How Broderick's Bueller Can Deliver Your Business Super Bowl Buzz Curious how to take advantage of the pre-game buzz? Consider newsjacking or hosting a promotional tie-in.
By Tyson Goodridge •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
This year, there is plenty of pre-game buzz about the Super Bowl ads right? You're nodding your head, saying "Yep, I've seen the Seinfeld and the Acura commercial, Matthew Broderick and Honda, and of course the continuation of Volkswagen's 'Star Wars' theme."
These big brands have deep pockets to create impactful, creative and fun ads. And you, as an entrepreneur, don't.
But with a little creative thinking and some savvy use of social media, you too can get some attention -- and generate a little buzz about your own product or service. How? You're going to newsjack the Super Bowl.
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What? That's right, you're going to follow the online buzz about all of the advertisements; piggy back on a brand's funny/witty advertisement and tell your own story.
Here's your newsjacking guide in three easy steps:
Step 1: Head over to Brand Bowl, a project organized by a Boston ad agency and presented on Boston.com, and start monitoring the pre-game, social-media buzz. Log in to your Twitter account and set up a search for #brandbowl to get a feel for what's happening the next few days.
Step 2: Quickly read David Meerman Scott's 30-minute book, Newsjacking, and learn the basics of Newsjacking. If you don't have time, here is the gist:
Monitor Google news and social media -- looking for ways to tie a product pitch/stunt/announcement to breaking news. Here are some examples of successful newsjacking incidents.
- Oakley provides their Sunglasses to the 33 Chilean Miners as they emerge from the mine.
- Kate Winslet saves Richard Branson's 90-year-old mother from a fire, and the London Fire Brigade offers to train Kate Winslet as a firefighter.
- Paris Hilton gets arrested in Las Vegas. A savvy PR person from Wynn Resorts immediately issues a press statement banning Paris Hilton from the company's properties on the Las Vegas Strip.
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Step 3: Get Creative. There's plenty of buzz already around the Super Bowl, so why not try the following? (Note: It may help to quickly look at the videos referenced above.)
- The current hashtag for the Matthew Broderick/Honda CR-V commercial is #dayoff. If you're a local spa, offer a 20 percent discount to anyone who comes in your store and mentions the hashtag #dayoff. Or simply add that as a discount code if you offer online products or services.
- Volkswagen is using dogs and "Star Wars" as their theme this year. If you're a pet store, why not offer a discount to anyone who hums the theme to the movie? Or give away "Star Wars" figures for every $50 worth of merchandise sold?
- Toyota Camry is using the word #reinvented as a gateway to discussing their new car. If you're a gym or health club, you could have some fun with this one.
- The Seinfeld/Acura advertisement features the Soup Nazi. If you're a local restaurant or Deli, get creative with a new soup on Monday.
How is your business taking advantage of the Super Bowl? Leave a comment and let us know.
