This is the year that the Superbowl is getting all social on itself. With an estimated 60 per cent of its 100 million viewers tuning in via a ‘second screen’, it’s no wonder the main players have woken up to social plug-ins.

The Superbowl has – until now – been the primary platform for blockbusting TV ads. So it’s interesting to see how the big 30-second spot is evolving in the era of social media. Pepsi is tying up with Shazam to let viewers download Melanie Amaro’s (X Factor USA’s winner) performance of Otis Redding’s “Respect”. Audi is looking to use social TV to extend their interaction beyond the commercial break with the hashtag  #SoLongVampires. Read More »

Super Bowl Sunday is almost upon us as the New York Giants get ready to take on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI on February 5.  We’ve already seen lots of ads being trailed and lots of social chatter.

This Super Bowl promises to be the most social yet and this year Facebook really is going to be a Super Bowl marketer’s best friend and it is set to edge out YouTube for ad searching and sharing, according to a study from US ad agency VB&P. Read More »

UPDATED Feb 7 Volkswagen looks to have a major social media success on its hands. Its humorous Super Bowl ad featuring a pint sized Darth Vader has already racked up more than 14.5 million views on YouTube in a year where brands are making more use out of social media than ever before when it comes to the Super Bowl.

Last week that figure stood at 4.5 million. Another Ten million have flocked to watch it over the weekend. Read More »

PepsiCo brand Gatorade is taking its social media strategy very seriously indeed – so much so that it has built a mission control centre replete with screens beaming out brightly-coloured visualisations of what people are saying about it on the likes of Twitter. Read More »

Ok, so they may never win a Cannes Lion. I’m not too cool to admit I love the Budweiser Clydesdales.

And I am not alone. You’ve probably heard that Budweiser reversed a decision not to run a Clydesdales spot this year based on fan demand. Although I suspect the initial ‘no’ was just an engineered Facebook page traffic driver.

But no harm, no foul. Why shouldn’t a mass market brand pander to the tastes of the mass market in their ads as they do in their beer? These ads are classics. I’m American, but I don’t think you have to be to get misty at the post 9/11 one, or my own favorite called ‘The American Dream’ where a young colt gets an unseen assist from his parents. There are some fun silly ones too. Do you have a favorite?

Take my TweetSwell poll via Twitter: What team will win Super Bowl XLIV?