A Super Bowl in a down economy forces advertisers to adjust their tactics

This weekend brings about an annual tradition that has graced televisions across this country for as long as I can remember. It’s a battle between two opposing teams taking to the battlefield to see who flinches first. Of course I’m talking about the battle between advertisers and consumers taking place during the commercial breaks of the Super Bowl. For many advertisers this year especially is a winner take all battle where their company is on the line. For many consumers everyday is economic battle, so an advertiser better have the right message if they plan on anyone opening up their wallet in the midst of one of the greatest economic downturns in the last 100 years.

So how are advertisers going about this monumental task? In every way possible!

The Heavy Sales Pitch:

Some advertisers a trying with a good ole’ fashion sale. Companies like Universal Orlando, and Denny’s are coming into the Super Bowl with ads that promise deals that will allow consumers to continue their quality of life on a tighter budget. Both companies have yet to release their Super Bowl ads, but their approach is to go straight to the point.

Promise of a Better Life:

Other firms are painting a vision of the better life that despite hard times, is there to be had. This year’s advertisements are expected to see an increase in job placement services such as Monster.com and Ladders.com. Each company is dancing around the issue of unemployment by promising “better” jobs rather than simply “a” job. After all who wants to be reminded during the Super Bowl that they are unemployed?

Look Who Isn’t Coming to the Party:

In an interesting result of the weakening economy, a few major brands have walked away from the Super Bowl all together. Companies like FedEx and GM who have been staples of past years have decided not to place any ads in this year’s Super Bowl. What makes this even more remarkable is that FedEx gained critical and ranking accolades for last year’s Super Bowl ads (Below Fed’s 2008 SuperBowl Ad) .

You Too Can Make a Super Bowl Ad:

Doritos has decided to once again to turn to the crowd and has sourced another user-generated advertisement. With the carrot $1million if you secure the #1 ad of the Super Bowl, the quality and quantity of the submissions on has been remarkable with 1961 UG ads submitted from around the country. Dorito’s last foray into UGC for the Super Bowl resulted in this ad.

Stacking the Deck Ahead of Time:

Companies are using their online presense to bolster the success of their Super Bowl ads this year. MillerCoors (Miller Beer), Doritos, PepsiCo (Gatorade) and Hyundai Motors all are using online properties to promote their ad campaigns ahead of time. Miller Beer has http://www.1secondad.com/ where visitors can see not only the two Super Bowl ads, but also 30, 1 second commercials. Gatorade has been running their “What’s G” celebrity stacked viral video that has generated a tremendous amount of buzz leading up to Super Bowl Sunday. In conjunction Gatorade has rebranded their website to reflect the look and feel of the viral videos.

Not Everyone Made the Cut:

Proving that a news story is just as powerful as a Super Bowl ad. PETA announced that their Super Bowl ad was “banned” from the being shown Sunday night. In an attempt to clearly push the boundaries, PETA’s sexually suggestive “PSA?” has generated a tremendous amount of traffic to PETA.com, and managed to save them the $3 million price tag of the Super Bowl ad.

'Veggie Love': PETA's Banned Super Bowl Ad

It will be an interesting assortment of ads that will come across the TV screen this weekend. There is no question that the traditional, the funny, the obscure, and the absolute failures will all be represented. The question is with as down is the economy stands now, will anyone consider spending money based upon the ads or will people finally pay attention to what happens between the commercials?

About the author

Peter is our expert at GeniusRocket, focused on the dynamics of online media and community driven content. As President of GeniusRocket Inc. he oversees all activities of the company.

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