GSD&M completed a second consecutive Super Bowl spot appearance on Sunday, featuring Avocados from Mexico. The spot spoofed the “First Draft Ever” and together with complementary social engagement was well received by viewers and media alike…and a collective sigh of relief has fallen across the building. However, inquiring minds still want to know: How do you actually get through game day? Enter the digital command center/war room: the true culminating end of the road of modern event social marketing. I wasn’t there myself, but from these numbers, we can get the drift:
People in war room at any time: 15-20
Bags under eyes: 30-40
Work day: 16-17 hours
Screens in room at any time: 38-48
Real-time social data monitored: enough to crash an average human brain
Cords, cables and chargers: unknown, custom Google algorithm needed due to complexity
Accumulated food wrappers and crumbs: frat house levels at several junctures
Avocados: 1 case for luck
Caffeine drinks: 175
Stress eating: mild levels (who really has time to eat?)
Ulcers and/or kidney stones formed: unavailable at press time
Team bar tab after it was all said and done: $250 (sounds way to cheap to me)
Our core team ultimately lived to tell their tale and report the room was electric and fueled by the positive response our participation was met with—and let’s face facts, only a true hater could despise the First Draft Polar bear. A select team of critical decision makers were all in the same room and monitored and reacted as a cohesive, driven unit, comprehending that any other game day scenario would have been unimaginable due to the critical minute-by-minute decisions that the social engagement presents.
In a write-up for Little Black Book, GSD&M Creative Director Tom Hamling stated, “The thing that makes the digital command center great is that seconds after your spot runs, you know whether you are doing damage control or riding a wave of love. Fortunately, [Sunday night] was fantastic. The spot got a great response from the public, the press and celeb Twitter-ers and our digital campaign went nuts. A 3000% increase over the typical social buzz that AFM experiences on a normal day made it the #2 ranked digital campaign of the game. Those war rooms can get pretty heated because brands are forced to make very quick decision on which brands and celebs to engage with on Twitter and other social channels. The good news is, if your campaign is loved, those conversations are a lot more fun to have.”
We are infinitely proud of our Super Bowl team, everyone who helped craft the campaign and those whose dedication never wavered for a moment as the game clock ticked on.
