Watching Super Bowl ads has become practically a sport all its own. Every year, fans buzz about which commercials will be the funniest, the most heart-wrenching, or the most entertaining. And, as we all know, brands shell out big bucks for spots during the game.
But, in 2013, Oreo made waves with an ad that had no budget, no TV spot, and no pregame buzz. In conjunction with our sister agency 360i, Oreo created a social media strategy that would position the brand for anything the Super Bowl could throw its way. And it paid off when the lights suddenly died in the Superdome. During the 34-minute power outage, Oreo tweeted: “Power out? No problem. You can still dunk in the dark.”
— Oreo Cookie (@Oreo) February 4, 2013
And, for better or worse, real-time marketing took off.
The Internet has changed just about everything, including how brands advertise. Campaigns that take months to plan, execute, and launch may still have a place, but if marketers aren’t also jumping into real time… they will get lost in the shuffle.
This Brave New World of Real-Time Marketing
In some ways, it’s nothing new: For decades, culture has influenced brands, and brands have influenced culture. But brands now have a brief span of time to react. If you don’t jump on something right as it happens, you’ve missed your shot.
Two trends are particularly responsible for the new world of real-time marketing: demographics and technology.
- The Millennial generation is on the rise. This demographic segment is huge, and its members are the biggest consumers of media. Millennials are driving the real-time marketing growth because they are used to the instant gratification of digital media.
- Then, we have technology itself. Smartphones provide us with information, entertainment, rides, dates, and friends on demand. I’m not a Millennial, and even I expect everything to come across my iPhone right when I want it.
Five years ago, you could report or comment on an event the next day or even the next week. Brands could play off cultural images for months. Now, consumers can watch an event unfold…
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