The Public Relations Blog

Are you ready for some football (or the ads)?

The Super Bowl is fraught with traditions: adult beverages, hot wings and viewers gripped by an exciting football game and intricately woven-in advertisements.

Most of us have our list of favorite commercials, yet corporations don’t spend millions on creative ads simply for the sake of being creative. They want their messaging contained within the ads to stand out equally as strong.

The Super Bowl is the Holy Grail of advertising. But membership to this elite club costs north of $5 million per 30-second commercial. And that is some serious capital.

What if your business can’t afford such a significant investment? The answer, quite simply, is to invest your money wisely in other forms of public relations and marketing.

Since 1989, USA Today has tallied the top-ranked Super Bowl commercials through its Ad Meter ranking system.

This approach combines results from a privately selected panel and feedback obtained through social media to determine commercial rank.

As we gear up for Super Bowl Sunday, here’s a brief look at the top three Super Bowl ads and what made them so memorable.

Nearly a year ago, business executives began hatching plans to invest millions of dollars in single advertisements to air during Super Bowl 50.

As we turn the calendar to 2016, there are four things we’re very excited to share with you.

December 2015

Estimated Reading Time: 60 Seconds

Incorporate remarkability, good SEO practices into business strategy

By definition, the best way to set yourself apart from your competition is to be remarkable, so make a point of it. Proper search engine optimization will ensure that your website ranks well on Google so that potential customers can find you. It’s time for your company to say “goodbye” to 2015 and “hello” to a remarkable new strategy for success.

You won’t win true customer loyalty with flashing lights and shiny objects; your values and your brand identity are what will attract and retain consumers long-term. Keep an eye on the next generation’s habits and favored platforms in order to better connect with them. You don’t have to look far to find templates to model your business’ success after.

Instead of being irritating with ads, connect emotionally with consumers

Internet users are tired of seeing your ads; it’s time for a new approach. Reaching consumers on an emotional and personal level will keep you fresh in their minds and set you apart from your competition. The best way to forge a deep connection is to laser-target your messages to specific audiences. Don’t worry if you’re not at the technological forefront of your field; as long as you make positive and memorable impressions on consumers, you can still lead the pack.

This is one story in our series on how you can save money with a PR firm. Read about fourteen ways you can save with a PR firm as well.

Saving money is important, and you don’t have to sacrifice results to do it

I recently wrote an expert column for bizjournals.com and its network of 43 print and online business journals across the U.S. about how American companies can save money on their PR agency bills. These tips are very popular and I wanted to share a few more to provide additional special value for our blog readers.

In the world of art, every picture tells a story. In the world of business, every company has a story to tell. Successful companies know how to distill their narratives into compelling, brand-defining messages as artfully as a master storyteller.

In the crowded marketplace, companies that enlist the help of PR pros to strategically craft their messages increase their chances of standing out among competitors. But it’s not enough to print these key messages on marketing materials and publish them on web sites.