The Tribune

By D'ARCY RAHMING

I LOVE to watch the Super Bowl advertisements. These ads cost $4 million to run for 30 seconds, not including production costs, which could also run into hundreds of thousands of dollars. This year did not disappoint. Super Bowl ads had everything from an Eskimo trading in his sled for a new car to the Beckham commercial, which seemed to focus on his tattooed muscular body. Finally, we see he is selling his new line of underwear.

As a professional marketer, I have to ask the question: Do these ads really work? Readers of this column will know by now my definition of 'work' is if the ad generates more sales. Not surprisingly, while there are numerous articles commenting on how funny, cute or shocking they are, there have been few studies to see if the Super Bowl ads actually produce more sales.

One of the few academic studies that I could find on whether Super Bowl advertising pays off is one done by researchers at the University of Wisconsin, which tracked the stock prices of firms that run Super Bowl ads. They found that, on average, the price rises by 1 per cent above the S&P 500 index. In layman's terms, the company seems to be worth more after the Super Bowl ads have run, at least for a couple of weeks. You would think that if someone paid $4 million for an ad they would be able to easily tell if it worked or not.

Let me tell you the big secret of why you need a PhD to figure out if the Super Bowl ads are working. I believe the big advertising agencies want it to be mysterious. They can charge a lot of money to produce these ads, and not have to worry about being accountable for results. The call to action is so weak on the ads that it makes the ad immeasurable. No one truly knows if the ad is producing more sales or not.

Do not get taken for a ride like these Super Bowl advertisers. Make sure every ad you run has a call to action that is measurable. By call to action, I mean that the person reading or watching your ad should have clear instructions on what to do next. Examples are logging into a website with a unique address, calling for more information to a unique number, or even texting in a special code.

Now you can capture a client's contact information and track them through to a point of purchase. You will know the cost per sale, and if the ad was worth the price you paid for it. In my next article, I'll explain some good ways of convincing prospective clients to give up their contact information.

NB: D'Arcy Rahming holds a Masters of Management from the J. L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. A lecturer at the College of the Bahamas, Mr Rahming has clients in general insurance, retail, health and medical fields, sports federations and financial services. To receive his marketing newsletter FREE go to http://DArcyRahming.com or contact him directly darcyrahmingsr@gmail.com