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Customer LoginsAutomotive Super Bowl advertising in 2017 goes beyond the game
The 2017 National Football League Super Bowl takes place on 5 February 2017. In 2016, the annual game had 112.2 million viewers, the third-highest figure in 50 years. For 2017, automakers continue to have a strong presence, although several are also finding creative ways to expand the impact beyond game day.
IHS Markit Perspective:
- Significance:Automakers will again offer a strong advertisement presence at the biggest football game of the year in the United States, the National Football League's (NFL's) championship Super Bowl game. The 2017 game is the 51st event in the series. In 2017, however, several automakers are finding creative ways to deliver advertising content and connect past the game itself.
- Implications:The Super Bowl is consistently one of the most-watched single programmes in the world. Over the years, advertisements have become increasingly expensive, used for significant brand-building efforts or to launch all-new products.
- Outlook:With Super Bowl LI (51), IHS Automotive predicts increased efforts from automakers to tie their advertisements associated with the game to other marketing efforts and mediums. While the US light-vehicle market is forecast to remain above 17.0 million units for several years, the market is predicted to grow more slowly and to even contract in some years, intensifying competition within a mature market. At the same time, social media and other available communications platforms continue to grow, creating clutter and making it harder to find a "go to" method for getting customers' attention.
In the United States, the National Football League (NFL) calls its annual championship game the Super Bowl. On 5 February 2017, Super Bowl LI will commence. With a massive television audience over the years, the advertisements have become nearly as popular as the game itself, and automakers have played along to various degrees over the years. The advertising has become a show itself and many automakers have already shared the gist of their plans and, in some cases, the advertisements themselves.
Audi
Audi has announced its ninth appearance in the rotation of Super Bowl advertising. Audi's advertisement will touch on the expectation that buyers today, particularly millennials, are looking to buy from companies that have messages beyond their products. For Audi's Super Bowl LI, the company is presenting an advertisement called "Daughter", which Audi intends to build on its #DriveProgress conversation. In the advertisement, a father is watching his daughter competing in a downhill cart race, contemplating her future.
According to an Audi statement, "Audi of America is committed to supporting pay equality, inclusivity, and the growth and development of all employees. The company has publicly pledged to support the ongoing commitment to women's pay equality in the workplace and foster a work environment that drives equality for all employees." The advertisement also highlights the all-new 2018-model-year Audi S5 Sportback Prestige, which goes on sale in the second quarter of 2017.
Buick
Buick is returning in 2017, having only joined the Super Bowl advertising game in 2016, with a second advertisement featuring a football player and a supermodel. The advert follows the same theme as last year and furthers the brand's efforts to reset expectations about its vehicle lineup. In 2017, the advertisement will feature both the Buick Encore and the Cascada. Supporting the Super Bowl placement, Buick will show advertisements through Instagram's Stories platform - which allows users to post photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours; Automotive News reports an Instagram claim that 150 million people per day are using Stories. Buick was one of the first companies to run ads in Stories, which Instagram opened to advertising in January 2017. Buick will run Instagram Stories' advertisements through 7 February.
Ford
Ford's 2017 Super Bowl advertisement is its first since 2004 and focuses on the company's efforts to rebuild its image from an automotive company to a mobility company. The advertisement shows people getting stuck in various situations before getting out, and highlights Ford's current and future services including electric vehicles, bike sharing, ride sharing, and self-driving cars. In terms of vehicles, the Ford F-150 and GT are highlighted. The 90-second advertisement will be shown before kickoff, when the company expects maximum exposure. The advertisement is about rebranding Ford and changing perceptions of the company more than about selling cars - overall, it is a fairly conventional approach.
Honda
Honda's 2017 Super Bowl LI advertisement will feature the all-new 2017-model-year CR-V - 20 years after the first-generation CR-V advertisement appeared at a Super Bowl event. In addition to a game-day advertisement that uses photos of celebrities from their high-school years, Honda is teaming up with a company called Tasty and Amazon's Prime Now. According to a Honda release, "The upgrade presented by Honda" features "game-inspired" recipes developed in partnership with Tasty - fans can click through the website to order the ingredients for the recipes through Prime Now. The Prime Now delivery service will provide a free one-hour delivery of the ingredients in a Honda CR-V. The opportunity will be available from 30 January through 5 February. Honda's unique way of getting its new product out will continue with its future holiday tie-ups, including returning for Valentine's Day (14 February). The "upgrade presented by Honda" recipes and videos will be featured on several social media platforms, including Buzzfeed.com/Tasty, Facebook, Snapchat, and Pinterest. Once fans click through the website, they will land on a custom Amazon page with content about the programme, the CR-V, and shopping opportunities for holiday themed décor. While a complex programme, the opportunity here is to bind the CR-V brand and Honda with online shoppers.
Hyundai
Hyundai is taking the unusual course of filming and editing its Super Bowl LI advertisement during the game itself. The advertisement will run after the game but before the trophy is awarded to the winner. The brand says it will "film a 90-second documentary during the game that will capture some of the best off-the-field Super Bowl moments". Hyundai has delivered Super Bowl advertisements in 9 of the last 10 events. Hyundai is in its second year as an official NFL sponsor and official car and sport utility vehicle (SUV) of the league. Hyundai's approach is unique and it will offer on-site activations in which fans at the game will be offered interactive content about innovation.
Kia
Kia released a 15-second teaser to preview its advertisement for the Super Bowl LI and then debuted the advertisement on its chat bot called, "Niro Bot" through Facebook Messenger. The hybrid utility vehicle is Kia's most significant launch product for the first half of 2017. Kia has been a strong contributor to Super Bowl advertising throughout the decade, with eight consecutive appearances. According to Ad Age, Kia launched its Niro Bot in November 2016, which enables people to get information and have questions answered in real time. Kia says it is among the first automakers to use a chat bot, a form of communication emerging in response to data suggesting people spend more time in messaging applications than on social media outlets. Chat bots use computers to answer consumer queries. Kia has been at the leading edge of the chat bot phenomenon, introducing a Niro Bot to support the launch of its first hybrid SUV. It is maintaining its forward-looking image by leveraging the Niro Bot to tease out its new Niro Super Bowl LI advert. Michael Sprague, COO and executive vice-president of Kia Motors America, said in a statement announcing Super Bowl commercial plans, "With its advanced technology and tremendous efficiency, the Niro sets a new standard in the market, and being the first bot for Messenger to debut a Super Bowl ad[vertisement] reinforces the idea that our newest crossover is like nothing consumers have ever seen before." The advertisement will run in the third quarter of the football game..
Lexus
Lexus, which last advertised during the game in 2015, is approaching the Super Bowl from a traditional standpoint. The advertisement has the job of introducing Lexus's new tagline, "Experience Amazing". The advertisement selects a hip dance performer, backed by an energetic song and narrated by the film star Minnie Driver. The advertisement will highlight the LC and the LS and is also intended to help nudge the brand's image in a new direction. "Lexus's newest models reaffirm the brand's performance, engineering, design, and craftsmanship prowess. The LC and the LS were built from the ground up to satisfy the most demanding and discerning luxury buyers, and reflect a brand ethos that aligns with the world's best luxury lifestyle brands," Brian Bolain, Lexus's general manager, said in a statement.
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz' presence on the Super Bowl LI is also traditional, although the campaign will go beyond the big screen to include extended-cut and behind-the-scenes footage to be distributed online and four teasers. Its full advertisement will be shown in the fourth quarter. The company is highlighting its AMG sub-brand and the first 50 years of AMG with an advertisement presenting the Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster. Mercedes has worked with directors Joel and Ethan Coen to develop an advertisement that pays homage to the movie Easy Rider and features that film's star Peter Fonda. While Mercedes is tapping into the various platforms that social media offers for sharing the message, the overall approach is more conservative than Kia's use of the Niro Bot or Audi's efforts at social messaging.
Toyota
Rather than running national Super Bowl advertisements, Toyota will run regional advertisements supporting the Mirai fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) in Los Angeles and San Francisco, California. The advertisement predictably focuses on the vehicle's efficiency. After the Super Bowl, Toyota will launch a Mirai campaign, which will run through July 2017. According to an Automotive News report, Toyota's participation, even regionally, was a last-minute decision. In 2016, Toyota offered a clever Prius advertisement.
Outlook and implications
Automotive advertisements are not new to the Super Bowl, although IHS Automotive is expecting increased efforts from automakers to tie their Super Bowl advertising activity to other marketing efforts and mediums. While the US light-vehicle market is forecast to remain above 17.0 million units for several years, it is forecast to post slower growth and contraction in some years, leading to a more competitive sales environment within a mature market. At the same time, social media and other available communication platforms continue to grow, creating clutter and making it harder to find a "go to" method for gaining customers' attention and getting advertising and brand messages out in a way that connects with target buyers.
Examples of the inventive uses of multi-platform strategies include Honda's Super Bowl-related tie-up with an Amazon Prime service for food delivery, while Audi is addressing social issues as well as introducing a new car, Buick is leveraging Instagram's Stories platform, Kia is launching its advertisement through its Niro Bot, and Hyundai will have its commercial filmed and edited at the game itself.
Companies such as Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, and Toyota are taking a more traditional approach. While they will undoubtedly offer strong, clever, and creative advertising, they are following the usual approach of teasing out a standard car or brand commercial.
About this article
The above article is from IHS Automotive Same-Day Analysis of automotive news, events and trends, and is a deliverable of the World Markets Automotive Service. The service averages thirty stories per day and also provides competitor and country intelligence. Get a free trial.