This Week in Marketing...

Welcome to the 16th edition of The Modern Marketer. SUBSCRIBE to keep receiving notifications and share/save/send if you find the information insightful. Let's connect; leave a comment below or send me a message, and we'll take this offline.

Stay Social, MM

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Ever since I started in marketing, the Super Bowl has been talked about as the pinnacle of media space for a brand. With the ever-growing price tag of $7 million for 30-sec (plus the creative costs), if you have the budget to create and run a Super Bowl ad, you’re considered a brand that’s “made it.” Though, measurement and brand value have always been in question.

In the last two years, brands have found a way to get noticed without spending the big-ticket price by marketing before the game or finding ways to cut costs (see Reddit and Coinbase). With the high ticket and added cost of creative, celebrity endorsements, and paid promotions, brands seek to validate the ROI post-game.

Here are a few ways to track and measure the impact of your ads:

1.????Track User-initiated Behaviors

Did your ad get attention and drive action through user-initiated behaviors like branded search (organic) and branded video viewership at the aggregate level. Interaction with teasers and ads can be an indicator of brand advertising on sales.

2.????In Media Shopping

Now your OTT and digital media is shoppable with ads directing people to retail partners or e-comm sites through media-embedded QR codes. It’s a much easier CTA for consumers.

3.????Incrementality

Compare visits and sales YOY. It’s a good indicator of interest and allows you to capture consent for future communication and marketing.

4.????Social Currency

Hashtag usage, comments, shares, and saves.

The Download on This Year's Super Bowl Commercials

The night was full of nostalgia; every song, the half-time show, and most commercials had some reference to the 80s and 90s. I'm not sure what we did to deserve this attention, but I like it. Just the celeb appearances and TV references alone - from The Fresh Prince and Snoop to JB Smoove and the Sopranos. Thank you, TV, for giving us relatable content.

The commercials were good, but I hoped for and expected more. I am a marketer, so my expectations are high, as they should be.

Here are my top picks, some notable mentions, and, of course, the cringe-worthy. I choose my top picks based on creativity related to the product or brand, whether the ad makes me cringe and if it is memorable. Essentially, do I remember the brand when I write this recap?

Here is a link to all of the commercials if you were busy talking football during the critical commercial breaks. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/13/super-bowl-2022-commercials-live-coverage.html

1. CHEVROLET “The Sopranos”

Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Robert Iler reunite as Meadow and A.J. Soprano emotional homage to the series' opening montage.

I thought they nailed the Sopranos reference, and they had me right from the opening note.

Yes, I'm partial. I grew up in NJ, went to the premieres, and watched the show religiously. Chevy did a great job with a nod to Tony and the scene referenced. As soon as the crowd in my house heard the music, there were cheers and gasps. We all knew this was the one to watch.

Worth a watch if you are a Sopranos fan. (I have a photo with Jamie-Lynn I’ll have to dig up)

2. LAY’S “Golden Memories”

Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen kept it light with a look at their relationship through the years. This one was funny and a classic.

3. DISNEY+ "GOAT"

The newest Loki comes in the form of a goat as Awkwafina introduces all the greatest of all time (GOAT) characters in Disney+ repertoire.

This one made me smile plus, who doesn't love goats and pets in costumes?

4. TOYOTA “Start Your Impossible"

Toyota's Super Bowl commercial hallmark is athletes overcoming adversity, and they hit the mark this year. They tell the inspirational story of skiing brothers Brian and Robin McKeever, who worked together after Robin began to lose his vision to win 10 Paralympic medals in Nordic events. Their story deserves to be told, and with everything going on in the world right now, it's a welcome reminder that we all need.

Worth a mention...

Coinbase ?Super Bowl debut was with a clever bouncing QR code ad that might have been too popular: the company’s “Less talk, more Bitcoin" campaign appears to have temporarily crashed its app following the ad airing during the broadcast. It was the most talked-about ad on social media, according to Google.

Reminded me of the Reddit 5 second ad last year.

Peacock ?Bel-Air

This was the best use (and maybe the only?) of UGC.

In West Philadelphia, born and raised... you know the rest. This video collage of people singing and playing along to the iconic Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song nostalgically introduces the reboot, which premieres after the big game.

What was your favorite? Let me know in the comments.

What to Read

https://www.adweek.com/commerce/how-qr-codes-made-waves-2022-super-bowl/

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/11/podcasts/metaverse-marketing.html

https://www.searchenginejournal.com/tiktok-a-key-part-of-consumers-path-to-purchase/437912/

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What’s Trending

Wordle was every brands' favorite trend this week. From tech companies to CPG, brand accounts were loving the word game puns and parodies. Here are some of the best of the best:

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