The Real Winners from The Big Game: A Look at the Data

Every February, millions of Americans tune in to watch two of the country's best football teams compete in the tournament finale. Easily one of the most watched events in the world, garnering over 115 million viewers, it is a major focus for those in the advertising and marketing world. Thirty second commercial spots sell for over $4.5 million each. It is often joked that more people tune in for the commercials than the game. This year, the game lived up to the hype, and the ads encouraged family values and focused on dads.

During the game, over 12.6 million tweets and 589,000 photos were generated, with the peak of conversation between 7-8pm EST largely on Twitter. The ads were major foci, with Budweiser's Lost Dog spot being an emotional hit. However, Nationwide did create big waves with their spot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKUy-tfrIHY

Pepsi saw a nice boost due to their sponsorship of the Halftime Show with Katy Perry. Being the second most mentioned brand, it showed they used their investment smartly. However, the real winner of the game ended up being surprise guest, Missy Elliott. Joining main act, Katy Perry for 3 songs, Missy saw a huge sales spike the following week.

All in all, the game attracted record numbers and did drive conversation. Where it goes next year will be interesting and one all in the marketing world will be watching.

Published on 2015-02-04 21:06:23