A great example of this transformation is the Super Bowl. Automakers now release hordes of teaser videos and social media propaganda weeks, sometimes months, before the 30-second or so ad airs.
Kiaâs ''Space Babies'' Super Bowl Commercial for all-new 2014 Sorento is part of the ''It has an answer for everything'' campaign and debuts on television in the 4th quarter.DETROIT, MI- The internet and social media have transformed the way companies advertise.
A great example of this transformation is automakers and the the Super Bowl. Automakers now release hordes of teaser videos and social media propaganda weeks, sometimes months, before the 30-second or so ad airs.
“Once the teams are decided, they have a two-week window where they can get major publicity, major promotion and major awareness,” said Bruce Vanden Bergh, a Michigan State University advertising, public relations and retailing professor, who specializes in Super Bowl ads.
Vanden Bergh said automakers are trying to get more bang for their millions of dollars by releasing teaser photos, images, tweets and Facebook posts about their game day ad(s).
This year it’s costing advertisers about $4 million for 30 seconds of air time. Money, according to some, well spent.
Lincoln, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Audi and Kia have all released some sort of teaser for their commercials. Automotive companies and brands have traditionally represented one of every six or so ads.
General Motors Co., which is not expected to air any ad this year, was one of the main advertisers last year and released a few of its commercials in-full before the big game.
Vanden Bergh said its really up to each advertiser to determine how they want to spend their money, as well as what platforms they use for the ad.
“The old day of just putting an ad on there and having a passive consumer, that’s a bygone era,” he said. “So you want to pull people in. You want to make it interesting. You want to get them to participate if you can.”
Some auto advertisers, including Audi and Lincoln, are heavily using social media to dictate their ads.
Audi is taking a fairly new approach to its Super Bowl advertising by letting voters choose the ending to its “Audi 2013 Big Game Commercial – ‘Prom.’ ”
Lincoln, Ford Motor Co.’s luxury brand, also took a social media approach. The Dearborn-based automaker asked comedian Jimmy Fallon to lead the first-ever Super Bowl commercial written entirely by social media, with consumers participating through Twitter.
When announcing the ad, the brand’s new ambassador, Emmitt Smith, said the ad should help continue the comeback for the brand.
”It’s an honor to join Lincoln Motor Company on its comeback journey and I’m excited that the MKZ will star in Lincoln’s first-ever Super Bowl commercial,” Smith said in a statement. “Enlisting the help of consumers to develop the spot is extremely clever. Throughout my career, I’ve been driven by the support of the fans and now they’ll have the chance to do the same for Lincoln.”
Here’s a look at the already released teaser videos/information from some of the top automotive brands.
Audi: As Audi puts it, “One Defining Moment. Three ways it can go.” Below is the “Worth It” ending of the one-second “Prom” ad. Click here to view the other two endings.
Kia: The South Korean brand has not released any video, but it did release the embedded photo above about its “Space Babies” ad, which is scheduled to air in the fourth quarter. According to Kia, the ad reveals the existence of a faraway planet known as “Babylandia” and follows infant boys, girls, dogs, pandas and more on their journey to Earth to join their new families. The ad is expected to air on movie screens and YouTube starting Feb. 1.
Lincoln: This is Lincoln’s first-ever ad, and the Ford luxury brand is looking to stand out with the help of Fallon and social media. Here’s a teaser video called “Steer The Script: Final Week of Shooting” from Lincoln.
Mercedes-Benz: So far, Mercedes-Benz has released two teaser videos. The first, “Sundae: Mercedes-Benz Super Bowl Commercial Teaser,” was released Jan. 19. It features a rising thermometer and a small girl eating a melting ice cream sundae before a voiceover comes in and says, “Something hot is coming,” followed by the headlight of a vehicles and the company’s logo.
The second, or the “something hot,” is a video called “Kate Upton Washes the All-New Mercedes-Benz CLA in Slow Motion.” It seductively features the 20-year-old Michigan native in slow motion while a group of football players stare at her while washing a Mercedes-Benz CLA.
Toyota: For the second-consecutive year it appears Toyota will use comedy and sexiness in its Super Bowl ad. Kaley Cuoco, star of the award-winning CBS show “The Big Bang Theory,” will star in the Japanese automaker’s ad. Here’s the teaser, called “Toyota Game Day Teaser "I Wish" Starring Kaley Cuoco (Official).”
Volkswagen: The German auto brand, which has in recent years become well-known for its teasers, recently released a video called “Sunny Side: 2013 Volkswagen Game Day Video with Jimmy Cliff (Get Happy).”