ReleaseWire

Guerrilla Marketers Ask: Do Super Bowl Advertisers Have More Money Than Brains

Understanding the ROI implications of buying into the Super Bowl or any other expensive sponsorship or media schedule is critical to all companies, large and small. As highlighted in Ron Geskey’s new book, “David vs. Goliath: Guerrilla Media Buying for Small Business, A New Way to Win”, increasing cost effectiveness will increase your Effective Share of Voice which should increase Your Share of Market.

Posted: Monday, November 05, 2007 at 3:05 PM CST

Rochester, MI -- (ReleaseWire) -- 11/05/2007 -- The Super Bowl is exciting to watch, debate, and bet on. The news media O.D. on it for weeks. It makes for spirited conversation at the water fountain as well as in board rooms. Some of the commercials are a hoot. But does all of that excitement translate to a cost effective investment which will pay out for guerilla marketers seeking sales and ROI? For small companies, the Super Bowl provides a template for what to watch for when considering any large marketing investment.

What are some of the more important ROI related considerations for whether to buy or not:

1. Make Sure You Understand the TOTAL Investment – For example, the Super Bowl’s time cost of $2.6 million per :30 is just the tip of the iceberg-- because most advertisers also spend millions more on commercial production, effects, celebrity talent, and promotion.

2. Understand that Audience Size is Not Related to ROI – Even though the Super Bowl is usually the highest rated program on television, research findings indicate that there is no relationship between rating size and advertising effectiveness.

3. Believe your Brain When it Tells You That a 500% Cost Premium Makes ROI Nearly Impossible – Get 5-6 times more quality exposure in other media for the same money.

4. But People Watch Super Bowl Commercials! - True, commercials have become a Super Bowl attraction but there is no evidence that they generate larger commercial audiences than alternative programs which command high viewer attention.

5. But Doesn’t the Excitement of Just Being in the Super Bowl Cause More Consumers to Purchase? Research says no. A lot of Super Bowl commercials are creative for creative sake; high commercial recall without a shift in brand purchasing intentions is a waste of stockholder dollars.

ABOUT “DAVID VS. GOLIATH”
“David vs. Goliath” is a new book especially for small/mid size business owners, entrepreneurs, and others who want to grow their business, but may lack the capital to “make over” the entire business—e.g., location, facility, merchandise, positioning, pricing strategy, etc. to better compete with much larger competitors. Instead, many small businesses can increase Share of Market and Profit by increasing their Share Voice-- by using and buying traditional and non traditional media more efficiently and effectively. “David vs. Goliath” teaches readers the basics of what they need to know to plan and buy media to realize 50-200% increases in effectiveness and ROI. http://www.amazon.com/David-vs-Goliath-Guerilla-Business/dp/0978511727

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ron Geskey, CEO of 2020:Marketing Communications LLC, has over 30 years of senior account and media management experience at Leo Burnett, D'Arcy, Campbell Ewald and General Motors R*Works. He has a masters degree from Southern Illinois University, doctoral work at Texas Tech, and professional education at Northwestern, Wharton, and MSU.