In an age where viewers of prime-time sporting events are flooded with advertisements, it’s easy for your brand to get lost in a sea of commercials. Without shock value or (if we’re being honest) cute, tear-inducing puppies, how are you supposed to get the attention of avid sports fans around the world on what just might be the most important day for them all year long?
If you paid any attention this year, you know the answer is pretty clear. Look no further than Volvo & Chevy.
In an effort to remove attention from all competitor ads during the Super Bowl this year, Volvo stole the spotlight with their promo “The Greatest Interception Ever.” Volvo asked fans to tweet its hashtag, #VolvoContest, during other car brands’ Super Bowl commercials. Participants nominate a friend or loved one to win a new Volvo XC60 luxury crossover, with the idea being that the company wants to focus on real people rather than its own marketing message. Volvo opted out of paying for traditional advertising space for the Super Bowl and instead put all their hope in viral content marketing.
During the game, the hashtag #volvocontest was trending. Check out this video they released a week before the Super Bowl:
Chevy, however, took a different route this year by giving millions of viewers a six-second heart attack with their advertisement.
The beginning of the ad shows an aerial view of the stadium. Peaceful and exciting, right? What starts out as a typical Super Bowl intro turns into a 4G LTE Wi-Fi advertisement nightmare.
Cue heart attack. You’ll just have to see it to understand.
Chevy wins the innovation award for the night. Probably not the award for most highly favored, though.
One minute you’re reaching for a hand full of popcorn, the next minute you’re cleaning up said bowl of popcorn that you may or may not have thrown at the television.
Purely hypothetical, of course.
It’s a brilliant way to snap millions of viewers back into reality and hold their attention for the duration of your advertisement, so we tip our hats to you, Chevy.
The verdict has yet to be determined as to who came out the champion of Super Bowl XLIX, but in my opinion, the engagement Volvo is receiving via social media without paid advertisement trumps the paid advertising space. When you center your business around your customers, you’re sure to come out on top. Thanks for reminding us of what really matters, Volvo.
What Super Bowl ads do you think were worthy of the title this year?
