Did You See Our Ad on the Super Bowl?

 

By Steve Fradkin

The Wizard of Adz

If you watched the Super Bowl Sunday, you probably saw some of the flashiest, funniest, most in-your-face ads ever. And if you're like most, you probably looked at many of those ads and said "huh?" to the others in the room. Were you convinced to drink Budweiser because of the shaggy-ankled horses? Or to buy a Camry because their re-invented couch was made of seven bikini-clad lovelies? Did the polar bears tempt you into a Coke, or did Clint Eastwood's Detroit epic make you yearn to buy a Chrysler? Didn't think so.

So what's with these advertisers who plunk down millions for media and millions more for production on ads that are apparently better theater than marketing? Are they destined to be classic mega-bucks boondoggles, or is there a method to their madcapness?

A couple of possibilities:

In many cases, they're not talking to you. You're not the right age, or income bracket, or you have different interests or attitudes than their specific target markets. Don't forget: there is no such thing as a brand that appeals to everyone. If the ad is done right, it's aimed at the most likely buyers. Segmentation Strategy: Strategy #2 of our Seven Essential Strategies of Advertising. For more information, go to our all-new website WizardOfAdz.com and click on Strategic Advertising.
 

The Super Bowl is a very special venue for ads, in that they tend to generate a lot of news media coverage and water-cooler chat. Consider, for example, that Google shows 17,708 articles related to its reference to Forbes' "The Winners and Losers of Super Bowl Commercials in 2012." Of course, the media don't latch on to marketing strategy; the buzz circles around entertainment value - humor, drama, sex. Want to know more about generating media interest in your company? Go to WizardOfAdz.com and click on Public Relations.

So did you see our ad on the Super Bowl? Of course you didn't! Who can afford the $3,500,000 per spot the media charged for those ads (almost $6,000 a second)? We can't...and we're pretty sure you can't either. Yet, it's amazing how many owner-managed businesses have NO advertising budget plan, despite the fact that they shell out thousands of dollars in advertising and related activities each year. No idea how much they can afford, how to apportion the funds, how to determine next year's marketing and sales objectives and plan towards achieving them.

That's why we've developed The Wizard's 3-Step Advertising Budget Calculator. It will help you determine what belongs in the advertising budget, what size it should be, and how to allocate it month-by-month for an entire year. To download it free, Go to WizardOfAdz.com and click on Free Downloads.

So sorry...no Super Bowl ad for us (or you). Call Sharon at 781-821-1818 or email her at Sharon@WizardOfAdz.com. Let us show you how well-designed plays executed with precision and discipline can help you score goal after goal.