Last night’s Super Bowl between the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks wasn’t very competitive on the field, but businesses were competing for customers through commercials that cost $4 million for a 30-second spot.
The Super Bowl is the biggest stage for businesses large and small to have the opportunity to establish a brand identity and start a discussion, as the advertisements have become as enticing as the actual game, for most casual fans.

However, in addition to the on-air commercials, hundreds of brands turned to social media in order to engage with customers.

Using data from Hashtags.org, we found that 45 Super Bowl commercials (of 81) had a hashtag displayed. 47 of the 81 commercials had some sort of call to action through social media.

So what did we learn from last night’s Super Bowl Commercials?

Create a Platform For Discussion

Every Monday following the Super Bowl, the commercials are generally the hot topic of discussion. Co-workers gather around the water cooler discussing which advertisements were their favorites, the worst, the strangest, etc.
It’s not just enough for a business to put out a commercial during the Super Bowl anymore, as each year brands are developing more unique ways to capture viewers’ attention. Now, the importance isn’t pushing a specific prouct—it’s separating your brand from the hundreds of others pushing a similar message.

What Worked?

JCPenney’s “Tweeting With Mittens Campaign” Good or Bad?

JCPenney didn’t have an on-air advertisement during the Super Bowl, but they generated a huge interest and got people talking, with their “Tweet With Mittens” campaign that was intended to promote their “Go” mittens.

Last night’s Super Bowl between the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks wasn’t very competitive on the field, but businesses were competing for customers through commercials that cost $4 million for a 30-second spot.

The Super Bowl is the biggest stage for businesses large and small to have the opportunity to establish a brand identity and start a discussion, as the advertisements have become as enticing as the actual game, for most casual fans.

Who kkmew theis was ghiong tob e a baweball ghamle. #lowsscorinh 5_0

— JCPenney (@jcpenney) February 2, 2014

Toughdown Seadawks!! Is sSeattle going toa runaway wit h this???

— JCPenney (@jcpenney) February 3, 2014

JCPenney randomly started sending tweets like these above, which led to 43,000 retweets, with many tweeters questioning the sobriety of the social media manager.

Several brands saw an opportunity to take jabs at JCPenney, while pushing their own products as well.

.@JCPenney We know football goes great with Coors Light, but please tweet responsibly.

— Coors Light (@CoorsLight) February 3, 2014

Kia has since deleted the tweet, but both brands found a great opportunity to make viewers laugh at the expense of JCPenney.

Whether you believe that JCPenney’s tactic was intelligent or not, there’s no denying the fact that they started a discussion that subsquently went viral.

Coca-Cola’s “America The Beautiful”

Coca-Cola aired a minute-long advertisement featuring people of various races and ethnicities engaging in various “American” activities with “America The Beautiful” playing in the background, as a tribute to the diversity of cultures in the country. The commercial ignited a huge debate on social media platforms and was one of the highest-searched ads today, generating 325,000+ YouTube views as of right now.

The commercial was criticized and complimented by viewers, but there was one common theme in that discussion: Coca-Cola was at the center of it.

Common Themes Of Super Bowl Commercials

Of the 45 commercials that used a hashtag, only 13 of those mentioned the actual brand in those hashtags.
Businesses got people engaged in a discussion, but didn’t use it to center around a specific brand. Similarly, many of the commercials for products didn’t feature any actual product information.

The common theme found throughout the 81 total commercials was an establishment of brand identity over pushing the sale of a specific product. Companies realized that just generating a conversation was an important part of converting sales.

Campaign To Keep an Eye On

Esurance, a car insurance company struck social media gold last night. Following the Super Bowl they aired a commercial announcing a contest to win $1.5 million, the amount of money they saved by airing an advertisement after the game, instead of during it. The only rules were that participants had to follow the @esurance Twitter account and tweet with the hashtag #EsuranceSaves30

The campaign went viral immediately, with 3.1 million tweets being sent that featured the hashtag. ESurance has millions of people discussing their brand, but it will be interesting to see how the company uses the momentum gained from their campaign after the contest is over.