Twitter’s #BrandBowl53 slated for Super Bowl LIII, gives marketers something to compete for

Twitter has announced its #BrandBowl53 plans for marketers wishing to take part in the Super Bowl LII buzz happening on the app during the Feb. 3, 2019 game. This is the second consecutive year for #BrandBowl, a Twitter competition recognizing brands that drive the most engagement during the big game.

Why you should care. For advertisers, the real Super Bowl competition happens during half-time when the audiences tune-in to catch some the most highly-coveted — and most expensive — 30-second television spots of the year. With Twitter’s #BrandBowl, marketers do not have to pony up the more than $5 million for an official Super Bowl ad to take part in Super Bowl conversations happening on the app. In fact, a few awards are designed specifically for brands that are not official Super Bowl advertisers.

According to a 2017 comScore Media Metrix report, Twitter experiences a 19 percent increase in unique visitors during Super Bowl games, while other social apps see a decline. At the same time, data from Crimson Hexagon shows that commercials are the most tweeted about topic on game day.

Who can compete? The program is open to all brands on the platform — both official Super Bowl advertisers and marketers aiming to piggy-back on Super Bowl ad buzz. Twitter says brands wanting to participate must email their Twitter client partners to enroll in the competition. On game day, Twitter will track brand activity during the Super Bowl and present five different awards immediately following the game: #MVP, #Blitz, #QuarterBack, #Interception and a new #VideoReplay category.

Starting January 21, 2019, brands can like a Tweet from @TwitterMKTG to receive automated notifications from Twitter when a new spot airs in real-time during the Super Bowl. Subscribers for @TwitterMKTG will also get a Twitter Moment notification after each quarter during the game featuring Super Bowl ad spots that aired during the quarter — and a final notification at the end of the game announcing #BrandBowl53 winners.

Twitter is also promoting its #BrandBowl53 by sending a @TwitterMKTG food truck to more than 30 New York City ad agencies. The company says the food truck will offer agencies insights from conversations that happened during this year’s Super Bowl, along with special prizes and Super Bowl-themed snacks.

“The food truck experience will drive discoverability of Twitter audience insights via QR codes featured on the food truck and related printed items,” says Twitter.

#BrandBowl53 awards list. Twitter #BrandBowl53 awards include the following five categories:

• #MVP: Brand with highest percentage of all brand-related Tweets during the game.
• #Blitz: Brand that drove the highest velocity of most Tweets-per-minute.
• #QuarterBack: Brand with the most retweets on a single tweet during the game.
• #Interception: Brand without an official Super Bowl ad spot that drives the highest percent of brand conversation.
• #VideoReplay: A newly added category, the #VideoReplay award will go to the brand with the most video views during the game.

Twitter is also giving industry-specific awards for brands generating the most conversations during the game, honoring marketers in each of the following categories: travel, retail, health, entertainment, alcohol and beverage, telco, financial services, CPG, auto and tech and dining.

#BrandBowl53 winners will get a suite of exclusive ad products and custom consumer research opportunities, along with custom trophies.

About The Author

Amy Gesenhues

Amy Gesenhues is Third Door Media’s General Assignment Reporter, covering the latest news and updates for Marketing Land and Search Engine Land. From 2009 to 2012, she was an award-winning syndicated columnist for a number of daily newspapers from New York to Texas. With more than ten years of marketing management experience, she has contributed to a variety of traditional and online publications, including MarketingProfs.com, SoftwareCEO.com, and Sales and Marketing Management Magazine. Read more of Amy’s articles.