• by Tobi Elkin  @tobielkin, February 3, 2017

Marketers and industry observers will be watching closely for the lessons they can pick up from Sunday’s Super Bowl of advertising. The game offers a high-profile opportunity to try out some real-time marketing tactics.

Tech-savvy brands are realizing the value in using real-time data. In order to leverage that data, they must create engaging messages and experiences for consumers, not simply advertising.

"Sophisticated brands are changing their messaging based on the geography. Most ads and sponsored posts can be geotargeted," Michael McMaster, VP of lead generation at JumpCrew, a customer acquisition marketing platform, told Real-Time Daily.   

"Geotargeted content provides brands the opportunity to serve different ads to the fans of the winning and losing teams. Brands can even take it a step further with updates during the game -- i.e., 'The Falcons can fly back and still beat Brady'," McMaster said.

He maintained that mixing real-time data with an emotional message increases a brand’s chance of resonating with its target audience. "Retail psychology shows our desire to express our identity through our clothes, gadgets and home." 

"Sports fans provide a great example with championship clothes and their favorite team’s logo on practically everything, providing retailers emotional leverage to spark an impulse purchase," he said.

McMaster noted that this year’s game marks the first year Snickers and Kia are streaming live commercials. While live streaming can increase the odds of a blunder, it also improves the brands’ chances of delivering a timely joke or an emotional message that can be tied into the game’s events and potentially go viral. 

He cited Oreo’s 2013 experience that incorporated real-time events during the Super Bowl's blackout. The brand scored with a timely tweet about still being able to "Dunk in the Dark."

Oreo’s post generated significant organic engagement on Twitter and Facebook and the brand made headlines with non-promoted posts. "Real-time ads can be a game changer," McMaster said.