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INTRODUCTION

Many love to take a shot at the Superbowl. They love to say how wasteful it is and how YouTube would be a better investment. Want to know the truth? This is a dangerous point of view. Let me show three reasons why strategically the Super Bowl really matters.

BTW this week’s newsletter is one half of a ‘Super Bowl Special’. The second part is brilliant. Want to check it out? Head to Rachel Higgins's newsletter HERE to find out more.

#1 LOOK AT THE NUMBERS

Decades of marketing science proves that the most effective path to growth is to reach, via paid media, the broadest market possible. Why? Simply the bigger your reach, the bigger your potential number of buyers and therefore the bigger the potential sales.

On the surface, YouTubers might have equal or bigger view counts. Mr Beast’s last 24 videos, for example, had an average view count of ‘186.1 M’ views vs the Superbowl’s ‘115M’ views. However, digging deeper reveals that this simply isn’t the case.

First, the numbers touted by YouTube are not the same as the Super Bowl. The former deals in total views, not unique views. Simply, while YouTube counts one person viewing the content multiple times, the Super Bowl does not. This difference really matters. Why? Well, remember the only reason we want the biggest reach is to hit the biggest number of potential buyers. YouTube, by counting one person viewing multiple times, actually has a lower potential to reach more buyers. The Super Bowl is more effective because it reaches way more unique viewers (ie buyers).

Second, audience segmentation doesn't matter & we now know broad reach is the way to win. Now here is where Mr Beast loses to the Super Bowl, once again. In truth, Mr Beast is mainly watched by a younger audience  (under 25) whereas the Super Bowl is a national spectacle watched by all ages and genders. In fact, this year might be its biggest yet as you can as see below.

#2 IT’S NOT AN AD

FAME is the single biggest driver of brand growth. What is fame? It's the act of getting people to talk about your brand. And one of the best ways to get talked about? Simply tapping into existing conversations (ie culture).

The Super Bowl is not just another TV spot, it is one of the biggest cultural moments in the US. People talk about it for weeks before and afterward. Celebrities talk about it, turn up, or even perform at the game itself. And as Ant Henderson & Jennifer Roebuck point out even Superbowl ads themself are more talked about before, during, and after the game.

The truth is the Superbowl has some of the biggest fame effects, and therefore brand growth effects, around. And Mr Beast cannot touch it. 

FEELING LOST?

Want to know the truth? For years I was deeply insecure as a strategist. I was lost, confused, and filled with self-doubt. Thankfully this changed with the great mentors I had at Droga5, Wieden & Kennedy and Saatchi & Saatchi. However, I realize not everyone is that fortunate. And that is why we’ve built STRATLABS.

STRATLABS will help you become a world-class strategist and is perfect for all levels (from junior to department heads). STRATLABS is also different from any other course or community out there. How so? Well, for a start other courses tend to be taught by comms strategists who never actually write brand strategy or creative briefs. They have simply taken frameworks from their agency and passed them off as their own. In STRATLABS you are mentored by brand and creative strategists, who have won over 100 awards and written 1000s of brand strategies and creatives. But don’t take our word for it…see what one of our students Joel has to say about it

We would love you to join our community and course. If you want to find out more, then check out the new site we launched:

#3 APPLES VS ORANGES

Some like to say Mr Beast’s content is a ‘lean in the moment’, whereas Super Bowl ads are a very passive affair. Yet even this is an invalid point if view, let me explain why below quickly. 

Sure people might grab some snacks during the Super Bowl ad break. But what about YouTube? Well, do you think during your favorite YouTube video you ‘lean in’ and watch every inch of the ad more? No way. I mean what about the real elephant in the room? The fact that the vast majority of YouTube ads have a skip button on them?! For these reasons, this is an invalid argument.

Now some might say “Oh but we are not talking about ads Will! We are talking about product placements directly in Mr Beast’s main content”. Well this line of argument fails again. First, comparing promotions within YouTube content with paid ads is like comparing apples and oranges. They are very different things.  A farrier comparison would be an NFL player talking about a brand at halftime or even during the game. Imagining that, can you seriously say YouTubers like Mr Beast would have far greater reach and fame effects than an NFL player stopping the game to talk about a brand? No chance. And to those who are still skeptical about this - I think it's useful to recall the first point in this week’s newsletter. The fact that the  Superbowl has far broader reach with a broader audience vs Mr Beast’s predominantly under twenty-five target market. 

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CONCLUSION

To finish let’s be clear on something. Am I saying YouTube is a bad investment? No, I have won awards for YouTube-based work. Am I saying Mr Beast doesn’t make great content? No I think he is a genius. What I am saying is you cannot pitch YouTube VS the Superbowl as easily as some would like to think. In truth, the best solution is often a combination of TV (ie The Super Bowl) and YouTube.

To finish this week can I ask for a very small favor? I am trying my best to grow this newsletter. However, I can only do this if you lovely people share it on Linkedin or Twitter and recommend it. I spend a whole day writing this newsletter and all I ask in return is you spend one second hitting the share button below, posting it on Linkedin or Twitter, and tagging me in the post.

Did you enjoy this week's newsletter? Then you’ll love part two written by the wonderful Rachel Higgins. Check it out here now!

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Expect big thinking & small typ0s because i'm #MadeByDyslexia 

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Will Poskett

Co-Founder Defiant