Advertising’s biggest night of the year is not only a guaranteed time for laughs, celebrity cameos and delicious snacks, it also marks an important night for marketers everywhere to connect to their audiences. What used to be an exclusive invitation for big brands that can afford to shell out millions is now a multi-channel party for marketers of all budgets to engage and share experiences – which includes fresh produce marketers! Here are our big revelations from last night’s game:

Brands Take Advertisements to Social Media – Sure, we all anticipate to see the commercials during #SB50, but how about the clever and creative advertisements present on social media during the event?  No matter what you’re selling, from shampoo to airfare, social media is a great place for a brands to share great ideas and ad creative when all eyes are watching.

DAD-DO || THIS IS TOO CUTE! @BenjaminSWatson gives his daughter Pigtails w/ @Pantene! #sb50 https://t.co/7F5C9pIC6W pic.twitter.com/lxkAq6KanE

— sweetyhigh (@sweetyhigh) February 8, 2016

It’s time to @SuperBowl 2016! Who wins the title of world champion? Share your prediction! #SB50 pic.twitter.com/M0ZRXnhFc7

— Alitalia (@Alitalia) February 7, 2016

Sweepstakes Rule Social Media – Big brands like Doritos and Avocados from Mexico are maximizing exposure, building excitement and engaging in social listening pre-game by giving away the farm.  Not really the farm, but big prizes to attract a large amount of consumers to their brands before, during and after the Super Bowl.  Both sweeps approaches engage consumers with clear calls to action that force engagement and website traffic.  Genius!

Commercials Drive People to Social Media – The inclusion of Twitter hashtags at the end of Super Bowl commercials is still a relatively new concept, but during this year’s game some advertisers took it even further. Companies like Esurance centered their ad around a Twitter giveaway, creating an engagement opportunity that continues long after their ad aired. The company invited consumers to retweet an @esurance tweet for a chance to win $1 Million.

Social Media Networks Build Interactive Experiences – Facebook created a special feature for the game called Sports Stadium, letting you click to see posts and information about the game. Tabs labeled “Friends, Matchup, Experts and Stats” included live play-by-plays of the game to comment on and share. Users were also able to follow the latest stats and what friends and experts shared during the game. Snapchat also got involved by allowing users to take a selfie and “paint” their face with their chosen team’s colors throughout the game, and Gatorade featured a filter on snapchat as well. These social media networks gave people the opportunity to share their Super Bowl experience with others across the country.

Prius Attempts to Create New Brand Impressions – Toyota’s Prius has an interesting “image” amongst consumers. You either love or hate this vehicle, and on Sunday the automaker attempted to showcase the “cool” factor of the Prius to a millennial demographic. The intent was clear – but is it enough to break down these brand perceptions? At one Super Bowl party after this commercial aired, the reaction was a resounding “I will still never drive that car!” Looks like Toyota has more work to do to change perceptions.

TV Viewership Becomes Omnichannel – According to a study referenced on Venture Beat, for the first time half of those watching the Super Bowl in 2016 will do so via Smart TVs, mobile devices, PCs and gaming counsels. Greater than 25 percent of millennials downloaded an app to live stream the game. This showcases just how important mobile technology and media is becoming for marketers – if you aren’t mobile friendly, you’re failing. 

Email Marketing Presents Missed Opportunity – While most brands are searching for their opportunity to have a viral real-time moment during the game, they’re neglecting another marketing channel that still matters: email! According to the Senior Product Manager at the Adobe Campaign, consumers are checking their email during the Super Bowl in addition to social media channels. Yet most brands haven’t included email marketing in their Super Bowl strategies. For fresh produce marketers, this means that the underutilization of this channel will make it a prime place to be in 2017. 

Big Brands Sit Super Bowl 50 Out – Although brands like Doritos, Hyundai and Coca-Cola all made an appearance during the big game, there were also some familiar players that were noticeably absent. Go Daddy, Ford and McDonald’s are among a few of the big brands that chose not to advertise during this year’s game. The reason? Brands are finding more value in a concentrated digital push, including featuring videos on social media instead of spending millions for a Super Bowl ad. For marketers of all budgets, this is an exciting trend.

Consumers Love Humor, But Remember Drama – Most ads during the super bowl opt for a humor appeal and carry a light-hearted tone. This performs well in the moment, especially when a brand can get a popular celebrity involved. Out of curiosity, we took a look at the comments on this Chrysler car commercial from 2015, which was done in a very dramatic tone. You’ll see comments on this video that read:

In contrast, comments on Hyundai’s light-hearted “First Date” commercial are overwhelming about the celebrity appearance, Kevin Hart, rather than the actual car:

Although both approaches offer value depending on your message, it seems that a dramatic delivery carries more of a lasting impact on the audience versus just entertainment. Fresh produce marketers should consider their unique goals and objectives to determine what kind of ‘tone’ would be most effective in their marketing campaigns. Whether you choose drama or humor, it all comes down to execution.

Doing the Right Thing Prevails Even During the Super Bowl – Cause marketing professionals and philanthropists took advantage of maximizing exposure on social media using the #SB50 hashtag to connect and send a message.

Send @Pepsi a strong message at the #SB50 Halftime! Join the @RAN/@SumOfUS thunderclap! https://t.co/mMYr8NziTB pic.twitter.com/NLq1SVNR30

— RAN (@RAN) February 7, 2016

Did your team win #SB50 tonight? You can help #TeamRhino win too! RT to support your team! https://t.co/QOzTvM5kYl pic.twitter.com/GcL7yNswpM

— IntlRhinoFoundation (@RhinosIRF) February 8, 2016

Take Advantage of Trending Topics to Win – You may remember Drake’s Hotline Bling music video (the one that got over 450 million views) creating quite the buzz when it went viral 3 months ago. Well, advertisers at T-Mobile decided to capitalize on its success by creating this brilliant super bowl commercial. We also loved when T-Mobile used the recent Miss Universe debacle to their advantage with this ad. And remember that “white and gold dress (OR is it blue and black!?) that caused a civil war?” Avocados from Mexico created this funny commercial with a tip to the dress, as well as the extremely relevant “alphabet called emoji.” For digital marketers, this is a lesson that we should always pay attention to what’s trending on social media and pop culture and use it to our advantage. Not only is this an effective way to connect with consumers, but it is a great way for brands to become more relatable.

It’s Not Only About the Big Game, It’s About the Whole Season – We are intrigued to hear the CMO of PepsiCo’s thought process behind their Super Bowl marketing strategy. From Business Insider:

“We look at it not just as a single interaction on single day — we look at it as a whole six months of the NFL season in which we’ve activated all of the brands. The game is almost an exclamation mark, it’s not the be all and end all, at the end of the journey of a conversation we’ve had with consumers for six months. Gone are the days when it’s just Super Bowl Sunday.”

So it’s not just about the Super Bowl – it’s about a season long effort to connect with their audience.  In the same way, fresh produce marketers live in an age where a Fresh Summit spectacle is not the more remembered with buyers. It’s about thoughtful engagement throughout a season to become top of mind and stay there.

We look forward to brainstorming thoughtful and provocative marketing campaigns with many of you for the 2016/2017 season. It is our hope that fresh produce can take a more prominent role in the buzz surrounding not only the big game, but the entire season!