Though Newcastle Brown Ale, the Heineken-owned British beer brand that is surprisingly popular across the pond, lack the finances to buy a national TV ad during the 2015 Super Bowl, they have struck upon an ingenious way in which to buy regional TV space. The company has effectively crowdsourced its ad by asking other marketers to pitch in and help pay for its placement during the big game, which kicks off on Sunday 1 February. A buy in will get the marketers' logos and messaging included in the spot, with the campaign operating under the title “Band of Brands” and the tagline, “Football is a team sport, now marketing is too.”
The company has effectively crowdsourced its ad by asking other marketers to pitch in and help pay for its placement during the big game
The idea is to get smaller brands, which would never usually be able to afford air time in such an expensive slot, to band together, and it's proven successful so far, with brands including Boost Mobile, Beanitos, Sharper Image, Armstrong Floor and McClure's Pickles all joining the fight against Budweiser and their ilk. Of course, Newcastle is blocked from airing a national ad (even if they could afford it) as Budweiser's Anheuser-Busch InBev holds exclusive beer advertising rights for the event, but the local airtime win is still a big deal for such a comparatively small brand. Other brands are expected to be announced between now and the night of the game, which will be broadcast on NBC and around the world, though submissions close today (January 19), so any brands on the fence should really get a move on!
Newcastle Brown Ale's Call for Brands, featuring Aubrey Plaza
Heineken said the Band of Brands is aimed at producing the "First-ever crowd-funded Big Game ad.” A spokesperson for the brand said that, "In exchange for a small contribution, any brand can join Newcastle's team and have its logo and messaging featured in an actual Big Game spot." Essentially, it’s a way for the smaller guys in an increasingly corporate economy to get the word out about their product, no matter what it is, and we here at Creativepool are all for that!
The initiative is being backed by a digital campaign from Droga5 and Fast Horse, which features “Parks and Recreation” star Aubrey Plaza
The initiative is being backed by a digital campaign from Droga5 and the integrated marketing agency Fast Horse, which features “Parks and Recreation” star Aubrey Plaza, who uses her trademark deadpan style to belittle everything usually associated with Super Bowl commercials, and urges brands to get in on the campaign by outlining the benefits of it. This marks the second year in a row the brand has hired a Hollywood actress to poke fun at the fact they couldn't afford a Super Bowl ad, having hired “Pitch Perfect” star Anna Kendrick last year to do the same. It's a schtick the brand, and its advertising agency have used before, and will continue to use in the future. As Droga5's chief creative officer Ted Royer has said, “We are blessed there is a never ending amount of fodder in the marketing world for us to make fun of.”
