Product Placement Lessons from the Super Bowl

The NFL’s Super Bowl game is an annual feast of creative marketing for people who work in the advertising world. And although American football is not nearly as popular in Europe as it is on the other side of the Pond, a lot of Europeans still tune into the Big Game every February.

As such, business owners and marketers can learn a few lessons from observing what happens during this annual commercial bonanza.

To start with, consider that a 30-second spot in Super Bowl 51 cost advertisers upwards of $5.5 million (£4.4 million) to reach what is arguably the largest TV audience in the world. It’s a lot of money, but purchasing an ad means broadcasting your message to more than 100 million people.

Kellogg Company Wins

Now here’s the important lesson: the Kellogg Company benefited from a bit of free advertising through unintentional product placement. One of the first adverts to run during this year’s championship game was a spot from Netflix marketing its ‘Stranger Things’ program.

The advertisement began with a clip from an older Kellogg commercial featuring Eggo waffles.

Kellogg didn’t pay a cent but still gained exposure to countless millions of viewers. Just a few days after the game, the same advert has been viewed on YouTube more than 4 million times. Kellogg’s incidental product placement was a huge win for them.

Product Placement Is Your Friend

The point we’re trying to make is that product placement can be your best friend from a marketing standpoint. We’ve already explained in previous blog posts how you can use things like lanyards and silicone wristbands as marketing tools, but consider the potential product placement benefits.

Your company may sponsor a local youth football team by providing head and wrist sweatbands. As the sponsor, your company name and logo is imprinted on every band you distribute. That’s great marketing during the games.

But consider this: lots of people will be taking pictures of the players throughout the season. Those pictures will be posted all over the internet by proud parents. You’ll get instant, unpaid advertising by way of incidental product placement.

Trade Shows & Conventions

Branded ID cardholders and badge holders offer product placement benefits at trade shows and conventions. Lanyards can be distributed at festivals where a heavy media presence is expected. There are so many possibilities here that it is hard to quantify them all.

Your company may never be able to afford millions of pounds for a 30-second TV advert. But if you can afford the cost of branded promotional products from Ribbonworks.co.uk, you can still take advantage of the fringe benefits of incidental product placement.

The key is getting your branded products into the hands of those who will unknowingly spread your message simply by using them. It is a brilliant strategy that was on full display during the Super Bowl.

Originally published at https://www.ribbonworks.co.uk/blog/Product-Placement-Lessons-from-the-Super-Bowl.cfm.