Stadium Advertisement

The Florida Georgia game this past weekend got me wondering why stadiums are still filled with static advertisements. I noticed them, but I think having the mind of a marketing student could be the only reason for that. I imagine most people at that game wouldn't be able to recall a single message and probably not even many brand names circling EverBank field.

We know static banner ads on websites result in virtually no recall and that moving, dynamic ads are significantly more effective. So why is that not being applied beyond the internet? A brand video scrolling across the EverBank stadium screen would surely be more memorable and attention-catching than a still image of the Bud Light logo, though the company is certainly targeting the right audience!

There is far too much stimulation in a stadium of 65,000+ people to expect that a static advertisement is going to be what grasps attention. During time outs and halftime, if a company wants to steal attention from others in the stands or performers on the field, their only hope is to produce something moving and engaging across senses!

Totino's Pizza Rolls on Snapchat

The current ad presence of Totino's Pizza Rolls on Snapchat has me genuinely cracking up every single time I see it, and I would be very surprised if I was alone in that! The short ad commercial shows a man who has just poured out an entire bag of pizza rolls onto a pan. He is just about to open another bag when a friend says, "Dude, the serving size is 6 rolls!" The man quickly responds with an emotional, "WHAT THE ****!" The ad leaves it up to the imagination of the viewer to finish the sentence.

With this ad, Totino's masters using humor in a way that still aligns with their brand. It's a very simple message that the Snapchat audience relates to on a nearly spiritual level...

NOBODY EATS JUST 6 PIZZA ROLLS!!

With a young audience dominating Snapchat, Totino's has a lot of potential to reach an important portion of their target market, and I think they capitalized on that by truly understanding the sense of humor of high school and college-aged kids who can resonate with the man who wants to eat two bags of pizza rolls in one sitting.

Ads can be irritating- popping up in the middle of the content you're actually trying to watch, but I find myself oddly anticipating the next time I'll get to see that Totino's commercial.

Hooked on Athens

You were smart enough to open your business in a bustling college town. You were so wise to set up your store in the most highly trafficked area of Athens. But you steer clear of an incredible opportunity to appeal to your largest group of customers-college students. Why?

The Hooked app is a free mobile app that gives college students access to short-term deals and discounts at restaurants in the area. 

College students don't care if it's 3:00 in the afternoon... if they can get free cheese dip, they'll make up a new meal and be at Barberitos before the deal is gone. The hooked app makes it easy to increase store traffic during slow hours and get your business on the minds of hungry students no matter what time it is. 

Some businesses certainly take advantage of this opportunity and consistently promote deals for their location on Hooked, but other companies continually deny requests to join the community within the app. The Hooked staff takes care of all management of promotions, so no extra time or employees are needed in order to implement the app and start seeing results. Measurements are automatically taken to record what promotions are benefitting the company the most, which could lead to increased profit for the company. It seems like a no-brainer, so why are some businesses so reluctant to get involved?

The first company that comes to mind is Chick-fil-A. Scheduling promotions for slower times- around 2pm to 4pm- seems like something that could greatly increase traffic and allow that stretch of time to more closely compete with their lunch and dinner rushes. From working at Chick-fil-A for several years throughout high school and the beginning of college, I know that numbers were always important to management, and that surpassing hourly goals was highly valued. Hooked has shown promising results for countless businesses, so it would surely bring in traffic for Chick-fil-A, a company already so loved by college students in Athens!