Dive Brief:

• Hyundai teased its Super Bowl ad during the NFC and AFC championship games on Jan. 21 and on its social media channels, according to an Adweek report. 
• The teaser signals that Hyundai will repeat the theme of last year’s ad, “A Better Super Bowl,” where it surprised three American service members overseas by virtually reuniting them with their families who were attending the game. The footage was edited into a 90-second commercial that aired after the game. 
• Hyundai’s teaser for this year’s ad opens with silhouettes of three soldiers, followed by an on-screen message, “Last Super Bowl we surprised three heroes. This year we’ll surprise millions. And you might be one of them. See how during Super Bowl LII.” 

Dive Insight:

Hyundai is the latest to use social media to tease its ad ahead of the big game as a way to start the conversation well before kick off and keep it going long after the final whistle. Research has shown that in-game Super Bowl advertisers see sustained benefits, like lasting social media engagement and increased purchases, long after the game. Brands are likely betting that kicking off campaigns well ahead of the game could extend those benefits. 

Super Bowl commercials often generated as much excitement as the game itself. Giving viewers a glimpse of the campaign piques consumers’ interest and encourages them to tune in and get exclusive access to the content during the game. With Super Bowl spots costing around $5 million, marketers want to ensure that they’re getting the biggest bang for their buck. Many marketers are getting creative this year to maximize their Super Bowl ad spend by using pre-game ad teasers and social media campaigns to drive digital engagement and in-store purchases.

This year’s Super Bowl advertisers are being a bit more secretive about their ads, after many were criticized for releasing the full commercials ahead of the game last year, ABC News reported.

First-time Super Bowl advertiser Pringles recently released an online teaser for its TV ad, which will feature comedian Bill Hader and an interactive campaign, and Pepsi released a clip of its Super Bowl campaign, which will offer a new take on its iconic 1992 spot featuring supermodel Cindy Crawford.

Skittles took an innovative approach, announcing via social media that its Super Bowl ad won’t actually run during the big game. Instead, only one teenager will see the ad, and his reaction will be live streamed on the brand’s Facebook page. Skittles was planning to announce the celebrity featured in the ad and run additional teasers on social media.