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As a New England Patriots fan, I, like many others whose team missed the mark,, am looking forward to the Super Bowl for the ads.
I understand how all-consuming this yearly event can be for advertisers. After all, last year’s Super Bowl LVII raked in more than 113 million viewers and #SuperBowlLVII accumulated 225 million views on TikTok alone.
Thanks to the NFL’s extensive trademarking tactics, brands are limited in what they can and cannot say when it comes to the biggest televised game of the year. And of course, most brands cannot afford a $7 million, 30-second ad spot.
Fortunately, social media has become the ultimate companion vehicle to the Super Bowl. This means that every brand has the opportunity to reach new and existing audiences through the global conversation—as long as they know how to strategically cut through the noise.
Understand the trademark limitations
First and foremost, agencies and brands must understand the NFL’s Super Bowl trademark and whether or not your client or brand is allowed to use the term. (Ps. If you don’t know by now, you probably can’t.)
While journalists and news outlets (like ADWEEK) are permitted to report on the Super Bowl and use the phrase in their content, any brands existing outside the realm of journalism should avoid it at all costs. This is why you so often see the Super Bowl being referred to as “The Big Game.” It’s just not worth the inevitable lawsuit.
Enter the conversation in real time
The strongest social content during an event like the Super Bowl is created reactively in response to the existing conversation. While some content can be brainstormed and prepped ahead of time based on predictable narratives (ie. a Christian McCaffrey touchdown, a shot of Taylor Swift in her suite, Usher’s half-time performance), you should also leave your team open to create quick-turn reactive content utilizing existing owned IP. Embracing the spontaneity of a live event like this often leads to the best creative.
In addition to the game itself, commercial breaks also provide opportunities for brands to find a more organic way in. For example, last year Rakuten capitalized on the intersection of the Super Bowl and New York Fashion Week by having Alicia Silverstone reprise her iconic role of Cher Horowitz in Clueless for their “Not-So-Clueless” ad.
The ad generated a huge buzz on social media from nostalgic millennials and provided an entry point for brand marketers to engage their audiences. After all, it’s not all about the game. The majority of Super Bowl watchers are just as invested in the commercials as they are in the game itself.
Know where your audience is
Before 2023, Twitter was the reigning champ for real-time conversation around global events. For the most part, that’s still true. But while there were 3.7 billion sports-related tweets in 2022, brands have left Twitter/X in droves over the past year and the platform’s daily active users are down 13%.
As a result, brands are prioritizing other platforms and spending 55% less on X in 2023. The rising popularity of Instagram and TikTok means brands need to be aware of where their audience is most engaged and allocate their resources during the Super Bowl towards the platforms most likely to generate the biggest return.
Engage directly with followers
Community management during an event like the Super Bowl is invaluable to brands. A smart, well-timed comment or response to someone else’s content can increase your brand’s visibility and translate into engagement and follower growth.
Audiences get excited when brand accounts validate their ideas by engaging directly with their content. This strategy not only humanizes brands but helps them build deeper relationships with their audience.
While at Netflix, we employed a first-person brand voice in social copy and community management. This tactic had an incredible effect on audiences, propelling obsessed fans to question who was behind the account and led to rapid follower growth. Whether or not a first-person brand voice strategy is right for your brand or client, the tactic of engaging directly with audiences is always a win.
Quality over quantity, always
Ultimately, what matters most when it comes to navigating social media during the Super Bowl (or at any point in time) is ensuring that anything you create is on-brand. Jumping on trending topics is only effective when it feels like a natural extension of your regular content.
Spamming audiences with a million hot takes, meme’d reactions, and self-promotional clips that only vaguely relate to the Super Bowl will not garner the attention and engagement you want. Focus on quality over quantity on the big day to ensure your strongest creative reaches the audience you intend.