Marketing Communications and Promotions Management T2 2020.
Case Study Synopsis.
The one day a year when consumers not only tolerate but eagerly anticipate ads is during the NFL’s Super Bowl. In sharp contrast to their behaviour on the other 364 days of the year, consumers watch an average of 89 commercials per Super Bowl game for an average of 46 minutes. Why are consumers willing to spend 3.5x more time watching commercials on the Super Bowl than on any other day of the year? Perhaps because they have come to expect the best, most creative, most engaging storytelling of the year from advertisers. With one out of every three Americans glued to the game, advertisers know they have a captive audience and they go to great lengths to stand out in what is somewhat akin to a battle of the brands. However, at a cost of more than $5 million for a 30-second spot, is Super Bowl advertising worth it? Which types of Super Bowl stories are more and less likely to “win” on the Super Bowl?
QUESTIONS
Watch Jeep’s 2020 “Groundhog Day” (GD) ad starring American actor and comedian Bill Murray. Note that February 2 is known as Groundhog Day in the US. It was also the date of the 2020 Super Bowl. This Jeep’s GD ad was the highest rated ad in the 2020 USA Today Ad Meter. You can find the ad via:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/Ad-Meter/2020/02/03/jeeps-groundhog-day-ad-commercial-bill-murray-wins-ad-meter/4643140002/
or the video located at Assessment Details/24-hour Case Study Report (30%) on Moodle.
Use provided readings1 and relevant marketing communications and promotions theories, concepts, and frameworks to assist you in answering the below questions:
1. How would you outline the story in the GD ad?
a. What is the plot (e.g. rebirth, comedy, etc.)?
b. What is the conflict/challenge?
c. Who are the characters (e.g. the hero, the creator, the trickster, etc.)?
d. What is the moral/message?
[Hint: see pages 3-4 of the case study, Reading A, Reading B, and Appendix 1 on page 3 of this document]
1 Reading A and Reading B are located at Assessment Details/25-hour Case Study Report (30%) on Moodle. Below are references for Reading A and Reading B.
Kılıç, F., & Yolbulan Okan, E. (2020). Storytelling and narrative tools in award-winning advertisements in Turkey: an interdisciplinary approach. Journal of Marketing Communications, 1-16.
Mark, B. (2008). Human Motivation, Brand Meaning, New York: Routledge, 34-47.
Page 2 of 3
2. Table 1 describe a decision-making process of how consumer progress from high level of brand awareness to purchase and then loyalty. Discuss what part of the decision-making process is the GD ad trying to influence?
Table 1 – Consumer decision-making process
3. According to Exhibit 5 in the case study, the CPM for a Super Bowl ad is $45 vs. $11 for Facebook, $16 for a national cable network, and $6 for Instagram. Is Super Bowl advertising a good or bad investment? Explain why?
[Hint: what makes the Super Bowl a unique media platform and consider its performance on metrics such as reach and impact]
4. Are there certain types of brands or product categories that Super Bowl advertising is good for? Bad for? Explain why?
[Hint: brands with rational appeals vs. brands with emotional appeals; high involvement product vs. low involvement products]
Note:
See the Brief of Case Study Report at Assessment Details/24-hour Case Study Report (30%) on Moodle for general Instructions and Marking Rubric.
When answering the questions, you may refer to additional material if you wish to do so. You should focus on demonstrating the breadth and depth of your MARK2053-specific knowledge, as taught in Trimester 2, 2020.
Rags to riches
Rising from the ashes. At the beginning the protagonist (the consumer, the brand) is insignificant and dismissed by others, but something happens to elevate it, revealing it to be exceptional. Brands will often leverage their own story, or even a founder’s story, within this theme.
Rebirth
Brands telling stories of renewal describe situations in which an important event forces the main character to change their ways, often making them a better person.
The quest
A mission from point A to point B. The quest is about progression. A protagonist sets out to acquire an important object or to get to a location, facing many obstacles and temptations along the way.
Overcoming the monster
There is an evil force threatening the protagonist who has to fight to overcome it. A brand using this plot makes the customer the hero, or the brand becomes the tool or weapon to overcome the monster.
Tragedy
A story without a happy ending, which revolves around the dark side of humanity and the futile nature of human experience. It relies on a tragic flaw, moral weakness and/or deep suffering.
Comedy
A story with a happy or cheerful ending, in which the central motif is triumph over adverse circumstances, resulting in a successful or happy conclusion.
Voyage and return
The protagonist goes to a strange land and, after overcoming the threats posed to him or her, returns with nothing but experience. This represents the progression from naivety to wisdom.
