We Stood Up and Spilled Our Popcorn For….
Bud Light Hotel
Honestly, what’s not to love about a Bud Light hotel takeover?
This year, Budweiser owned Super Bowl Village with an advertising arsenal of branded, outdoor lounges, ‘super’ secret pop-up bars and brought out the heavy marketing machinery by transforming the Hampton Inn in downtown Indy into the ultra-glam, VIP Bud Light Hotel, open to football fans in-the-know and wielding the right passes.
Everything inside and outside of the hotel (from canopies and welcome mats to complimentary pens, pillow mints and shampoo bottles) was rebranded to fit the Bud Light ‘glam’ theme.
During Super Bowl Week, the Bud Light Hotel served as an incomparable venue for the event’s hottest parties–including the Playboy Party, the Madden Party and a special performance by 50 Cent.
Budweiser continues to be an inspiration for us to push boundaries and never view any idea as over-the-top or off-limits.
Paul Mitchell Pop-Up Barber Shop
At the Maxim Gotham City Party (super hero-themed) on Feb. 4, the hair product brand Paul Mitchell brought a touch of refinery to Super Bowl week with its pop-up barber shop that offered guests free hair touch-ups and consultations. In acknowledgement of the party’s theme, Paul Mitchell remembered to include ‘super’ models and ‘super’ stylists to participate in the promotion.
We Politely Clapped For…
Heineken
Heineken also sponsored the Maxim Gotham City Party, and its tactics were less than innovative. A branded bar was set up in the space and brand ambassadors circled the venue passing out ice-cold beverages to guests.
While the party itself offered excellent exposure, we would have liked to see Heineken push the envelope, or if nothing else offer guests a takeaway, aside from a free beer that would eventually end up in a recycling bin. Even something as small as a branded beer cozy would have been something for attendees to take home and forever associate the Heineken brand with one of the best parties they had ever attended.
We Are Throwing A Flag On…
NFL Projections in Super Bowl Village
Following the visually mind-blowing halftime performance and the week of 3D-centric, experiential parties and campaigns, we were less-than-impressed by the NFL’s use of projectors to brand the sides of buildings, and a giant XLVI, in downtown Indianapolis.
We believe the NFL left a champion opportunity unrealized– it had the arena to take something as tried and true as a building projection and make it functional, interactive and awe-inspiring.
By piggybacking off the 3D projection trend (now widely recognized after the NYC Saks building Christmas projection and the Chevrolet Sonic 3D claw game promotion) the NFL could have taken its building projections a step further by adding in a digital clock counting down to the Super Bowl or even taking advantage of the space by projecting players’ images running the football across the downtown Indianapolis skyline.
While the NFL’s projections were photo worthy (see below), they lacked that ‘wow’ factor and over-the-top showiness the Super Bowl is infamous for. Perhaps the NFL was anxious about upstaging its advertisers, but at the end of the day…it’s the NFL’s stage, isn’t it?
