Are you not entertained?
My last post was about the funnel, the much-debated, usually-disliked, often-misunderstood foot-soldier of marketing planning.
I want to zoom in on the tippy top of the funnel because the largest media event of the year is this weekend and I have a confession to make: that I used to think advertising at the Super Bowl was just a waste of money and usually an off-brand distraction from what each brand was doing the rest of the year.
In the words of every politician who used to be very publicly wrong about something, “I’ve evolved.” That was then and this is now. As one learns with age what he can and can’t control in life, so he does with a brand.
The definition of brand I like most is “reputation” — the accumulation of what people think, feel, and have heard of you.
A brand should be distinctive — recognizable as itself — but it should experiment over time with what attributes (color, sound, message, tone, style, design) it will keep versus jettison. The process for getting there is a balance of planning and trial.
I go back to Why Does the Pedlar Sing?, which articulates a strong thesis for brand-as-entertainer through experimentation. “Popularity or fame are complex, emergent processes that depend on far more than simply having a good idea, a catchy tune, a nice face or a better product — even though all of these may help.”
Which brings us to the Super Bowl and what we advertisers are doing there. Cynics may say that they’re just Big Media peddling their mind control wares, but I think cultural items like the Super Bowl Ad Meter are an indication that people genuinely enjoy the potential for entertainment during the ad breaks.
Companies choose to spend their money (often 5–10% of sales) on marketing because it’s the best option they’ve identified for creating growth. Choosing to take that money and advertise rather than reduce prices or launch a DTC practice or do in-store programs or sponsor a grassroots event series is a deliberate choice to be entertaining at scale. The Super Bowl is just the most extreme example of it.
Brands, agencies, and media companies have a dizzying array of ways to create demand and efficiently capture intent at a product and audience segment level. Miles before that, atop our beloved funnel, chuckles and heartfelt smiles reign.
Howard Gossage said that advertising is renting a stage on which we may perform. The Super Bowl lets us rent the biggest one and give the people what they came for.
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I write these posts, 3-MINUTE MONDAYS, every other week. My goal with them is to share a snippet of insight into how to do strategy, build teams, and grow. Comment here or message me on LinkedIn if you want to chat. — Ben
