Amidst the hype of the Super Bowl, the associated commercials and brand spots have also become a key feature. And the main platform for measuring the popularity of brand efforts during the game is Twitter, with its real-time flow of comments and engagement based on each ad.
Twitter performance has been a prominent part of measuring Super Bowl campaign performance for some time, with Oreo’s famous ‘Dunk in the Dark’ tweet being a prime example of the value of real-time Twitter marketing. And now, Twitter’s looking to further encourage related ad activity by running their own Super Bowl ads competition called ‘BrandBowl52’.
The competition will reward the best performing Super Bowl commercials on Twitter, with prizes in a range of categories.
Can't wait to see new commercials as they're released during the big game?
— Twitter Marketing (@TwitterMktg) January 25, 2018
Retweet to subscribe for updates throughout the game on February 4th and catch all the #BrandBowl52 advertiser spots from @TwitterMktg. pic.twitter.com/1RyUxroCXl
As detailed in the above tweet, as part of the competition, users will be able to Retweet a Tweet from the @TwitterMKTG handle to be notified when new spots air in real-time during the game.
“On gameday, subscribers will receive automated notifications after each quarter with a Twitter Moment which will feature the ad spots that aired in that quarter. After the game, people will get a final notification alerting them to explore the winners of #BrandBowl52.”
Participating brands will need to enroll in the #BrandBowl52 competition to be eligible for inclusion in the ‘Super Subscribe Moment’, and for prize consideration, and must tweet from their brand account during the game. The main awards also require that the brand be running a national TV spot during the Super Bowl, and only ads which air between the pre-game coin toss and the final whistle are eligible.
So what prizes are on offer?
Twitter will award winners in four categories:
- #MVP: Brand with the highest percentage of all brand-related Tweets during #SB52
- #Blitz: Brand who drove the highest velocity of most Tweets-per-minute
- #QuarterBack:Brand with the most Retweets on a single Tweet during #SB52
- #Interception: Brand without a national TV spot that drove the highest % of brand conversation
Twitter will also make note of brands that receive the highest percentage of all in-game brand conversation versus category competitors across specific industries.
“Winners will receive a suite of exclusive ad products and custom consumer research opportunities to fuel their future Twitter campaigns in 2018, as well as special inclusion in BuzzFeed News' live morning show, AM to DM, the morning after gameday. Additionally, all winning brands will receive custom trophies for their brand headquarters, media, and creative agencies.”
Given the prominence of tweets and tweet activity in the overall Super Bowl ad conversation, it makes sense for Twitter to try and capitalize on the attention, and reward advertisers for their efforts. And while it may not necessarily encourage those advertisers to spend more on Twitter ads in future, it’s another way for Twitter to better ingratiate itself with the marketing community, and create links with prominent brands using the platform.
And definitely, Twitter needs to boost its ad activity - data shows that Twitter's ad business has been losing momentum, with spend being transferred to larger, more popular platforms to better capitalize on attention. Twitter's case likely won't be helped by a recent New York Times report which highlights the prominence of fake profiles and activity on the network - if Twitter's forced to take action on such activity, that could see their already under-performing user numbers take another hit.
Given the surrounding narratives, it makes sense for Twitter to be highlighting its role in the Super Bowl discussion, and the benefits it can provide for brand exposure.