Superbowl 2013 ads and remediation

With Super Bowl XLVII just around the corner, it will be interesting to see how this year the brands that are advertising will use remediation.

In the past, ads have been one-way communication like a speakerphone, just blaring out content. As new media technologies emerge, more and more brands are creating ads that produce two-way communication, interactivity, and the combining of traditional and new media.

Less and less ads include phone numbers to call but rather, URLs, QR codes, social media icons, twitter hashtags, and other forms of metadata tags have worked their way into ads. Now it is hard to find a print or television ad without one of these. The ad itself has become a medium in consumer advertising. The advertising encourages action by directing the consumer to go to their website, to check out their social media pages, to contribute to a trend, and even to provide feedback. All in all, the ads aim to engage the consumer and to interact with their brand or message they are sending.

Ad Age’s article, ‘See More Super Bowl Ads Early: Axe, Volkswagen, Century 21, and Audi’ (Ives, 2013), shares with us a little taste of some of the commercials that have been released early.

In the Axe Apollo-Lifeguard TV commercial, viewers are directed to the website axeapollo.com to join for a chance to go to space.   

Volkswagen’s Get Happy commercial, ‘#GetHappy’ encourages viewers to get onto Twitter and to start using their hashtag.

For Audi, not only are they using the hashtag ‘#BraveryWins, but they are also using remediation in a different way: they are letting the public decide the outcome of the commercial. This allows viewers yet another chance to interact with the brand.

We will see on game day how other brands are using remediation. Hashtags and URLs seem to be the popular interactive element, still. Any guesses/ideas on what will be used in the future with new media technology? Or do you think hashtags and URLs are effective and are here to stay for a while?

Ives, N. (2013, January 28). See more super bowl ads early: Axe, volkswagen, century 21 and audi who needs to wait until game day?. Retrieved from http://adage.com/article/special-report-super-bowl/super-bowl-ads-early-axe-volkswagen-century-21-audi/239438/