Super Bowl

Trends Round-Up: Super Bowl XLIX Ads

February 2, 2015 by The Motherhood

Super Bowl XLIX wasn’t just a big win for the New England Patriots – many brands and themes generated a lot of buzz during last night’s game! Last week, we rounded up and shared a few ad trend predictions. Now that the ad frenzy is behind us, we can offer a few highlights about what proved effective for many brands during Super Bowl XLIX.

1. “Dadvertising” continues to be a powerful ad trend

From Nissan to Dove, “dadvertising” was a major theme of the Super Bowl XLIX ads. These commercials tugged the heartstrings to target dads with messaging traditionally reserved for moms, reflecting the modern view that dads are taking a more active role in the household and becoming major purchasers. Brands are taking notice.

From Dove+Care's "Real Strength" — From Dove+Care’s “Real Strength”

2. Twitter and Facebook see highest Super Bowl numbers ever

Both Twitter and Facebook reached record-setting milestones during Super Bowl XLIX. Last night’s game was the most tweeted Super Bowl in history and saw the highest level of conversation during a Super Bowl on Facebook. Here’s a short comparison on how each platform performed last night:

On Facebook, 65 million people generated 265 million posts, comments and likes about the Super Bowl
Twitter streamed 28.4 million tweets about Super Bowl XLIX (last year’s game saw 25 million tweets)
Fifty percent of Super Bowl XLIX ads used hashtags, while Facebook was mentioned four times in ads
Women aged 25-34 and women aged 35-44 were the top represented demographic groups in Super Bowl XLIX’s Facebook conversation

Snapchat also made its Super Bowl debut last night during the “Pitch Perfect 2” ad. The app recently launched the Discover feature, which it describes as “a new way to explore Stories from different editorial teams.”

3. Brands channel positivity and emotion in Super Bowl XLIX ads

Many ads last night focused on sending positive, emotional messages to consumers as opposed to using humor or shock value. According to Ace Metrix, a TV analytics company that scores ads by viewer sentiment, the top-ranking ads of the night went to McDonald’s “Pay with Lovin,” Budweiser’s “Lost Dog” and Coca-Cola’s “#MakeItHappy.” McDonald’s “Pay with Lovin” received an ace score of 706, one of the highest Super Bowl Ace Scores of all time, and 21 percent above the category norm for Quick Service Restaurants.

Ace Metrix CEO Peter Daboll said, “McDonald’s is on trend with messages of positivity that really resonate with consumers. For the past few years, we’ve seen a pivotal shift away from sheer shock value and slapstick humor toward emotional connectivity in Super Bowl ads. There were a banner crop of ads this year – from brands like McDonald’s, Always, Budweiser, and Coca-Cola – that are continuing to embrace this emotional connection.”

What were your favorite ads of the night?

Game On: Recipe Inspiration for the Big Game on Sunday!

January 27, 2015 by The Motherhood

Did you know the Sunday of the Big Game (you know the one we’re talking about) is the second-largest food consumption day of the year behind Thanksgiving? Whether you’re hosting a party or bringing a dish to a Game Day potluck, it’s the perfect time to wow your guests with a new recipe!

We are partnering right now with a team of creative bloggers to whip up a host of mouthwatering, better-for-you Game Day recipes using Naturally Fresh® homemade-tasting dressings. Check out how they put their own spin on some classic favorites, and look for Naturally Fresh® at your local Kroger or Publix in the refrigerated section (no preservatives or artificial flavors or colors here!).

You can find more Naturally Fresh® recipes on our Pinterest board, too. Which recipe will you be making?

Cuban Sandwiches and Cuban Sliders (This Mama Cooks! On a Diet)

Quick and Easy Spinach Bleu Cheese Dip (Hines Sight)

Bacon Ranch Deviled Eggs (Double Duty Mommy)

Naturally Fresh® Bleu Cheese Hot Wing Chicken Salad Sliders (My Little Space 4 Everything)

Easy Twice-Baked Potatoes (My Boys and Their Toys)

Bacon-Wrapped Cauliflower Bites (Sweet T Makes Three)

Regardless of whether you’re cheering the Patriots, the Seahawks or simply watching for the commercials, we hope you enjoy some tasty recipes and great company at your viewing party!

Trends Roundup: 2015 Super Bowl Ads

January 23, 2015 by The Motherhood

On February 1, people all across the country will come together to watch the Seattle Seahawks face the New England Patriots during the 2015 Super Bowl. While The Motherhood team is excited for the camaraderie and great food that accompanies most Super Bowl parties, we’re most looking forward to seeing how brands execute their related ad campaigns this year.

Here are three Super Bowl advertising trends and predictions we’ve been seeing this week:

15306144963_24b87f8b0a_z — Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons – atTRAZIONE MOTORI

1. Auto brands bow out.

Auto brands have always filled the Super Bowl advertising spots, but not this year. Audi and sibling brand Volkswagen, as well as General Motors, Lincoln, Ford, Jaguar, Honda and Acura, have announced they won’t be airing a Super Bowl commercial this year. For Audi, this will be the first time in seven years that they keep themselves on the bench!

You’ll still see at least six automakers during game-day commercial breaks, but that’s a significant decrease from the 11 auto brand commercials that appeared last year. Right now, the only explanation for the sudden change is the cost of a 30-second ad spot: $4.5 million. Forbes points out that auto brands have a harder time standing out among other other auto brands and rarely see results worth the price tag of a Super Bowl ad.

2. Hashtags!

In 2012, only seven percent of Super Bowl ads contained a hashtag. That percentage jumped to 50 percent in 2013 and 57 percent in 2014. We can only expect the number will continue to increase as brands attempt to reach the widest audience possible via social media. Some are predicting that up to 75 percent of commercials will contain a hashtag in 2015 Super Bowl ads.

3. Ads that live on beyond the 30-second screen time.

Forbes is also predicting that “many advertisers have woken up to the fact that a spot on the Super Bowl is not effective as a standalone effort,” and are therefore developing campaigns that can be accessed before or after the commercial’s airing.

Budweiser is one example: The company built a life-size Pac-Man maze in Los Angeles’ Fashion District that will be seen in its Super Bowl ad this year. Another bubbly brainchild comes from PepsiCo and their filming of a reality show video series called “Game Day Grub Match.”

With hashtags reaching ubiquitous status, brands are smart to increase the lifespan of their hashtag beyond Super Bowl Sunday. Brands that air Super Bowl ads have invested heavily in their creative concepts, so getting more mileage out of them with pre- and post-game extensions is a worthwhile strategy to sustain engagement among consumers.

The Motherhood team is looking forward to watching Super Bowl 2015, as well as paying attention to how brands aim to make a big splash on game day!

Top Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons – Parker Anderson