Tips From Ad Agency Innis Maggiore to Score Super Bowl Ads' Effectiveness
CANTON, Ohio (Jan. 29, 2015) - Headquartered in the hometown of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Innis Maggiore, the nation's leading advertising agency in the practice of positioning, offers advice on how to watch Super Bowl commercials like an expert.
Effective advertising is meant to sell. Unfortunately, for Super Bowl advertisers, 85 percent of Super Bowl ads can't be directly linked to an increase in sales. In football parlance, most of the ads fumble instead of score touchdowns with customers.
"At $4.5 million a pop, that's unacceptable," said Innis Maggiore chief strategist Lorraine Kessler.
She recommends answering four questions to determine the merit of an advertisement:
- Did the ad gain your attention?
- Can you recall what brand or product was advertised?
- Does the ad convey a meaningful benefit?
- Does the ad offer a distinct advantage over the competition?
"Positioning requires more than a good strategy for differentiation," Kessler said. "It requires memorable, creative dramatization of your idea, hitting all four positioning points."
She said pet owner controversy aside, GoDaddy is a clear winner among those who have pre-released their ads. The "Journey Home" pre-release ad features a lost puppy (attention), a funny ending (recall), and contains an explanation of the service in the narrative (benefit and advantage).
"In the past I've been thumbs down on GoDaddy because even though I remember the ads, like the sloppy kiss (2014) or the courtroom bombshell (2009), none told me what the product actually did. This year's ad is different. You make your own website. I get it now."
Another winner: Victoria's Secret. The lingerie company's "Don't Drop the Ball" teaser ad succeeds in gaining long chunks of yards for the brand. Consider that in fewer than 90 seconds the ad is able to:
- Claim Valentine's Day as its own official holiday
- Establish brand imagery and relevance
- Capture and hold attention
- And, deliver a powerful call-to-action message ... all with not one word spoken!
"Victoria's Secret definitely did not drop the ball on its re-entry to the Super Bowl arena. This is one of those ads that make you say, 'Gee, I wish I had done that' - and mean it!" Kessler said.
See if you can beat the pros at Innis Maggiore.
Innis Maggiore's best and worst picks of the Super Bowl will be posted in its PositionistView on Monday following the game. To subscribe and comment, go to our signup form.
Innis Maggiore Group is the nation's leading advertising agency in the practice of positioning, building strong brand positions for companies in competitive markets. The advertising and public relations agency had 2014 capitalized billings of more than $26 million. Key clients include AultCare, Aultman Hospital, Bank of America, Campbell Oil/BellStores, FSBO.com, GOJO Industries, Inc., inventors of PURELL®, Goodyear, GuideStone Financial Resources, Kendall House/KFC, Nickles Bakery, RTI International Metals and Republic Steel. Innis Maggiore is a member of the American Association of Advertising Agencies and the Public Relations Society of America. The company maintains a website at www.innismaggiore.com.