Here’s today’s roundup of AdExchanger.com news… Want it by email? Register here.
Score the Super Bowl
Viewers who watched Super Bowl ads on Sunday were three times more likely to seek out these advertisers online compared to daily primetime TV, the research found. Data published Monday morning by EDO.
I guess that’s something, considering it costs around $7 million for a 30-second spot.
The secret to success is having access to a very attentive audience.
Attention typically wanes during TV commercial breaks — except during the Super Bowl, which is the only TV event that experiences the opposite effect, says Jura Liaukonyte, associate professor at Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of Business, citing the data from a recent to study she co-wrote.
People “pay more attention [to the ads] than the game,” Liaukonyte told AdExchanger.
Which is good news for brands that can afford high-end placements.
Around 40% of brands that ran ads during the big game were newbies, including cryptocurrency companies. Crypto.com, FTX, Coinbase and a few sports betting apps all made their Super Bowl debuts on Sunday.
The Coinbase spot featured a bouncing QR code that was supposed to be so popular it crashed the app, The edge reports. It’s always good to try new things, even if, at the same time, millions of potential customers have probably been greeted by a site error page.
miss the podium
The ratings for the Beijing Winter Olympics are, unsurprisingly, terrible.
To be fair, NBC forecast low numbers. Taking place six months after the (ever more popular) Summer Games and in empty, fanless winter sports complexes, what can you expect, NBC Sports President Pete Bevacqua said during a ‘a conference call, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
“Advertisers know they’re not buying the ratings, they’re buying the value of the games,” Kelly Abcarian, NBCU’s advertising sales manager, told THR. “Historically, rankings were designed for a world where ads traveled with content, and now they don’t have to.”
NBCU’s silver lining is solid results for Peacock.
But the great lack of viewership and general consumer interest is somewhat self-imposed and linked to the Olympic organization’s obsession with controlling media related to the event, whether or not they enjoy the games.
Comedian Leslie Jones, for example, made her popular Instagram videos go live – until they were taken down. NBC admitted that was a mistake – Jones actually had a formal live commentary agreement at the last two Olympics. But Olympic images automatically trigger takedown notices. Even athletes have their accounts suspended if they post from the event, and major sports news destinations like ESPN or Bleacher Report apps barely feature Olympic content.
We ask, would it really matter if the Olympics were to generate popular memes, content, and updates through the games’ athlete accounts, even if they weren’t directly monetized?
Speak Microsoftly and carry a big stick
Microsoft isn’t a major player in the App Store, but that could be a game-changer.
Last week, Microsoft released its “Open App Store Principles.” Notable changes Microsoft is proposing for the mobile economy include not unfairly privileging services held on an app store and allowing fair processing of payments by outside companies.
On its own, the ad is insignificant because, let’s face it, the Windows App Store is too. But this “stands in stark contrast to the operating model of the App Store on iOS, and, to a lesser extent, Google Play on Android,” writes Eric Seufert of Mobile development memo.
Mobile developers need a third force to break Apple and Google’s deft and synchronized management of app revenue. Apple and Google always seem to be playing rough or making the same concessions to developers around the same time, Seufert writes, whether it’s developer fee cuts, second-year subscription cuts, programs for small businesses or country searches to combat alternative payment requirements In processing.
Developers need a wave of laws, regulations, and outside pressure to get Google and Apple to change their app store policies.
But Microsoft makes at least one very salient point addressed to Google and Apple: “If Microsoft can offer alternative payments, why can’t you?”
But wait, there’s more!
Instagram’s video ad revenue share program has disappointed participating publishers. [Digiday]
Facebook has a superuser supremacy problem. [The Atlantic]
Mike Shields Substack: Netflix will never run ads. Isn’t that what we said about HBO? [blog]
The Super Bowl was full of celebrities. Why were there no creators? [The Information]
Integrated substack: why is TikTok so afraid of 30? [blog]
Stressed out by the economy? These ads are for you. [NYT]
You are engaged!
Outbrain hires Paul Knegten as its first CMO. [release]
Jordan Lieberman joins Fourthwall as SVP and Product Manager for its political data platform. [LinkedIn]
The Trade Desk appoints its COO, Michelle Hulst, as Chief Data Officer. [LinkedIn]
