Cross Channel Success For Super Bowl Ads, Creativity Failure For Others

Ad agency Merkle analyzed advertiser footprints across paid search, search engine optimization (SEO), social media, display advertising and email to identify the brands that scored big. The analysis from Merkle's 2016 Digital Bowl Report evaluates advertisers based on their online efforts to maximize the impact of their investments.

TurboTax ranked high in multiple categories, with perfect marks in display advertising. It tied for the second-highest score in SEO with Taco Bell not far behind Doritos, which came in No. 1.

The tax software also did well in display advertising because it took advantage of an increase in site traffic with tracking pixels that will allow for remarketing down the road.

On YouTube, TurboTax teased its ad and took advantage of pre-roll ads and companion banners to remain visible on Super Bowl-related YouTube searches. A Super Bowl-focused landing page ranked high for related queries.

Avocados from Mexico came in second, tying for first in paid search and finishing in the top ten in SEO, display advertising, and social media. The report says last year’s champion Wix slipped to No. 11 overall, but performed well in social media.

T-Mobile took No. 3 followed by Squarespace at No. 4; ShockTop with No. 5; Taco Bell at No. 6; Amazon with No. 7; Mini USA at No. 8; Budweiser with No. 9; and Butterfinger, No. 10.

Amazon took the No. 1 position in social media -- outranking TurboTax, which came in at No. 2. PayPal got noticed for using a trivia contest to drive social engagement.

Merkle says the door also was "left open" for those not running Super Bowl ads on television to capitalize online.

Mercedes-Benz, which opted out after appearing in Super Bowl XLIX, owned the leaderboard spot on the NFL’s Web site from kickoff until the final whistle. Subway dominated CBSSports.com with a roadblock.

Pandora bought multiple ad spots on NBCSports.com, which Merkle considers a key win one week before Valentine's Day."

So what about the ads that people thought failed, MediaPost reported on that as well with what they learned as consumers posted their frustration with "ads" that didn't "entertain".  There is a lesson here for sellers and those that develop creative....

"As the grades from Ad Age, USA Today, and Yahoo suggest, there’s no clear consensus on a Super Bowl ad “winner” this year. The only agreement is that most ads relied on a few fail-safe tactics: Be silly. Heavy up on celebrity. Go all-in on animal anthropomorphism. Be serious, but not a serious bummer.

It felt like the fear of “bombing” weighed more heavily than usual on the minds of advertisers this year. You know, the national spotlight, more than 100 million viewers, being branded the Super Bowl ad loser (à la Nationwide last year). No pressure.

But what goes through a viewer’s mind when a Super Bowl ad bombs? We spent time before the ads hit the airwaves asking more than 300 people their thoughts and feelings about Super Bowl ad fails. Here’s what we learned.

1. Money down the drain... 

The exorbitant cost for a Super Bowl ad – this year, a 30-second spot was $5 million – lingers in the back of people’s minds as they watch the commercials. When an ad fails, hefty price tags seem that much more wasteful. 

“They spent how much money on this ad? How did they ever think this was a good idea?” questioned one person. Another thinks, “What a ginormous waste of money. ... Sometimes, I feel like . . . I could have come up with something better.”

2. Who is responsible for this?!

After considering the money wasted, people blame marketers and ad execs for “failing.” They question their judgement, their taste, and whether they even know them, the audience, at all.

One person said they “wonder how the ad got as far as it did.” Another sympathetic viewer said, “I cringe and think of all the people that worked on it that basically failed.”

Others were less forgiving. “Seriously? Who was in a conference room . . . and said, ‘That's a great idea?’” 

3. Pity the fools

Even for a PuppyMonkeyBaby, viewers know that human beings are, in fact, responsible. They feel sorry for people behind bombs, worrying they may soon be unemployed.

“I usually wonder who came up with such a terrible idea and if the whole marketing department got fired afterwards,” said one viewer. Another said, “I feel bad that those people may lose their jobs over this awful and expensive ad.” 

4. Don’t waste my time 

Perhaps the biggest disappointment over bad Super Bowl ads is that those 30 seconds could have been used for a bathroom break or another helping of nachos. As one person put it: “During the Super Bowl you're actually sticking around ... to be entertained by the ads, so when there's a boring or stupid ad, you feel let down.”

Bad ads also rob viewers of the opportunity to see more entertaining ones instead. “I feel cheated out of that slot that could have gone to a better commercial.” 

5. You lost my R-E-S-P-E-C-T

The worst bombs are those that are seen as distasteful. Viewers lose respect for companies that make inappropriate or cringe-worthy ads. 

“When I see bad ads, it makes me lose respect for the company,” one person declared. “This is especially true when the ad is in bad taste.”

What’s worse, these ads can negatively affect sales. “I would never, ever purchase from them because of their poor taste,” said one viewer. “I don't feel like I would use that company's services because they clearly don't make very good choices,” said another. “I don't think . . . I want to invest my money into something that makes horrible advertising campaigns.”

6. Who am I to judge what’s bad? 

When it comes to ad bombs, viewers question whether it really is that “bad” for the brand, or whether being “bad” is, ultimately, good. As one person put it: “Even bad commercials get remembered.”

Another wondered “if this helps or hurts the product in the end. If people are talking about it, maybe in a weird twisted way, it helps with popularity (think about how Donald Trump keeps doing dumb, bad things yet somehow he remains at top of polls???!).” 

If brands had taken a few more risks this year, maybe we’d be talking about a clear winner rather than a lack of consensus. Instead of playing it safe, a safer bet for advertisers is getting to know some the people on the other side of the TV screen more intimately. When they do, advertisers stand a much better chance of turning a big, risky investment into a relevant, lasting connection."111