The blog post discusses lessons that companies can learn from the success of the Super Bowl by providing 5 key points: 1) Give customers great value for their money like the expensive yet highly effective Super Bowl ads. 2) Employ creativity in marketing and branding as seen in the memorable Super Bowl halftime shows and ads. 3) Focus on being the best at one thing to stand out from competitors. 4) Host exclusive parties and events to generate buzz around a product. 5) Maintain a fun work culture for increased employee engagement and creativity.

1. Product
About
FAQ
Blog
Contact
Blog
CATEGORIES
New Features
News
Events
Tips & Tricks
ARCHIVES
January 2014 (5)
December 2013 (7)
November 2013 (7)
October 2013 (1)
September 2013 (1)
View original image size
31
Jan
Lessons You and Your Company Can Learn from the
Super Bowl
8
Like
2
tumblr
0
0
0
11
If the Super Bowl was a single company, it would likely be ranked amongst the
world's most successful ones. The annual event is the championship game of the
National Football League (NFL), the highest level of professional American Football
in the United States. It is one of the largest television events as well. In fact, the
three most watched TV broadcasts in U.S. history, in order, were Super Bowls XLVI
(Giants beat the Patriots), XLV (Packers beat the Steelers) and XLVII (Ravens beat
the49ers) - each broadcast had over 100 million U.S. viewers.
There is so much attention paid to the game that 30-second commercials now
command $4 million, which is equal to $133,333 per second, and Super Bowl halftime show now features some of the biggest acts in music. It has become a much
talked about moment each year. The most watched Super Bowl in history was Super
Bowl XLVI (Giants vs. Patriots), which had an average total viewership (in the U.S.)
of 111.3M.
To be one of the final two teams on Super Bowl Sunday takes hard work, and a
level of skill that can only be acheived through years of dedication and practice.
Running a successful Super Bowl involves more than just the football and requires
a full year of planning for logistics, promotion, etc. Americans share a sense of
unified excitement that day which is unparalleled, and as a package, the game and

2. the event present a great success story.
You want your company, service and/or product to inspire the same kind of
excitement and devotion. You want to win the audience and keep them coming
back time and time again. Here are some lessons we've learned from the Super
Bowl which can undoubtedly be applied to your company.
1. Value is important
It is incredibly important to give people great value for their money. A customer
who gets value is going to not only likely to become a repeat customer but he or
she is likely to tell their friends about your product or service. A chance to have an
ad air during the Super Bowl costs in the region of US$4-million and those ads can
cost even more to produce. Think about the benefits though - the ads air to
hundreds of millions of super engaged people (people are often as excited about
the ads as they are for the game), and media publications such as Ad Age start
discussing the ads for weeks prior to the Super Bowl and for weeks after as well.
Thus, paying 4 million for a "30 second" slot in reality keeps your brand prominent
for up to a month. This return on investment is the reason companies are willing to
pay top dollar for a Super Bowl ad slot.
2. Creativity is king
The Super Bowl has become an international event that is almost second to none.
In addition to the football itself, there are numerous parties are thrown around it,
the ads are hotly anticipated (one of the rare times that viewers will not change the
channels when the ads come on), and the halftime show is possibly one the most
looked forward to periods. Each year the artists performing work with their set
design to create truly memorable performances. They rework songs and put
tremendous amounts of effort into delivering a performance that will light up the
airwaves. The advertisers follow a similar approach. Many companies save their
best ad campaigns for the Super Bowl. They employ the most clever work, and it
pays off. Every year, this commitment to creativity has led to the Halftime show and
the ads being discussed almost as much as the game. Even people who dislike the
sport often wind up watching for the ads and Halftime show. Be creative with your
product, your features or your branding and people will be sure to appreciate it.
3. Be the "The" of something. Be Indispensable, Be Unique
Kevin Plank, the founder and CEO of Under Armour, shared the importance of being
the "The" of something: The Fastest Courier Service, The Streaming Movie Service
with the Biggest Selection, The Guitars with the Thinnest Necks, The Cars with the
Best Brakes, or in his case, The Best Performance Athletic Shirt. Being very focused
on being "the" of something puts everything else secondary to your mission. For us,
we want to be The Best Software Secure File Access and File Sharing. Nothing else
matters - even though we have the brains and skills to pull other things off that
might make money too. Just imagine a Jets game without Brett Favre. You want
your product and service to be indispensable and you want it to be at the forefront
of your customers' minds when they encounter whatever problem it is that your
product solves. Spend some time and think of what it is your product does better
than anyone else on the market. Discover your strengths and play them up.
4. Tailgate Parties
Hosting a low-cost, unofficial, guerrilla marketed, gotta-know-someone to get in
event at any trade show, social gathering or conference can get your startup more
buzz and valuable connections than registration fees, a booth and all the expensive
swag in the world. Think of SXSW, one of the world's premier media showcases.
Held in Austin, Texas every year, the event attracts some of the world's most
talented musicians, filmmakers and digital companies. The events that are always

3. the most hyped are the "secret" shows played by bands at venues/timeslots known
only to a select few. Same applies to Superbowl tailgate parties. People are always
looking for the best party and everyone loves to be the friend who is "in the know"
and can take their friends to the hottest/most exclusive events. At your next
conference, try hosting a party with a special guest and be elusive with the details.
Release information to a select few people and let their network take care of the
rest. This is one of the easiest ways to let the hype build up - leveraging of demand
and supply.
5. Have Fun.
Pursue what is fun and you'll unleash more energy than anything else. Employ that
same logic with your employees. Keeping work fun is the best way to get
adrenaline and endorphins flowing. Both are highly conducive to creativity. Google
doesn't have ball pools and giant slides just for aesthetics. It makes fun a strong
component of its culture. This ensures that people can be light hearted and less
inhibited with their ideas. It's a good reminder for us to keep the opportunity in
perspective - and not get too caught up the work we have to do to achieve success.
This does not mean we shouldn't work hard though - it just means that we need to
balance. After all, we spend most of our weeks at work. Doing something in an
oppressive corporate culture will likely yield lower performance and results than a
company which has engaged employees who are excited to come to work.
Hopefully these tips come in handy. Happy game day!
8
Like
2
tumblr
0
0
0
11
Tags, Super Bowl, Seahawks, Broncos, XLVIII, Football, Pigskin, Startups,
Advertising, Creativity, File Sharing
© 2014 Qnext Corp. All rights reserved.