company or individual can associate with a breaking news story and reap the benefits.  Check out the latest from David Meerman Scott, Newsjacking:  How to Inject your Ideas into a Breaking News Story and Generate Tons of Media Coverage.  


It requires a nimble approach and a response speed that might be beyond most entities.  However, there are a couple of great examples of how companies, like Oakley, have Newsjacked  with success.

Marketing Watch: Challenging Santa Leaves Best Buy Looking Like The Grinch

Game on?

For years advertisers have included Santa Claus in Christmas ads. After all, with only a couple of exceptions, Santa is a free and safe celebrity endorsement. Santa drinking a Coke or riding a Norelco is advertising history.

This Christmas season had some great Santa ads. Who doesn't love the big guy with a workshop full of Mercedes? Also, Santa selling Chevy was fun and gave Saint Nick an everyday working-guy appeal.

The one exception to the season's fun ads was the “Game on Santa” campaign by Best Buy. Somewhere in last summer's creative meetings, Best Buy and its advertising agency, CP+B, decided they would challenge Santa and beat him at his own game. Granted, it got people talking and was a brilliant piece of production by CP+B (who in my opinion is one of the best).

Production value aside, what are the effects of the Santa challenge on the Best Buy brand? Keep in mind, Best Buy had a couple of fumbles this holiday season. Most notably, delaying shipment or not filling some online Black Friday orders. Judging from numerous consumer comments, Best Buy lost some serious points to St. Nick in the delivery category with the below holiday greeting.

“Due to overwhelming demand of hot product offerings on BestBuy.com during the November and December time period, we have encountered a situation that has affected redemption of some of our customers’ online orders. We are very sorry for the inconvenience this has caused, and we have notified the affected customers.”

Perhaps having commoditized the home electronic business, Best Buy is trying to do the same to Christmas? Implying Santa adds no value to the holiday experience.  Why the thought is just plain naughty!

Remember Best Buy, you have to deliver on your promises to earn points with the consumer and Santa. For Christmas 2011, I'll say “Game, set and match to Santa!”

What will next year's campaign be? Perhaps a Geek Squad member holding Saint Nick down while a khaki-wearing soccer mom tosses him a beating?

As another holiday shopping season rides into the dust, I'm hoping Best Buy stays on the “nice list” by leaving Santa alone and sticking to selling extended warranties.

Post-Season's Greetings