Affiliate Idea Factory

Can the carrot of better empirical measurement, as opposed to the beat of a political drum, woo advertisers back to news content?

For much of the past decade, brands’ retreat from advertising next to news content has been framed as a means of risk mitigation in response to political polarization, as well as to other ills of the digital media sector, such as misinformation. Alternatively, as many media-buyers call it, the “I just don’t want to get fired approach.”

Inevitably, this caution leads to a “set-and-forget” mindset that leaves money on the table, often directed into the pockets of Big Tech rather than legacy media owners, contributing to the subsequent decline of the news publishing sector.

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Now that the washing up’s done and the snacking detritus has been swept off the floor, it’s time to consider the real winners and losers of this year’s Super Bowl – the brands. (The Seattle Seahawks may have won the actual game, but it was far from an offensive juggernaut – you have to really like punts to have gotten something out of it.)

The creative strategies employed by advertisers, as well as the media plans they relied upon to multiply the effect of their $8 million dollar spots, offer hints about how advertisers aim to reach audiences throughout the rest of the year.

With mutli-million dollar price tags and a highly polarized cultural climate, brands found themselves walking a tight rope at this year’s Big Game. To avoid alienating consumers, brands intentionally avoided saying anything that might sound remotely political, preferring to stay in the safety zone.

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