From Ad Age
Review by Graham Sharples in SRM 435 (section 1)
As the Super bowl is fast approaching, many fans look forward to the commercials just as much as the big game. On January 22, 2014, Ad Age, wrote a special report on the super bowl and how revealing ads throughout the duration of the super bowl can either make or break marketers careers. The article noted that in order to be successful on the “big day,” marketers should be prepared to spend on average $6 million to $10 million but also to start focusing on their advertisement at least eight months in advance. The article focuses a lot on the planning for the one-day debut rather than just the advertisement itself. It was also stated in the article that “marketers now plan when and how they announce they bought a super bowl spot” and how that has become a part of a mini-marketing plan because of all the media interest surrounding it (McCarthy, 2014).
Super bowl Sunday has grown to be one of the most watched broadcasts and sporting events in the United States. Companies are quick to take advantage of the built-in audience to showcase their products and innovative ad campaigns. It is an unprecedented opportunity and a huge moment in sports and advertising.
This article relates to this course because the course relies heavily on the principles of promotions and marketing in the sports industry. The article analyzes the key to being a successful advertiser during a big event such as the super bowl. The class deals a lot with promotions and advertising and this is exactly what the article described. This article also recognizes the importance of preparation and marketing strategies in order to be profitable.
---
Review by Matt Williams in SRM 435 (section 1)
My article review will be on advertisements and marketing on the Superbowl ads. This opportunity for companies around the world is something they spend months and millions of dollars on. And this marketing prime time only comes around once a year therefore creates high stakes, money and time invested in these precious ad times. If your company is not willing to spend 6-10 million dollars Adam Komack chief client officer at Mediacom does not recommend you make this steep commitment just for a 30 second airtime. The Superbowl has become much more than a football game in our country it is practically a national holiday millions of people around the world watch the game football fan or not. The Super Bowl is the only time a year when marketers are guaranteed millions of people will be watching. Social media has impacted the marketing as well people sent out 26.1 million tweets during the game. This is exactly the attention that these companies want to generate consumers talking about their commercials and products. The after shock that these 30-60 seconds create is the key not just owning that add spot but having people talk about your add next week at work. Then the companies should offer some sort of retail event following the ad “to capitalize on all the noise the brand has made” Komack says. This opportunity to capture millions of peoples only comes once a year. This is why companies spend millions of dollars and fight for the most talked about ad for a reason. It works the most prosperous companies in the world shuffle ads out on this day. Marketers around the world take note on the messages and tactics made to try and make the best ad of year. This isn't only the National Football Leagues championship I believe this is also the title match for the marketing world. On one of the biggest stages of world a mega event when is their better time to take advantage of this marketing time.
From Adweek
Video 1
Video 2
Review by Kelsey Holmes in KIN 501
In 2013, NASCAR re-gained its digital rights from Turner Sports allowing them to control their own website, NASCAR.com and better integrate their digital media presence with social media. Senior Marketing Partner, Andrew Campagnone admitted, “We were behind in the technology space.” While other professional leagues, such as the NBA and NFL, were using technology and social media to take fan interaction to a whole new level NASCAR was falling behind.
In 2013, NASCAR, America’s largest Spectator Sport, began working to increase their digital media presence. 5 weeks after their new campaign launch, Nascar added 25,000 Facebook fans, 20,000 Twitter followers, 46,00 YouTube subscribers, and 1000 Instagram followers. As of January 27th, 2014 those numbers were up to a total of 583,00 Facebook fans, 1.33M Twitter followers, 52,000 YouTube subscribers, and 94,000 Instagram followers. Their current marketing strategy includes; pulling together the Nascar brand, teams drivers, fans, and sponsors to cheer on their favorite cars and drivers through the use of the hash tag #Whatdriversneed across all of their social sites. The current campaign focuses on the use of Twitter and Instagram while Nascar.com, Facebook, TV, radio, and print playing supporting roles. The new campaign seems to be helping NASCAR reach their fans as they have seen increase on all of their digital media platforms. Along with the new campaign came the innovative Fan and Media Engagement center. This center allows NASCAR professionals to stay up to date on trends and happenings on social media. Also, the center analyzes data and then adapts to better serve the fans.
While some leagues steer their athletes away from social media in fear that it will damage their brand, NASCAR is doing quite the opposite. NASCAR has very lose rules on social media and race day tweeting, and that helps to give them a competitive advantage over other sports that monitor their athletes so heavily. NASCAR vice president Steve O’donell says “it’s one of the cool things about our sport. We feel like social media gives us that direct access to some of race fans”. The more interaction fans have the more interested they become, and the bigger the interest the more likely they are to come to a race, which is what NASCAR ultimately wants. NASCAR already has a cult following and social media allows their fans to engage even more. NASCAR themselves have said they want to bring fans as close to the driver seat as possible, which is done through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
A survey of 1,500 adults in October 2012 found that 54% of avid fans said they visit social media sites regularly for NASCAR content and that percentage jumps to 78% for 18-34 year old fans. This is great for building your brand when you can reach most of your fans through digital media. With social media you can reach new fans and gain a bigger audience especially children and college age consumers where NASCAR fans are most lacking. The push in digital media can help build the star power of your drivers by letting fans interact with them intimately and more often. Most NASCAR tracks are now installing wifi, to improve the racetrack experience, allowing fans to tweet or post about their day at the track. By engaging fans on a regular basis NASCAR digital media push is helping to build the NASCAR brand for today and the future.
As a sports marketing professional it is important to realize that social media, when used properly, is a great tool and can always be used to your advantage. Digital media plays an integral part in building your brand in today’s society. Staying up on recent trends allows the company to remain relevant at all times. Knowing how to actively engage fans with the company will definitely pay off in the long run.
From iMediaEthics 1, 2, 3, and Deborah Jackson's Ethics in Sport Media course website
Review by Tommy LaRose in SRM 435
During my presentation on the topic of ethics in sports media, I discussed a code of ethics set forth by the Society of Professional Journalists. The four main components of the code are as follows: seek truth and report it, minimize harm, act independently, and be accountable. While I believe these are important rules for all journalists to try to live by, things are not always so cut and dry in a field where the bottom line is often who gets the story first.
The main goal of the media is to appeal to the broadest audience possible. Of course the media also aims to inform the public about current events and issues, but sometimes they are willing to take shortcuts to get a jump on a story that will generate big headlines. The question is, at what point does a journalist’s or reporter’s actions cross the line from doing their job to acting unethically? This is not a question that is easily answered. Often times, journalists have to connect the dots to get a story they can publish. While the foundation usually is, or at least should be, based upon fact, some inferences are normally necessary to get a full story. For example, Selena Roberts recently wrote an article claiming that Lolo Jones was only awarded a spot on the US Olympic Bobsled team due to her star nature and sex appeal. She went so far as to say Jones is the ratings replacement for injured ski queen Lindsey Vonn. While this is clearly an opinion on the part of Roberts (she has no affiliation with the US Bobsled Federation), I still am not quite sure if it is fair of her to publish something potentially damaging to Jones. However, without Roberts’ opinion on the matter, there would be no story to be heard. So on the one hand, opinion is somewhat necessary, but it is not always fair. I believe it is okay to publish stories based heavily on conjecture, but people should not give these stories as much credence. The problem with that is people always want a story, and the media understands that controversy sells, so they will publish whatever story they can, no matter how loosely based on fact it is. The bottom line in my opinion is intention: if a journalist intends to inform factually and not stir controversy, then the job is being done correctly.
The article on the code of ethics in sports media clearly relates to this class in many ways. It relates to leadership, publishing, and certainly public relations. Content providers strive to be leaders in the society we live in, and understanding the ethical way to go about providing content is certainly helpful.
