The goal of every ad is to get people to “listen to the ad” and “recall” the ad. I refer to it as… “leaning forward”.
When visiting with a client or a potential client, I oftentimes use the Super Bowl and the ads within to make this point. I make statements or ask questions like…
“There is only one time a year when people ‘want’ to see or hear ads. Do you know when that is?”
Then I wait for their answer. Approximately 40-50% of the people will guess the Super Bowl. The others say during Black Friday or Christmas. I use this statement to get the person I am speaking with to understand “how” people consume media. Only during the Super Bowl do people actually “lean forward” to see and hear ads. The other 364 days a year, we need to actually grab their attention, because when the commercial break comes on, people “lean back”.
Being honest with them about “how” people consume media will get them to believe you and listen to you more intently as you progress through the sales process.
I also ask or suggest this…
“Do you ever wonder why a large majority of the ads during the Super Bowl are 60-second ads, and the rest of the year, these same advertisers run 30-second ads?”
So why do I make these statements? Because most business owners believe 60-second ads are “too long” and they believe “no one listens to ads”. In many cases they are right, no one likes “bad ads” and bad ads struggle to capture the listeners/viewers’ attention. To make my point, I use the Super Bowl advertisers as an example. When the money is on the line, they go with ’60s.
Aren’t the ads you run the rest of the year as important as the ad(s) you air during the Super Bowl?
I also ask this about radio stations that run 60-second promos when promoting themselves but suggest 30’s for their clients. I have never understood this!
If you’ve worked with me, you know that I’m a proponent of 60-second ads, but you also know that I believe the proper length of an ad is “whatever it takes”. A good :60, if created correctly, is better than a good :30, but a bad :60 is simply a bigger waste of money than a bad :30. (The Great Debate…10’s, 15’s, 30’s or 60’s? )
This year, in Adweek’s Top 10 Super Bowl Ads, eight were ’60s and two were ’30s. Of the approximately 21 ads that featured celebrities, twelve were ’60s, two were 60+, six were ’30s, and one was 15-seconds.
So, ask yourself this question, why don’t they do this the rest of the year?
Here are some other thoughts about Super Bowl ads:
1) Whether it’s a good ad or a bad ad, the price was still $5.5 million. Because Super Bowl ads are so extremely expensive, they put their best foot/effort forward. The same is true in your market; the price is the same regardless if it’s a good ad or a bad ad. Learn to write and create better ads!
2) Your local ads are far less expensive per-person than Super Bowl ads. Do the math. For example:
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