Why My Favorite Super Bowl 2021 Ad Is Not A TV Ad
When life gives you lemons, you make a partnership with one of the top Instagram influencers in the world.
Dude With Sign for Seltzer Lemonade at the 2021 Super Bowl
I am a bit late to the game to publish this post.
It was on my to-do list.
I wanted to talk about it in my blog because it is different, simple, relevant, and effective.
I hope we will see more of this type of brand activation in the future.
I watched all the Super Bowl LV TV commercials.
One of the remarkable things about the Super Bowl LV TV commercials is that despite their hefty price tag of $5M+ for a 30-second spot, only a few are remarkable, let alone memorable.
But then, something remarkable happened.
When I saw everyone’s favorite overused meme Dude With Sign appeared in the crowd at the Super Bowl during a game as part of a paid partnership with Seltzer Lemonade by Bud Light, I went: “Man, this is brilliant!”.
I wasn’t the only one to share the same feeling. People on Twitter lost their fucking minds too.
In case you are one of the few who doesn’t know him, Dude With Sign is Seth Phillips, a journalist and content creator known for holding a cardboard sign with a simple protest against common, everyday, relatable issues on Instagram.
He is also associated with Fuck Jerry (of Fyre Festival fame). The @dudewithsign Instagram account has grown past the 7.5 million followers into a brand that does sponsorships with brands like Old Spice, SAXX Underwear, and most recently Budweiser.
I can help with your social media marketing strategy.
This example shows the power of influencer marketing done right and how much ROI you can get from unexpected collaborations with complementary brands to stay relevant and be essential to today’s customers.
It also demonstrates that you don’t need to spend a shit load of money on TV advertising to reach millions of people with a commercial that does very little to your brand.
It is often when you work within the constraints of a “relatively small budget” that you come up with creative and original ways to connect with your audience that make sense and that have the potential to generate a massive impact in terms of reach and sales.
The takeaway: Make original acts, not ads.
Bastien Frediani
LinkedIn: in/creativebrandstrategist
Email: strategy@thinkbastien.com
Bastien Frediani is the founder and strategist of ThinkBastien, a strategy consultancy helping businesses achieve significant growth with brand and digital marketing.
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