The Super Bowl will be streamed live in 2013. A marketing nirvana.

by Tony Fannin, CEO/Partner, BE Branded  |

With the 2012 Super Bowl coming upon us, the NFL recently made an announcement that the 2013 Super Bowl will be streamed via NBC’s web site and Verizon. The NFL has been streaming the Sunday Night Football edition in recent years to see how the technology will work and what kind of audience they can attract. Obviously, it has shown enough promise for them to commit to live streaming of their crown jewel, the Super Bowl.

This should provide advertisers more opportunity to engage and involve the football audience. Streaming is a natural fit for the Super Bowl because, in essence, it is not a game, but a social event. It was social before social media. The Super Bowl has extended it’s marketing power by reaching way beyond the game and has become a social event. It is this concept that all brands should strive to become. Football is the commodity, bringing people together for a fun social event is the real value of brand Super Bowl.

Smart marketers should take this golden opportunity to blend what is called “Math and Magic”. The Math is the digital platform that provides and delivers the user experience and real time data. The Magic is the creative approach to media that makes it so fun and appealing that people will be drawn to it. Math without Magic is like serving up mass banner ads, “spray and pray”. Magic without Math may be cool, but won’t provide the platform and data that turns a funny video into bottom line dollars. Both are needed. It has been said, “Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I will remember. Involve me and I will understand.” The winners will be those marketers who blend Math and Magic to involve the viewers and create a fantastic user experience.

This will also be one of those all too rare cases where the brand and platform are made for each other. The platform is the perfect expression for the brand. A social brand linking up with a social media channel. It is now up to the advertisers to be just as smart and creative on how they will take advantage of this great opportunity. To take full advantage of this platform and brand, marketers need to be very disciplined in staying true to their core brand while unleashing the creative possibilities to engage and thrill.

Now, a word from your local sponsors.

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