What I Noticed as a Performance Marketer: Super Bowl Ads LVI (2022)
Unlike a large chunk of the 112.3 million people who watched the Superbowl this year, I was taking my snack and bathroom breaks during game time. My interest was primarily in learning how other marketing agencies made the most of the $455 million in ad spend.
Not only is this game notable for having the highest viewership in recent years and even higher ad spend costs, but it also featured first appearances from four cryptocurrency businesses, returning ad spots for electric vehicles, and an introduction to the metaverse.
Of the 70 ads that were running throughout the game, I’ll talk through two ads that really caught my attention. First, I have to talk about Coinbase’s floating QR code ad spot.
This 60-second ad spot cost around $14 million dollars and was essentially a remake of the oh-so-familiar bouncing DVD logo screensaver. Those who scanned the QR code were sent to a landing page, which prompted them to sign up for Coinbase and download their app in return for a limited-time offer of $15 in Bitcoin.
In the 60 seconds that the ad was airing, the QR code generated 20 million hits which crashed their app caused it to be down for about an hour. Given the vague nature of the QR code in combination with the high number of hits, it appears to have piqued the curiosity of a large portion of the audience enough to have scanned it to learn more.
What stood out to me about this ad was just that, the simplicity and lack of branding on-screen at the same time as the QR code. Accenture Interactive, the agency that created this ad, leaned heavily on its understanding of the target audiences for this ad. Not only does their audience need to have the technical know-how and the software to even participate in this “ad-venture”, but they also need to be curious enough to pull out their phones.
By really digging into their target audience, Accenture Interactive created an engaging ad for Coinbase that resulted in downloads for their app skyrocketing from 186th place to 2nd on Apple’s App Store, an engagement rate that was six times higher than previous benchmarks, and Coinbase stock increasing by 11% into February.
Following Coinbase’s killer ad, I was shocked by something that you may not have noticed during the game - “ad-ception”.
During Rocket Mortage’s ‘Dream House with Anna Kendrick and Barbie’ commercial, I noticed, yet another QR code!
Just over halfway through this 60-second ad spot, you’ll notice a QR Code from StockX on one of the children’s t-shirts.
If you managed to scan this QR code, you would have seen it lead to a landing page that read, “Well look who it is. Congrats on seeing our cameo in the Rocket Homes and rocket Mortgage big game commercial. Now you have access to enter an exclusive RestockX.”
By creating a StockX account, you would have the opportunity to bid $1 on the Big Game RestockX page to potentially win eight prizes.
What stood out to me about this ad was the exclusivity of actually being able to participate in this raffle. StockX posted on Twitter the day of the game saying,
Between those that saw the tweet from StockX and the QR code for the two seconds that it was on screen, those that bid on the gift package were likely few and far between.
However, given a price tag of $6.5 million dollars this year for every 30 seconds of screen time, StockX likely got quite the bargain for getting in front of 112.3 million eyes. I’d be very curious to know what StockX actually paid to get a cameo in Rocket Mortgage’s Superbowl spot.
While these are specific examples of individual ads that caught my attention as a professional, the greater trend toward digital remains constant. In how the ads are shown to the audience, the technology viewers use to interact with the ads, and the products and services they offer - they all emphasize the use of digital.
Of course, there is much more that I would love to dig into and share. If you’re interested in hearing more about what caught my attention, I would gladly share my insights with you!
Send me an email at nathaniel@orangesliceak.com or reach out to me on Twitter, @itsnathaniellac.
Or, if my insights piqued your interest in our expertise here at Orange Slice, Seth would love to sit down and chat! Give him a call at (907) 456 - 7384 or send him an email at seth@orangesliceak.com.
