How Oreo stole the show at the 2013 Super Bowl (2024)

How Oreo stole the show at the 2013 Super Bowl (1)

By Tony Bradley / February 7, 2013

The Super Bowl is a perennial showcase of innovative, high-impact, and very expensive television ads. Each year is an exercise to try and outshine previous years, or at least be the most talked about ad of the night. For Super Bowl XLVII, though, the most talked about ad of the night didn’t air on television, and cost next to nothing to produce.

During a mysterious 34-minute power outage at the beginning of the second half of the game, Oreo put out a tweet. It said simply, “Power out? No problem,” and included an image of an oreo in the dark with the caption, “You can still dunk in the dark.” That message was retweeted more than 15,000 times, and “Oreo” was a trending topic on Twitter Monday morning. Oreo also placed the image on its Facebook Page, where its received more than 20,000 “Likes” and has been shared nearly 7,000 times.

The Wall Street Journal says Oreo “culture-jacked” the Super Bowl. “Oreo’s instant Twitter ad stood out on a night when 30-second ads on TV cost $3.8 million. It helped demonstrate the power of ingenuity over money, and social media over traditional forms. It is likely part of a coming wave of real-time advertising that reacts, like a political campaign war room, to real-time events.”

Forbes, however, presented a more sober perspective of the Oreo tweet. “According to Nielsen, an average of 108.7 million people viewed the Super Bowl and 5.3 million people tweeted during it. Even if you assume that another 5.3 million were on Twitter just observing, the total Twitter Super Bowl audience would amount to just 10% of the television audience. In other words, the number of people that might have been exposed to the real time tweets was significant, but just a fraction of those watching on TV.”

But, it’s hard to argue with the “bang for the buck” of the tweet. Granted, at $3.8 million for a TV ad ostensibly watched by nearly 109 million viewers, the televised Oreo Super Bowl ad only cost about 3.5 cents per person. But, aside from whatever Oreo paid the ad agency for the 10 minutes it took them to whip up the tweet, sending out the tweet was free. So, the estimated 10 million people–which grows to around 40 million once you ad the Oreo Facebook Page, and possibly higher once you factor in the extended social networks of those who “Like” the Oreo Facebook Page–cost nothing.

Now, there was more than a little kismet involved. It just so happened that 360i–the Oreo ad team–and the Oreo brand executives were watching the Super Bowl together at the 360i offices. They happened to have the right people, in the right place, at the right time to go from concept, to approval, to a developed ad in minutes. Had they all been watching the Super Bowl from the comfort of their own living rooms, it would have been much more difficult to get the idea approved, and have the right talent available to put the ad together and send it out.

Still, there’s a lesson in there for other businesses. When well-executed, social media marketing can generate significant buzz for a brand with minimal investment. However, in order to execute properly, you must first have taken the time to establish a social media presence and build up an audience to even see the ad. You also have to be willing and able to respond in virtual real-time, and the courage to act in the moment rather than waiting for a committee or focus group to vote on the concept.

I’m not sure how closely Oreo is tracking response, but it would be very interesting to know which ad has a higher response once the dust settles–the $3.8 million TV spot, or the tweet that was essentially free.

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Tony Bradley

Editor-in-Chief at TechSpective

I have a passion for technology and gadgets--with a focus on Microsoft and security--and a desire to help others understand how technology can affect or improve their lives. I also love spending time with my wife, 7 kids, 4 dogs, 7 cats, a pot-bellied pig, and sulcata tortoise, and I like to think I enjoy reading and golf even though I never find time for either. You can contact me directly at tony@xpective.net. For more from me, you can follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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How Oreo stole the show at the 2013 Super Bowl (2024)

FAQs

What was Oreo's real time marketing during the Super Bowl? ›

When the lights went out during the Super Bowl halftime show, Oreo's social media team sprung into action, crafting a clever tweet featuring an image of an Oreo cookie in partial darkness with the caption: "You can still dunk in the dark." This timely response captured the zeitgeist of the moment and resonated with ...

What brand was not mentioned for using TikTok in a Super Bowl campaign this year? ›

While “Cetaphil” gets the bad press, it's actually the agency behind the brand that denied similarities to TikTok creator Sharon Mbabazi's content. Despite the CCO of the agency behind the ad claiming no knowledge of Mbabazi's content during the creation of the ad, could it be a part of a bigger play.

What was the most controversial Super Bowl advertisement of all time? ›

General Motors' “Robot Suicide” Commercial

General Motors was the subject of controversy in 2007 when its Super Bowl ad featured a line robot throwing itself off a bridge after being fired by the car manufacturer for failing to do its job.

Who is in the Oreo commercial? ›

Kris Jenner in Oreo's 2024 Super Bowl Ad: Watch.

Was Taylor Swift in a Super Bowl commercial? ›

The brand's Super Bowl ad combined the trends and the authentic good growing from the pop-culture force that is Taylor Swift. And all the skincare company needed to do was turn the camera on a real-life father-daughter story.

Which brand created the most shared Super Bowl ad of all time? ›

Volkswagen's "The Force" advert from 2011 is the most shared Super Bowl advert of all time, according to data from video ad tech company Unruly.

What company did the most advertising during the Super Bowl? ›

The Budweiser Clydesdales, mascots of the U.S. beer brand Budweiser; its parent company Anheuser-Busch frequently advertises during the Super Bowl, and have won USA Today's annual Super Bowl ad survey 14 times in its history.

How does the Super Bowl impact the marketing game? ›

Commercials have become an essential aspect of the Super Bowl. Advertisers fiercely compete for prime spots during the game. Brands are willing to invest millions of dollars for a brief moment in the spotlight, creating memorable ads that spark significant buzz and conversation long after the final whistle.

What was the most expensive ad during the Super Bowl? ›

The most expensive Super Bowl commercial ever was a tie between the Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant commercials during the 2020 Super Bowl. They were both 90 seconds long and cost $16.8 million each. However, Budweiser has purchased the most Super Bowl commercials in total.

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