Marketing Briefing: How the Super Bowl represents a return to normalcy that’s yet to become reality

By Kristina Monllos

There are two conflicting narratives being told in the United States right now. On the one hand, there’s a return to normalcy — or some version of it — with the Super Bowl this past Sunday, fans in the stands and few references to the coronavirus pandemic (or masks) in the advertising. On the other, there are new strains of the coronavirus taking hold, the desperate need for more vaccines and the on-going economic hardship that many Americans are facing.

The whiplash of the back and forth of the two messages can be tough to process. We’re being told that it’s safe for people to go to their jobs but we need to isolate at home as much as possible. Don’t forget that restaurants and small businesses are hurting, though, so we’ve got to support them. However, you need to stay home otherwise you’ll help spread the virus. Remember the vaccines are finally here — but we have no idea when and how you’ll get one.

Even with that blink of normalcy this past Sunday, there’s a sobering reality that the uncertainty of 2020 is extending into 2021. “The Super Bowl was trying to put a gloss on a world that’s really messy right now,” said Ann Billock, partner at Arc Advisors.

That mess has a ripple effect as marketers, agency execs and industry observers say that the dueling narratives make it difficult for marketers to plan out the rest of the year, as there is still little clarity into when or if we’ll truly be back to any sense of normal.

“Right now, [the messaging] is just, ‘Get your shot and wait your turn,’” said the agency exec. “But there’s nobody who says we’re in the fourth inning. We don’t know how to contextualize where we are [with the pandemic]. How do you plan a brand if you don’t know where you are in the game? Where are we in the Covid cycle? If we knew that with a little bit more precision it would really help the planning.”

There’s confusion among marketers when it comes to a path forward. For brands in troubled categories like travel, however, there is a sense that they need to return to advertising for fear of losing market share, according to marketing execs. Those same execs, however, admit to being unclear on the right strategy heading into the end of first quarter and that much of the planning is still focused on the short-term.

“Marketers are not making their intentions known because I think they honestly don’t know what the right course is themselves,” said Derek Walker, founder of the agency Brown and Browner. “It’s a perfect opportunity for advertising agencies to step up and provide more than ads. They should be helping with developing a plan. I doubt that happening.”

When it comes to the two narratives, it’s not surprising that the Super Bowl advertising veered toward the sunnier version of events as there’s a “cautious optimism” among marketers now, per one …read more

Source:: Digiday