Super Bowl LV came in with a bang and arguably went out with a whimper as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers led by, now 7-time Super Bowl champion, Tom Brady comfortably cruised to a win over the reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs.
While the game carried all the luster of a Pee Wee football game in a local park league, the real controversy came from the polarizing ads and halftime show.
The game charted nearly an hour of commercial time, raking in about $545 million. However, the real debate came around the balance between creativity and celebrity. Many fans were left wanting as it seems many advertisers opted to pack ads with celebrity cameos in the hopes they’d strike gold, in lieu of the fun creative spots viewers were used to.
And The Weeknd’s halftime show left many homes divided as some found it thrilling while others say it fell flat. It was reported that The Weeknd spent $7 million of his own money to produce the spectacle and it’s well-known that these performers only get paid in exposure.
So, why would he do it and spend his own money? It’s an investment. Here it is by the numbers:
- The Weeknd’s music sales increased 385% after the Super Bowl.
- His songs were 8 of the top 10 most listened to on Spotify following the Super Bowl with a 200% increase overall.
Beyond the immediate buzz, The Weeknd is preparing for his After Hours Tour, for which tickets went on sale immediately following the big game.
Consumer Trends
Screen Time
Source: United Healthcare
- In the US people are spending more than half of their days in front of screens, about 3 hours and 48 minutes of which is on a mobile device.
- This has had big implications for how brands interact with and target their audience, especially on mobile platforms as interactions come in short bursts as opposed to all at once.
Voice Shopping
Source: Invesp
- An emerging paradigm in eCommerce, “voice commerce” has taken hold and is expected to reach $40 billion as adoption of the technology becomes more widespread.
- Advertisers should optimize their product pages and websites to maintain “visibility” in voice searches by including conversational language.
- Tip: A great way to capture voice searches at the top-of-funnel is to simply answer common questions that your customers and target personas have and would likely have.
Spotlight: Twitch
Source: Stream Charts
- Twitch users spent 18.1 billion hours in 2020 watching content on the platform.
- Brands can run ads on Twitch through creator channels that opt-in as an alternative to direct monetary support from their audience or brands can partner with creators themselves if the alignment exists.
Business Trends
Social Commerce
Source: eMarketer
- Social commerce in the US is projected to grow more than 26% in 2021.
- Products like Facebook and Instagram Shop are paving the way for frictionless transactions that happen within the platform.
Stories
Source: Social Insider
- Social Insider data suggests that user engagement declines significantly after the 6th story post on social media channels.
- Brands should consider using a combination of video and image stories (no more that 6 a day) to maintain audience engagement, using the increased attention to video to communicate their most important messages.
On the Rise: Digital Gift Cards
Source: Digital Commerce 360
- Digital gift card sales saw a near 100% increase YoY in December 2020 during a socially distanced holiday season.
