More Companies Look To Engage Viewers On Second Screens During Super Bowl

Many companies are "trying to reach fans on all the 'second screens' they have," during Super Bowl XLVI , according to Mae Anderson of the AP. Chevrolet "rolled out the first Super Bowl smartphone app that allows Big Game watchers to enter a contest to win prizes." Kia is the "first company to show its Super Bowl ad ahead of the game in movie theaters," while Coca-Cola "set up a Facebook page and website so viewers can see its animated polar bears ... reacting to the game in real time." Coca-Cola North America Senior VP/Integrated Marketing Platforms & Content Pio Schunker: "The world is changing. We needed to come to the party with something new and different." Anderson noted to create buzz, it is "no longer enough for marketers to simply get people talking at the water cooler the morning after the game." 360i VP/Emerging Media David Berkowitz said that they also "want to engage the people who like reacting to big events like the Super Bowl by posting on Twitter or Facebook or texting their friends" (AP, 2/1). USA TODAY's Roger Yu notes "roughly 60% of Super Bowl viewers will use their phones during the game." An E*Trade survey indicated that "31% of viewers expect to use Facebook, and 6% will be on Twitter." Velti CMO Krishna Subramanian said, "This is the first year where you'll see fans using the cellphone more often than the remote" (USA TODAY, 2/3). Boston Univ. advertising professor Geoff Klapisch said for advertisers, interactive ads "extend their brand message." He added, "This is the only program on television that people are watching for the commercials. It’s very easy to grab your smartphone and pop in a hashtag and see where it takes you. So pay attention!" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/3).

NAME THAT SONG: In N.Y., Stuart Elliott noted some top advertisers -- including A-B, Best Buy, Cars.com, Walt Disney Co., Pepsico, Relativity Media and Teleflora -- "have made deals with Shazam Entertainment to offer viewers of commercials additional content through smartphones and tablets." Shazam execs said that "almost half the commercials in the Super Bowl on NBC will be Shazam-enabled, compared with only one in Super Bowl XLV last February." Shazam Entertainment has "signed up FedEx as a sponsor of the Shazam-centric elements of the Super Bowl." The sponsorship is "noteable because FedEx, once a Super Bowl ad stalwart, has not bought a commercial during the game since 2008" (NYTIMES.com, 2/2).

PREPARING FOR BATTLE: Fandango makes its Super Bowl debut Sunday as part of Universal Pictures' trailer for the upcoming move "Battleship." The end of the spot will feature a tag directing viewers to Fandango's mobile apps." Additionally, Fandango will run a 15-second "Battleship"-themed spot during pre-game that will alert viewers a "battle is coming" (Fandango).