Who’s this guy everyone keeps talking about whenever the Super Bowl comes up… ‘Tom’ something or other? Never heard of him. As far as the advertisers go, some I’m familiar with and others not so much. Either way – a spot in the game will add to an entrenched brands overall marketing efforts or introduce some lesser known ones to millions of consumers. Below is an extensive but not exhaustive list of those participating. I’ve noted the first time Super Bowl spenders as “newbie” and my random thoughts as they apply.
Apparently we like to eat and drink stuff. Chipotle (newbie), Door Dash (newbie), Hellmann’s (newbie), Remy Cointreau (newbie), Bud Light, Bud Light Seltzer, Cheetos, Doritos, Frito-Lay, Mars Wrigley, Mountain Dew, Pringles and Michelob Ultra will all have spots in-game. A special note on AB InBev (Bud Light)… Recall in 2019 that the Brazilian investment firm which owns AB InBev, 3G Capital, had to take a $15.4 Billion write off in the value of their Brands after implementing a “strategy” known as zero based budgeting, Rooted in cost efficiency, ZBB requires justifying expenses anew every year. Unfortunately cost effectiveness is notoriously impossible to reliably quantify in the business of Branding. This lead to a heavy cut in Traditional Media (TV) and an overreliance on Digital Media (FB). Well anyway, their back because TV works… somehow.
On a hunch, I surmised that the participation of Scotts Miracle-Gro (newbie) had something to do with the new Covid world in which we wallow. According to The University of Vermont “the COVID pandemic has led to a huge resurgence of interest in gardening. During this difficult time, gardening is helping people to stay physically and mentally healthy and providing a welcome release from the stresses related to this crisis”. So there you go.
The monsters of marketing will be at the party. GM, Tide and Toyota, who spent a collective $854.4 Million on TV in 2020, will persist in that practice by handing over additional funds to CBS.
WeatherTech. Everyone could use new car mats… I guess.
As usual, web native businesses will not be using the miracle of ad Tech to broadcast their existence to earthlings. Instead, they will be paying for the spotlight like everyone else. I thought I’d conduct a little experiment with the apps to be plugged. For the below list of advertisers, I’m noting their rank in their respective categories in the Apple App Store. I’m wondering what kind of bump they’ll receive for $5.5 Million dollars (if any)?
Fiverr (newbie) – Connects customers with Freelancers. Their stated mission is to “change how the world works together”. Very ambitious, but definitely starting off on the right foot with a spot in the Super Bowl. Ranked #20 for Business.
Vroom (newbie) – allows you to buy, sell or trade-in your car entirely online. They do not rank, but for some perspective, the popular CarMax is #47.
Indeed (newbie) – employment website. #6 for Business.
Mercari (newbie) – a virtual marketplace where you can sell your stuff. #9 for Shopping.
Triller (newbie) – according to their privacy statement which you must scroll infinitely to read, is “a web based hosting, communications, and content creation/sharing platform” (by creating an account, you are “deemed to have read, accepted, executed and be bound” by said Privacy Policy. Duh! Of course – doesn’t everybody?!). #48 for Photo and Video.
E-Trade – investing and trading. #13 in Business.
TurboTax – tax service. #6 in Business.
Stay tuned and enjoy the game.
