Chip Rich: To Leak or Not to Leak?

With just two days to go to the big event and pre-game teasers galore, Chip Rich, group creative director at Lowe Campbell Ewald and the man behind last year’s Got Milk? ad starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, ponders how the approach has changed for the advertiser with the risk and temptation of a gamble ever-present.

Premature panic

It used to be that Super Bowl commercials were closely guarded secrets. The thought of leaking them early was outrageous. If you did that, what was the point of buying a Super Bowl ad in the first place? It spoiled the fun.

Plus, that was the era when there was only a short window to enjoy the commercial - 30 or 60 seconds to be exact - because it only ran once. So everyone was pinned to their seats, not wanting to miss the best commercials so they could talk about them at the water cooler the next day.

But this was back before water coolers were replaced by water bottles. And it was also before YouTube, which ushered in instant replay for Super Bowl spots, so people who didn’t even watch the game could watch all the commercials before work the next morning. Of course, brands loved this because they got more mileage out of their gargantuan investment.

Feeling the Force

But a few years ago, the Volkswagen Darth Vader spot [The Force] took things to a whole new level. It became a huge hit and was everyone’s favourite Super Bowl commercial BEFORE the Super Bowl even took place.

By kick-off, everyone had already seen it and loved it. Millions of people looked forward to their favourite Super Bowl commercial coming on during the game, rooting for it like fans for their favourite team. It maximised VW’s investment before, during, and after the game. Not to mention the fact that they released a 60 second version early and then ran a 30 on game day, saving millions. It was amazingly successful, and of course could only happen because the spot was so good.

Game plans

Since then, many brands have tried to replicate this strategy, and with good reason. Releasing a spot early can build momentum and get a brand media press prior to the game, with the hope of winning a viral fan base and enough attention to ensure its inclusion on all the Top 10 lists. But it’s no guarantee, and some would say, it still spoils the fun. After all, plastic water bottles are now being replaced by water coolers again, and many people want to be surprised on game day.

Some brands will decide to give a sneak peek and build fans prior to the game (which, by the way, requires a buttoned-up social strategy and search investment all on its own), and some brands will hold their cards close until during the game, hoping to breakthrough the familiar and stand out from the crowd. Still, others will play both sides, leaking one spot and holding another back as a surprise.

Chancing it

The Force was gutsy at the time because it put all its cards on the table before the game even aired. It preempted the show and ended up stealing it. But now, as more and more brands try to maximise their investment by following suit, it doesn’t seem as fresh and surprising to get a sneak peek of a Super Bowl commercial prior to the game. And no one wants to watch a bunch of re-run commercials.

Today, the gutsy thing for a brand to do is the most straightforward thing: to buy a Super Bowl spot and debut it during the game, so people can talk about it the next day at the water cooler.

Sounds pretty simple, but it isn’t. Because it’s not enough to just buy the space. You’ve got to make something worth talking about.