Best Super Bowl 2015 Social Campaigns

The Super Bowl advertising game was changed back in 2013 by one little chocolate cream-filled cookie. Since the time Oreo’s post, “You can still dunk in the dark” went viral on Twitter during the blackout of Super Bowl XLVII, advertisers have understood that a successful Super Bowl campaign is executed not just during their 30-60 time slot but in the parallel social media frenzy that ensues around the Big Game.

Power out? No problem. pic.twitter.com/dnQ7pOgC

— Oreo Cookie (@Oreo) February 4, 2013

Thanks to Oreo, and the ubiquitousness of social media, Super Bowl advertisers now have to work harder to create an impact with a powerful ad coupled with tweetable moments, memorable hashtags and ads that will “share well.” In last year’s game, 28 advertisers (50% of ads overall) created special hashtags to support their Super Bowl efforts. How high will that number climb in Super Bowl 50?

Here’s our take on who ran the best social Super Bowl campaigns last year:

1. #UpForWhatever - Bud Light

Bud Light built upon their success in 2014 by keeping alive their hashtag, #UpForWhatever. The phrase has become a household term in America and this year, again, everyone is wondering what unsuspecting person will be asked before Super Bowl 50, ‘If I give you this Bud Light - Are you up for whatever happens next?’ Here’s a look back at last year and the an unknown guy who had the night of a lifetime -

WATCH our #SuperBowl commercial and see one fan's night go from PRE-GAME to IN-GAME. #UpForWhatever #SBCommercials https://t.co/xWsfg7FeMV

— Bud Light (@budlight) February 2, 2015

2. #ItsThatEasy - Wix.com

Wix.com was a newcomer in the Super Bowl commercial last year, but they quickly got the hang of things! They found the perfect hashtag to describe their product. Leaving nothing to chance in, Wix prepared for the Big Game with a comprehensive all around online campaign. In addition to their ad itself, they created websites, Twitter handles and Facebook pages for the 5 legendary NFL players who starred in their commercial. They also created an online hub where fans could track all of the contests.

Missed their Super Bowl ad? Catch it here:

3. #CrashtheSuperBowl and #Doritos

Hashtags say it all and Doritos does not mess around. For the 9th year straight last year, Doritos was smart enough to make us do their work for them and create their ads. Their catchy hashtag and slogan #CrashTheSuperBowl has been successful for them year after year after year. (That, and the allure of a $1,000,000 prize!) Last year they did not disappoint. The producers of those famous orange triangles ran two highly successful ads on game night. Will they hold the contest again for Super Bowl 50? We hope so!

Missed your chance to #CrashtheSuperBowl? Enter #Doritos #BoldParody with a Finalist ad parody for a shot at 5K! https://t.co/Uhs3rpebWA

— Doritos (@Doritos) January 31, 2015

4. #OneBoldChoice - Toyota

Emotional works. After going through 5 tissue packs following Toyota’s two commercials, we can honestly say that the #OneBoldChoice campaign stuck with us. Tons of viewers responded last year to Toyota’s call to submit videos and pictures honoring their own fathers. And Amy Purdy (who starred in one ad) helped out by promoting the second Toyota ad on her own Twitter account:

Honored @Toyota chose me to help celebrate dads. Join in by tweeting photos with #OneBoldChoice. https://t.co/bBlFQOtS1l

— Amy Purdy (@AmyPurdyGurl) February 2, 2015

5. #EatASnickers - Snickers

Snickers, who won last year’s Clio Award, kept their hashtag short and to the point. #EatSnickers pretty much summarizes it up. Snickers leveraged the power of social media last year with a clear call to action. They released a teaser that generated a ton of interest and then promised to release the complete ad before the game, but only if enough people retweeted requests to see it. Their Brady Bunch parody was a huge success - both on TV and on social networks:

Have you seen the @Snickers Super Bowl teaser? If you want to see the full commercial? Tell them with #EatASNICKERS. http://t.co/VyRELxXt2S

— Mars, Incorporated (@MarsGlobal) January 23, 2015