Saxum|PR

(More Proof) Advertising is Changing, and that is a beautiful thing

January 12th, 2010 by Renzi Stone. Posted in Industry Expertise

The tweet caught my eye. Pepsi Chooses Social Media Over Super Bowl from @codella. OK, so Pepsi isn’t spending their entire $20M budget on their cause-related “Refresh” campaign on social media and public relations, but they are pulling dollars away from the one event that showcases Madison Avenue’s connection to the American consumer – the Super Bowl. A major brand opting out of the mecca of ad platforms is to advertising what Tiger Woods opting out of playing golf is to the PGA tour. In short, it’s a disaster.

“The Super Bowl broadcast can be an amazing stage for advertisers if it aligns with their brand strategy,” said Frank Cooper, a senior vice president at Pepsico Americas Beverages. “However, brands should not blindly anchor themselves to history.”

Ad Age Magazine opines that the move could be a risk, since just one year ago, Pepsico blocked rival Coke from the first half of the game. Most interesting to me was a statement from Pepsi about the $2.7M cost of a 30-second spot.

Pepsi said the cost of advertising in the Super Bowl was not at the heart of its decision to keep its famous beverages from the game.

Times are changing. A favorite new song of mine is Brett Dennen’s Don’t Forget. One line stands out.

Don’t be afraid should things happen to change,
’cause change can be a beautiful thing.

I’ve always believed that forward-looking organizations are the ones who will consistently grow. Part of the problem with advertising is how  expensive it is to hit huge target demographics on television programs (or radio) with declining viewership and DVRs that block receipt of the message. Advertisers pay big bucks to find these demographic gold mines, but they are drying up every day – even the best ones (like the Super Bowl).

Change is a beautiful thing. As 2010 progresses, let’s see if Pepsi made the right move.