Like millions of others, I sat glued to the TV watching the Super Bowl this past weekend. Besides enjoying a great game, I also had high expectations for the ads this year.

After all, at $3 million for a 30 second ad and the economy in the dumps, the pressure was on to deliver. Unfortunately – most didn’t. While we saw our share of talking babies, monkeys and 3D commercials few efforts went beyond that and encourage users to participate with the brand. At a time when agencies have shed nearly 7,000 jobs we need to think not only about buzz, but creating results with call-to-actions that drive response, encourage participation and create an ongoing relationship.

I’m not saying you need to sacrifice creativity, I’m saying advertisers need to demand that their agencies think bigger and be accountable to deliver creative ads that drive more than buzz. So who hit it out of the park? For more including the hits and misses, check out my byline on DM News today!

As we all know, the Super Bowl is a unique platform that is a marketer’s dream in terms of communicating a message to an enormous and engaged audience.  The one brand I’ll be watching this year is Audi, who has been quietly building its Super Bowl franchise over the last few years by using various marketing techniques in tandem to promote its lineup.  

 

It started last year, when Audi bought its first Big Game ad in 20 years and generated some buzz with its “Godfather” spoof to introduce the all new R8.  While the ad received average scores, it was a great study in integrated marketing.  In fact, the ad aggressively leveraged email to help build awareness and excitement and included an email sneak preview on Saturday, 2/2/08 at 7:04PM, which was followed by another email on Sunday morning 2/3/08 at 6:13AM before the game. 

 

My Take: Kudos to Audi and its agency for attempting to coordinate marketing tactics to extend the awareness and success of its very expensive Super Bowl investment.  Consequently, the coordinated effort resulted in a reported 200 percent jump in web site traffic according to Audi.

 

So what’s in store for this year’s Super Bowl effort?  Interestingly enough, Audi is all about participation this year.  A recent visit to the website included a dedicated flash asking visitors to join Audi on a “journey of progress.”  Visitors are encouraged to sign up and receive an exclusive sneak preview of Audi’s new commercial prior to its Super Bowl ’09 debut – a la last years effort.  But it doesn’t end there.  By signing up, Audi is also offering additional benefits including “exclusive access to events” and “once-in-a-lifetime experiences all year long” as the journey of progress continues throughout 2009.  In an environment when most are cutting back on ad spending, Audi is shelling out the big bucks and turning to participation to extend the reach and ROI of its investment. 

 

It will be interesting to see how this one plays out.  To sign up click here and lets reconnect and discuss after the game.   

 

‘Til Next Time