With the Super Bowl right around the corner, sports fans are not only becoming more and more excited for the game, but are becoming anxious to see the commercials and new social media apps! As a big sports fan and a friend of many non-sports fans, I know first-hand that the Super Bowl does not only attract football fans. Although commercials are played every day, on every channel, on every network, they somehow do not compare to those broadcasted during the Super Bowl. These commercials are created to increase awareness of products and services through comedy and creativity.
Social media networks like Twitter, Facebook and other applications allow fans, nonfans, celebrities, athletes, sports writers, and other television networks to post their feelings about all aspects of the Super Bowl. This can include commercials, game outcomes, half-time concerts, uniforms, attendees, weather, parties and events and much much more. Hash tags and @ signs are used every minute to discuss common topics, allowing complete strangers to agree, disagree or choose not to comments on others’ opinions. Controversy does occur because of this, but what would a major hallmark event like the Super Bowl be without a little competition? Personally, I find it very entertaining and informative.
When visiting Twitter (https://twitter.com/search?q=super%20bowl%202013&src=typd) I typed in “Super Bowl 2013.” The first post that caught my eye was one from Huffington Post. They tweeted a link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/29/celebrity-super-bowl-commercials-videos_n_2576026.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003 which gave followers the ability to watch videos from “Celebrity Super Bowl Commercials of the Past and Present.” It’s great to look back on past commercials to make predictions on this year’s best and worst commercials!
Facebook even has a ongoing list of pages related to the Super Bowl. In relation to Twitter’s Super Bowl commercial posts, I found this link which is always appealing to me: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Super-Bowl-commercials-2013/368567936544738
Pictures are posted from this season’s games, coupons for Pizza Hut and other fast food restaurants that will be having specials on Super Bowl Sunday, and sneak peaks of potential commercials. People worldwide who have “liked” this Facebook page have the ability to comment on posts, “like” status updates, and view all links, videos and pictures. It’s a great way to stay connected and updated with all aspects of the hallmark event.
Other websites like http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/super-bowl-food-top-10-best-super-bowl-recipes/story?id=9745102 offer tips on healthy food options and recipes for Super Bowl Sunday. Followers have the option of “recommending” the link to friends on Facebook or sharing their thoughts on the link with their followers on Twitter, LinkedIn and Google. As we all know, Super Bowl parties are extremely popular. For the strict new year’s resolutioners watching their figures, links to healthy snack and meal options is a great way to increase awareness of chefs and restaurants as well as party hosts that are looking to expand their variety.
Alyson Boehm's Blog 
Hi Alyson
Reading your post I came away with the idea that events can be used (exploited) to spread the word about your brand or product in an indirect manner. Tieing in the relationship between the event (in this case the Super Bowl) and your brand or product may be a natural fit in some cases.
For example, Doritos Crash the Super Bowl on Facebook. It utilized crowdsourcing, social media with its Super Bowl contest. While I’m not a consumer of Doritos, it would seem to be a Super Bowl game day staple.
http://mashable.com/2013/01/03/5-finalists-doritos-super-bowl/
Thanks for sharing!
Tim
Alyson
The Superbowl is the Superbowl of advertising and marketing.!! Like you said people watch it just for the commercials. Also–I can:t think of any other major event where people look forward to the commercials. And now social media has become a major part of it .What a great platform for social media. Nice blog.
This year’s superbowl highlighted how much social media use happens during this event. Oreo really stole the show with their quick, and clever response to the lights going out. Nice post.