Going viral ‘not enough to secure long-term brand impact’

TNS analysed 2.6 million Super Bowl tweets; half a million tweets that mentioned ads specifically over several days before and after Super Bowl Sunday; as well as interviewing viewers to consider the memorability and long-term impact of the campaigns.

It found that while Budweiser’s ‘Lost Dog’ ad was the most successful campaign with regard to share of mentions online ( 26%) and share of retweets ( 69%), it achieved a poor score on personal relevance which, according to TNS, meant it failed to translate to memory, and ultimately value for the brand.

“There can be no argument that Budweiser soared beyond its rivals on the Super Bowl social media battlefield,” said Bob Burgoyne, global product development director, Social, at TNS. “Many brands can only long for the level of online penetration they enjoyed. Nevertheless, their Lost Puppy advertisement is testimony to the point that going viral is not enough to secure long-term brand impact.
 
“Whilst Budweiser successfully created considerable noise about the advert before it aired and produced a concept that went viral, the product itself only featured towards the end of the prime Super Bowl spot, making the beer barely noticeable among the puppies.”