Dive Brief:
- Kellogg-owned snack brand Pringles will air its first in-game Super Bowl commercial next year, on Feb. 4, the company announced in a press release.
- The ad will be the official TV launch of an ongoing "Flavor Stacking" campaign set to run through 2018. The Super Bowl links up to a historically strong weekend for Pringles for both in-store dollar and unit sales, the release said.
- Last year's Super Bowl was the brand's fourth-best weekend in sales behind noted snacking holidays July 4th and Memorial Day. Next year's spot will be created by Grey Group and the brand's marketing plans include an integrated approach with PR, digital and social media support.
Dive Insight:
The Super Bowl remains king of the TV ad hill, but it's been interesting to watch how different brands are approaching the big game next year given the high costs of ad space coupled with declining ratings for the NFL and a broader industry trend toward cord cutting. Pringles, however, has clearly looked at the bottom-line figures and realized that it can capitalize on the event to synch up with what's showing to be a strong sales period.
With a Super Bowl spot, the brand can also spread awareness about its Flavor Stacking campaign to a much wider audience. It's previously promoted the effort through a pop-up "Stack Shack" in New York City that let visitors stack different flavors of chips together in creative ways. It's a bit surprising the Kellog-owned company has never run a Super Bowl TV spot before, as snacks tend to own a notable share of commercial airtime, along with other staple categories like beer, automotive and entertainment.
Both M&M's and Doritos are returning next year with in-game TV spots after hiatuses of three years and one year, respectively. Hyundai, the official car and SUV of the NFL, also last week detailed plans to go all-in for its big game advertising strategy, with digital and social media marketing, experiential out-of-home activations and, of course, in-game ads. NBC, which will air the 2018 Super Bowl, previously announced it expects to see $350 million in ad sales for the game.
