Super Bowl

Super Bowl Advice for Squarespace

18 Jan 2016  

Last year, Squarespace ran the worst spot on the Super Bowl, according to the Kellogg Super Bowl Advertising Review.

Take a look:

Squarespace will be back on the Super Bowl again this year, spending at least $5 million for the opportunity, so I thought I would provide some advice.

 

Dear Squarespace Team—

It is great to see that you will be advertising on the Super Bowl again this year. Welcome back!

Our panel here at Kellogg thought your spot was a little weak last year. With hopes that you won’t be on bottom of the rankings again this year, here are four suggestions:

Highlight the brand

Your spot last year was light on branding; you should fix that this year. If the ad is going to work, people have to know who is advertising.

Many advertising executives (perhaps some of yours) don’t like to highlight the brand name, because it can block the film. You should ignore these people.

Make sure your logo is featured prominently. Keep it on the screen for a long time. Watch some Bud Light Super Bowl spots to see how to do it.

Set up your frame

Last year, your spot confused many people. What does your company do, anyway? Is it a sleep aid?

The most important thing to work on this year is establishing the frame of reference. What are you? If you don’t set up the frame, you will lose people and limit your impact. It should be very clear that you help people create websites.

Communicate a benefit

Once you’ve set up the frame, you can focus on the benefit. Why should people visit your site instead of others? Wix is easy, or at least that is what they said on the Super Bowl last year. Why should consumers choose Squarespace?

Grab attention

You need to do something to get people’s attention. Last year you put people to sleep. Do something that will make people notice your spot. This isn’t the time for subtle humor or bland colors.

If you do these four things, I’m confident you won’t find Squarespace at the bottom of the rankings this year. Time is a little short; the game is just a few weeks away. Still, that is plenty of time to rework things if you need to.

Good luck!


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