5 Ways to Market Your Industrial Business on a Super Bowl Commercial Scale

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Around 100 million people tune in to watch the Super Bowl every year 一 and the excitement for Super Bowl 2022 is palpable. Capitalizing on that massive audience has become hugely popular as the event has risen in popularity since the first Super Bowl in 1967, and prices of commercials during the event have skyrocketed ever since.

In 1967, a 30-second commercial was just $37,500, according to Nielsen Media Research, but this year reports indicated that 30 seconds of air time cost about $6.5 million, which is about $1 million more than the average in 2021. Brands like Uber Eats, EV charging supplier Wallbox, and Nissan have already dropped Super Bowl commercial teasers.

The question is, if you can afford to secure a coveted slot during this nationwide event, how can you appeal to the masses? Obviously, 100 million people have different opinions and perspectives, making marketing to this kind of audience much more difficult than the average campaign. 

Here are five ways big brands figured out how to make commercials that resonated with viewers ranging from diehard football fans to the people who only showed up to Super Bowl parties for the snacks.

1. Appealing to Viewer Emotions

One of the most popular advertising methods is appealing to viewers' emotional sides. During a national event, everyone loves a feel-good story, whether it involves our national heroes or someone a little closer to home. 

Google's 2020 commercial, which tapped into this commonly employed tactic, was widely discussed even before its debut on Super Bowl Sunday and won't be forgotten anytime soon. Called "Loretta," the commercial features an older man recalling the memories of his deceased wife, Loretta, so he won’t forget about her. Not only does the Google Assistant pull up old photos of the couple's happy times together, but it also remembers all of the things the man says about her over the years. 

How Can Your Industrial Company Make This Work on a Smaller Scale? 

When Chris Bryant, creative director at Empire Studios, spoke on a Thomas Industry Update Podcast episode, he also emphasized creating video content that is emotionally satisfying to viewers.

Instead of aiming for a Super Bowl-caliber video, try giving your viewers some perspective on the inner workings of a family-owned business or even your pet mascot. While these may not be things directly related to the services or products your business offers, it gives your consumers an emotional connection with your company by putting a face on your business. 

2. Taking a Crack at Comic Relief

On USA Today’s Ad Meter, which ranks all of the top Super Bowl advertisements based on an annual survey, Jeep earned a top spot for its 2020 Groundhog Day-inspired commercial. The video racked up 104,246,754 views on social media by February 10, 2020, and it's no wonder why: The commercial features Bill Murray riding around in the new Jeep pickup with none other than iconic groundhog Punxsutawney Phil in the passenger seat.

The commercial nods to both the 1993 Bill Murray movie and the fact that that year's Super Bowl happened to fall on Groundhog Day, along with providing some major comic relief, especially when Murray is pictured playing "whack-a-mole" and telling the groundhog it's "not personal."

What Can Your Industrial Company Do to Provide Comic Relief to Consumers?

While many wouldn't necessarily consider industry comical, there are definitely ways to provide entertaining content to your consumers and maintain a strong brand presence. Bryant even mentioned that this type of content could get your business the best visibility since it’s more likely to go viral. 

A great example is to capitalize on bloopers during video production. Blooper reels essentially kill two birds with one stone: They deliver entertaining content while also monetizing video footage that would've otherwise been wasted. In 2016, Flex Seal released their blooper reel on YouTube. Since posting, the video has received more than 2 million views despite the company’s YouTube channel only having about 579,000 subscribers.

3. Showing Viewers How Much They Need Your Technology

Amazon’s Alexa 2020 Super Bowl debut didn't come as a major surprise to viewers since the commercial was revealed to the public before the game, but it did leave a lasting impression. The spot features celebrities Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi using Alexa to turn down the temperature in their house before heading out for the night.

The commercial then poses the question, "What did we do before Alexa?" before showing a selection of differently imagined historical scenes, with people named similarly to Alexa trying to perform tasks that the technology would ordinarily do in a user’s home. 

While comical, the commercial does come with an eerie undertone about how much we've truly learned to rely on technology as it's continued to command the different areas of our lives. 

How Can You Show Customers How Important Your Products and Services Are to Their Industrial Businesses?

It’s often much harder to tell your consumers how much they need your expertise than it is to show them, just as Amazon did in its Super Bowl commercial. One way to do this is to ask your current client base to share their feedback about working with your company 一 have you made a difference in streamlining their operations? Were you able to provide a component that solved a major production issue for their team? 

These testimonials not only provide real-world recommendations about your business to prospective new customers, but they also help to remind your existing customers about what a difference your company has made in their success.

4. Linking up with Sustainability

While SodaStream's commercial wasn’t focused specifically on sustainability, the theme was present throughout the ad about astronauts finding water on Mars. The commercial also utilized some comic relief when one of the astronauts accidentally made the Mars water into seltzer and drank it, much to the dismay of the other staff on board.

However, the ending was really what mattered: SodaStream mentions that with the help of their reusable bottles and carbonation system that encourages users to make their own seltzer, the company will eliminate 67 billion single-use plastic bottles so that we "won't have to go looking for a new planet." 

What's the Best Way to Highlight Sustainability When Promoting Your Industrial Company?

No one is expecting you to discover water on Mars, but consumers are growing more concerned about sustainability so it's a great opportunity to capitalize on their interest. Show your customers how your company is more sustainable than your competition. Do you go the extra mile to recycle waste? Are you producing components made of recycled materials? Do you utilize renewable energy to power your smart factory?

5. Using Brand Crossovers

Brand crossovers are becoming hugely popular in Super Bowl advertisements, perhaps because of the rising price of airtime. But besides lowering costs through splitting a commercial spot, brand crossovers and partnerships give companies a way to make their content more engaging and appeal to a wider audience. 

One of 2020's big brand crossovers was between Tide, Bud Light, the Wonder Woman movie, and Fox TV show The Masked Singer through a series of short ad spots. In the first spot, the Bud Knight, who was actually killed off in a previous ad campaign with HBO, makes a guest appearance in a Tide commercial, alongside a struggling Super Bowl party-goer who's stained his shirt. The knight brings the man back to medieval times, where he's ironically mocked for his shirt stain, despite the terrible hygiene standards of that era. 

A Tide commercial may not have otherwise been particularly exciting alongside other slots during the game, but using the Bud Knight makes things a whole lot more interesting for viewers.

How Can Your Company Use a Brand Crossover?

Brand partnerships are relatively common in just about every industry since they're a great way to expand a company's reach beyond its normal customer audience. Brand partnerships can be done through everything from a sponsored article on a news website to joining forces with another company in the same space to develop a better product.

Image Credit: Courtesy of Jeep