07 Feb Social Media Roundup: Super Bowl LII
The Super Bowl has always been the biggest event of the year for advertisers, but with the prominence of social media, brand involvement no longer stops when the commercials air. Social media is now a key part of the experience for brands and fans alike.
Here’s a roundup of what some of the biggest brands were doing during the big game this year.
NFL
The NFL’s commercial featuring Eli Manning and Odell Beckham, Jr. reenacting the final dance scene from Dirty Dancing had people retweeting and tweeting like crazy. In fact, I was watching the game at a bar in the heart of Philly, surrounded by rowdy Eagles fans, and it made such a good impression that everyone was cheering and laughing. It’s no easy feat to get us Eagles to like anything a division rival does, but the NFL somehow managed to.
For thirty teams, Super Bowl isn’t the end of the season – it’s the start of next season. Watch Eli, @OBJ_3, @TheHumble_21 and the @Giants O-line put in the work in our #SBLII commercial. https://t.co/QP6UducMYa
— NFL (@NFL) February 5, 2018
Ram Trucks
Ram was trending on Twitter during the Super Bowl because of their commercial, but not for the reason they would’ve hoped. Their ad featuring a Martin Luther King, Jr. speech as the voiceover was met with criticism and harsh words from many people. Sprout Social determined that around 81% of the 47,888 total tweets they received were negative. Ouch. They have since posted a tweet defending their commercial and speaking to the fact that they worked with King’s estate on it, but if you have to release a statement defending your ad, it probably shouldn’t have been made into an ad in the first place.
— Ram Trucks (@RamTrucks) February 5, 2018
Pepsi
Pepsi was named MVP of Twitter’s inaugural #BrandBowl52 for their :30 spot that received the highest percentage of all brand-related tweets. They cashed in on the nostalgia trend and got people talking. They also own the halftime show, so that clearly helped their popularity on the channel throughout the evening.
This is the Pepsi commercial that just played for 30 seconds during #SBLII…right before @jtimberlake killed it during #PepsiHalftime! Catch the extended version at https://t.co/GmZVrwGcnW pic.twitter.com/w7vejhHbsf
— Pepsi (@pepsi) February 1, 2018
Wendy’s
Wendy’s used their Super Bowl spot to continue trolling McDonald’s and their use of frozen beef, so unsurprisingly, Wendy’s social media presence during the game was similar. In true Wendy’s fashion, they were roasting McDonald’s and followers throughout the game. In their biggest tweet of the night, they asked McDonald’s if the live feed going out for 30 seconds was their doing. Followers ate it up and gave them almost 23,000 retweets. They spent the rest of the night interacting with followers and retweeting people who were promising a free Frosty to anyone that retweeted them. No word yet on if those people have paid up.
Y'all freeze that live feed?
— Wendy’s (@Wendys) February 5, 2018
There’s your quick roundup of what some of the biggest brands were up to during Super Bowl 52. Overall, most brands received positive mentions and had a fun time chatting with followers throughout the evening, but others (looking at you, Dodge Ram) spent their evening mitigating a PR disaster. Need help figuring out what your brand should do during events like the Super Bowl? Check out our blog or contact us today.
What was your favorite Super Bowl commercial this year? Let us know in the comments!
