Learning from Super Bowl Commercials

Super Bowl commercials are a thing. In fact, they've been a thing for a long time now. And what's made them even more of a thing is that companies can engage in pre-game hype (just like the teams playing in the game) to boost the anticipation for their Super Bowl ads. Furthermore, they can try out several ads and find out ahead of time which one is best and should stay in the Super Bowl ad slot.

Perhaps the best illustration of this is how Doritos handled this year's Super Bowl campaign. They purchased two ad slots and let consumers submit their own commercials, with the fan-favorite airing in one slot and the corporate favorite airing in the other slot. The fan favorite won a million dollars on top of it all, and Doritos scored some major buzz in the game's lead-up.

It underscores what moves the needle these days. For one, it's important to interact with your consumers and customers in a more direct manner. Second, it's good to listen to what they have to say. You may not hand over your marketing to them, but then again ... you might. Next, it's important to mix it up. If you've been advertising the same way for an extended period of time, try something new. Getting out of your comfort zone can help your brand extend into new territory, as well.

And finally, it's a valuable reminder that having fun is good business.