Ever hear of the Hashtag Bowl? It’s a contest of which social media sites see how many times they’re mentioned in Super Bowl ads.
Hastags were mentioned in 57% of all Super Bowl commercials that aired last night. Of the social media sites, Facebook was mention five times, Twitter four, and? You Tube three. The percentage of hashtags in Super Bowl ads have gone up. Social media sites Instagram and Google Plus weren’t mentioned at all, for what it’s worth. Hyundai and Subway had the most mentions. Budweiser had a lot. Nearly half of Super Bowl ads, 41% had a URL in them.
What’s to make of this Hashtag Bowl? It seems to me Instagram and Google Plus needs to step up it’s promotion skills. Speaking of You Tube, I saw many of these commercials on You Tube even before the Super Bowl. For instance, the Budweiser commercial that celebrated the soldier coming home: I saw that one on You Tube several times. It was a wonderful ad and message, but by last night, it already felt old to me. That’s my other point: don’t let social media spoil your Super Bowl ad. Keep these ads secret. We consumers love the element of surprise. And if you You Tube, Facebook, or Tweet your ad too much too early, you’re going to ruin that surprise. What did you think of last night’s commercials?