QUICK PR READS YOU CAN TACKLE BETWEEN BITES
Happy Tuesday, Lunch Breakers!
We hope you’ve recovered from watching what might go down as the most boring Super Bowl in history, where the most exciting part of your shindig was probably the buffalo chicken dip, rather than the commercials or the actual game.
Author’s note: I’m a Patriots fan and was born and raised in Massachusetts, and for that I truly apologize. However, buffalo chicken dip was a very close second to seeing another Patriots victory.
In this week’s Lunch Break, we’re huddling on all things Super Sunday–especially the PR victories and fumbles.
BUD KNIGHT VS. CORN FARMERS
The National Corn Growers Association’s five-member PR team had an unexpectedly wild Super Bowl Sunday.
When Bud Light proudly proclaimed in its medieval-themed ad that its beer isn’t brewed with corn syrup, the National Corn Growers Association (NGCA), which represents 40,000 American corn farmers, had to act quickly to protect its reputation. Once the ad was over, NGCA’s PR team coordinated a calculated and quick response on Twitter to communicate that there’s likely no issue with using corn syrup during fermentation.
“The bottom line is that the claims regarding corn syrup in brewing are more marketing than science,” said David Ludwig, a professor of nutrition at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, to The New York Times.
Cheers to quick crisis responses and carefully crafted wording.
[bctt tweet=”#SuperBowl Sunday brought a feud we didn’t know existed to the forefront of the beer battles: Bud Light vs. Miller vs. corn farmers. ” username=”@stantoncomm”]
WINNING AT ANALYTICS
You could spend your entire week arguing with your coworkers about the subjectively best Super Bowl ads. Or you could turn to the hard facts.
Ad Age and iSpot.tv broke down the top advertisements by digital share of voice. This ranking is determined by giving a certain weight to social reach, online views and social actions related to the specific ad.
According to this algorithm, Verizon’s “The Team That Wouldn’t Be Here,” featuring stories of heroic first responders, was victorious. The ad earned more than 81 million TV ad impressions, 47 million social impressions and 6 million earned online views. Like in PR, it’s important to rely on metrics when determining your project’s success.
“SUPERB OWL”
Ever wonder why some advertisers refer to the Super Bowl as “the Big Game?” Vox has kindly provided an in-depth explanation of the reasoning behind creative marketing names.
Long story short: brands can’t advertise using “the Super Bowl” because it is trademarked by the NFL. If you want to use the term, you must pay the NFL for the privilege. The NFL doesn’t take this lightly, either, and has previously sent cease-and-desist letters to churches who host paid watch parties.
Most small businesses are in the clear since “Super Bowl” falls under nominative or descriptive fair use – nevertheless, this is a great reminder to always check the legal implications of using trademarked names.
SMALL BUT MIGHTY
When you think you have too much on your to-do list … think again, because you could work at David Miami, a 46-person agency that was responsible for an almost unheard of THREE Super Bowl advertisements. Ads for Budweiser, Burger King and Kraft-Heinz’s Devour were all produced by this agile creative team.
The David Miami team attributes this incredible feat to its horizontal leadership structure, company-wide brainstorming, and an open agency atmosphere.
Juan Javier Peña Plaza, executive creative director at David Miami, said, “When you’re smaller, you have to be more dedicated. It’s up to you. No one else is going to solve it for you. And if you’re going to the Super Bowl, all eyes are going to be on you and your team, and you have to deliver.”
