The Super Bowl was a disappointment for many who thought the game would mean big gains for mobile advertising.
“I think it would be impossible to make the claim that mobile marketing and the Super Bowl came together in any meaningful way last night,” says Jeff Hasen, chief marketing officer for the mobile marketing company HipCricket. “I don’t believe anyone was really conditioned to be looking for a mobile component.”
Over the past couple of decades, advertising has become as much a part of the Super Bowl experience as the game itself, with advertisements this year averaging around $2.5 million per 30-second spot. Given the buzz around mobile marketing, some thought advertisers would be pushing a more integrated experience that would encourage viewers to pick up their phones and start texting short codes for chances to win prizes.
“In my opinion, the biggest missed opportunity of the game was NBC and Springsteen,” Hasen says. “It would have been as simple as Al Michaels saying something at half time and preparing viewers to text to win front-row tickets to Springsteen’s upcoming European tour.” But that didn’t happen.
The numbers are there. Hasen points to a Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) survey that found a third of all mobile subscribers are somewhat likely or highly likely to use their phones to participate in advertising.
“But it’s going to take a big campaign from a big name to really create a buzz and get people interested. It’s going to take someone like Budweiser or Coca-Cola,” Hasen predicted.
He said consumers have to be conditioned and right now they’re just not aware. “In the final two seconds of a spot, it’s unlikely for folks to actually know they’re supposed to do something unless they’re already waiting for it.”