The Big Game Advertising Guide – Women's Edition

Men Are Watching, But Women Are the Real Audience

It’s more than just making sure you have a party to attend. Brands today are doing more and more on the second screen than what you may see on your main TV while watching the game. To have the true Big Game advertising experience, you need to be prepared with not just your main screen for the game….you need to make sure you are watching the online experiences. And let’s be honest, if you are a Browns fan like I am, you may be more interested in the ads than the game itself (though as a Tom Brady fan, I’m all in with the Patriots).

You may ask yourself – why do brands spend so much money, and time, on an ad that lasts somewhere between :15-90 seconds during The Big Game? Let’s say a brand is ready to spend $5 million for thirty seconds during The Big Game. All advertisers and their agencies approach this from the perspective of not just the ad, but the momentum and cache created by the event, which if done correctly, propel and add to the overall spend.

From a long-term benefit, the minute a brand starts leaking their spot (whether that be on a social platform or YouTube, etc.) they continue to get value from the spot being seen by a large audience. Add in the fact that people talk about The Big Game ads on social for days after, as well as in-person, and you are continuing to increase your impressions and potential engagement with your audience.

The Big Game is an opportunity to establish, reset or remind a large audience – and by large audience, we’re talking over 114 million people – about the brand, values, features or benefits. It could even be the first time an audience has heard of your brand. And unlike other ad placements, you can reach a wide audience – women, men, all ages, enjoy watching The Big Game for both the game and the advertising. Speaking of women, for most of us, it’s about more than just the game.

HERE IS WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT FEMALE VIEWERSHIP OF THE GAME

Eighty percent of women say they plan on watching the game and nearly 100% of those 80% say they watch The Big Game with this order of priority of importance and interest:

Female Viewership Priority

1. She watches for the commercials
2. She watches for the social aspect in person and on social media
3. She watches for the half-time show
4. She watches for the action on the field

Let’s say, like me, you are more in it for the commercials, Justin Timberlake and of course, the social aspect. If that’s the case, you need to plan ahead when it comes to The Big Game. Here are a few helpful hints as you plan for Sunday (whether you are watching for the game, JT, the advertising, or…well…This Is Us.)

TO DO LIST:

1. Ensure that you are fed and ready for The Big Game. This is a marathon – not a sprint. (Not to mention, This is Us, will be on right after The Big Game.)
2. Stay properly hydrated (beer, wine, water – your pick).
3. Have all devices charged and ready to go. In fact, have multiple devices. You don’t want to risk a battery dying mid-tweet. I also have multiple accounts that I’ll be tweeting from so I like to keep one account on my cell and another on my laptop.
4. Know who is advertising and when. My go-to resource? AdWeek and AdAge’s Big Game previews.
5. Check out your favorite Brand’s Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat accounts pre-game to see what’s happening on digital, as well as on your main screen. (Case in point: last year Tide was active all day on social media, as well as used the pre-show as an opportunity to grab the attention of viewers.)
6. Know the correct hashtags. We suggest: #AdBowl #BrandBowl52
7. Follow along with other accounts that are tweeting. We think that @TWISTtweets is a pretty great one to join along with during the conversation.