Missing social media cues at the Big Game
The critical digital cues that help foster two-way conversations were missing from every single company who shelled out big money for 30-seconds of prime real estate on Sunday. In time, businesses will demand the integration of digital and social components with traditional marketing mediums.
Photo above by emma.kate. CC-BY-ND-2.0
Millions of dollars spent, tens of millions of people watching, and brands still dropped the ball on the big game Sunday by failing to integrate more social and Web components into their television ads.
If you’re a company with a social media presence and a website, there are additional ways to stretch those dollars to maximize ROI. Below are two popular ads that received a lot of attention after the game, but will likely fail to maximize their potential as conversation starters because of a lack of digital fortitude.
Halftime in America (click to view the official video)
The car manufacturer that made “Imported from Detroit” a generational slogan for the survival of the auto industry decided to address the rest of the country’s economic woes this year through a seminal figure best known for his movie role in “Dirty Harry.”
The company figured a successful, gruff American with a blue-collar façade was the right kind of person to deliver the type of message you might normally reserve for, say, the President of the United States. Regardless if you were touched by the actor’s stoic delivery, the ad’s portrayal of the American public is a message far too explosive to not take full advantage of. In other words, the ad is ripe for a two-way conversation.
By holding Detroit auto manufacturing on a pedestal and exhorting Americans to follow its lead, the company is treading dangerously along political fissures. It makes no sense to take the risk, and not try and reap the reward. The company positioned itself to be in the thick of an important conversation, one that benefits it most if the conversation takes place within its own digital properties. Yet, the company stopped short of the finish line.
Had the company incorporated a message in the ad that encouraged people to “Like” the company’s Facebook page in order to gain access to an exclusive live chat/Q&A with the lead actor of the spot, they could have presumably laid the foundation for the two-way conversation the company appears eager to be a part of (and for good reason). A hearty two-way conversation is the “Stradivarius” like accompaniment to a well-rounded ad campaign.
Think Fast (click to view the official video)
In this funny spot, fictitious character Bob Jensen is giving useful career advice to a subordinate when suddenly he has a heart attack while strapped into the passenger seat of a speedy two-door sports coupe. The driver slams on the brakes and accelerates, and Jensen is suddenly revived by the car’s stop-and-go power.
Like most ads, this car manufacturer (headquartered in South Korea) gives but a cursory nod to its digital presence by showing the company’s website at the end of the spot. As it turns out, the company has a YouTube channel with a slew of episodes dedicated to “Business Tips” from Bob. Cool! So why not promote the channel on the television spot? It’s a huge opportunity missed to drive traffic to the videos, and help familiarize your audience with your core marketing messages.
