Will Google run a Super Bowl commercial in the third quarter?
According to a variety of sources, Google plans to run a Super Bowl commercial in the third quarter to today’s big game.
The buzz started yesterday when John Battelle, the author of The Search, posted this to his blog: “I’ve got a pretty reliable source who is telling me Google plans to hit the branded advertising big leagues this Sunday.”
Then Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt tweeted: “Can’t wait to watch the Superbowl tomorrow. Be sure to watch the ads in the 3rd quarter (someone said ‘Hell has indeed frozen over.’)“
Now, everyone is … well, we’re going to do what we were going to do anyway. But doesn’t this add something to look forward to — in case the Indianapolis Colts are so far ahead of the New Orleans Saints at halftime that there’s nothing else to look forward to in the second half.
Hey, I’m rooting for the Saints. Any team whose fans once wore brown paper bags over their heads to cover their embarrassment deserves all the support that any underdog deserves. And anyone who had Hurricane Katrina devastate their region deserves the rest of the nation — with the understandable exception of Indianapolis — to tell them, “We’ve got your back.”
But, let’s get back to the real reason why I’ll be watching CBS later today: To watch the Super Bowl commercials.
According to brand new research from comScore, which was released yesterday, two-thirds of respondents said that they intended to log onto the Internet on Super Bowl Sunday with the majority indicating they would do so before the game (77 percent) or after the game (53 percent). More than three out of ten also indicated they would log on during the game itself (32 percent) or during halftime (30 percent).
When asked for which activities, if any, they planned to log onto the Internet on game day,
I won’t be the only one watching ads on Super Bowl Sunday. According to comScore, 22 percent of respondents indicate that watching the ads, instead of watching the game itself, is their favorite part of the day’s festivities.
When asked which three companies’ ads they were most looking forward to, respondents demonstrated a strong preference for beverage brands and munchies. The most anticipated brand’s ads are Bud/Bud Light (63 percent of respondents) and Coca Cola (43 percent), with Doritos (25 percent) coming in third. Controversial Super Bowl advertiser GoDaddy.com ranked fourth with 18 percent of respondents, while Taco Bell rounded out the top five at 16 percent.
So, what might Google’s Super Bowl commercial feature? Well, it might be love in Paris.
Or, might it be one that Google uploaded 20 hours ago?
Or, was David Naylor of Bronco right when he predicted at SES Chicago 2009 that Google was getting ready to unveil … Google Beer?!? You’ll want to judge for yourself by watching what Naylor and other marketers were hoping Google would give them for Christmas.
Searching for Santa at SES Chicago 2009