The Super Bowl is as much about food as football.  Super Bowl Sunday is the single biggest food consumption day after Thanksgiving.  And along with cars, food, beer and beverage commercials are a ubiquitous part of the game.

“It’s one thing to be entertaining, but being both entertaining and getting your brand across in a way that’s memorable is the real trick to food marketing,” says Benjamin Christie, founder and managing director of global food advertising network Gourmet Ads.  “This year’s game featured a handful of spots that hit the mark, and others that failed.”

Here, then, are the five most attention-grabbing food and beverage commercials from Super Bowl XLVI, as judged by Gourmet Ads’ Christie:

Pepsi – King’s Court

“’Pepsi for All’” may be the intended tag line, but Elton John’s evil intonation of “No Pepsi for you” may become the most memorable catchphrase, as he sports kingly garb and banishes the talentless with a trip to the dungeon.  X Factor songstress Melanie Amaro belting out a stained glass-shattering rendition of R-E-S-P-E-C-T only adds to the fun.”

M&Ms – Naked

“Brown M&M, previously absent from the candy line’s ad campaign, makes a glorious debut as a bespectacled, name-dropping partygoer mistakenly gawked for showing off her “milk chocolate.”  As Sexy and I Know it plays, Red strips off his candy coating, turning this staid party into a potential swingfest.  As always when M&Ms walk and talk, an impressionable spot that drives its point home.”

Budweiser – Prohibition

“The Clydesdales and a barnstormer herald the end of Prohibition, which denied America Budweiser for 13 years.  The sepia-tinged, 60-second spot evokes a peculiar bit of Americana while showcasing the celebration that ensues whenever cases of Bud arrive in town.  A later spot continued the theme of Budweiser’s role in U.S. history.  Could it even be a Super Bowl without Clydesdales?”

Doritos – Sling Baby

“A baby as a slingshot?  Created by an amateur filmmaker as part of a Doritos contest, this engaging and hilarious commercial features cool CGI, a gloating toddler and a taunting big brother getting his comeuppance. The brand is well-integrated in the action.  My only question is who, exactly, is the old lad, and why does she think this is an acceptable thing to do?”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2kQFEjkhBQ

Bud Light – Rescue Dog

“Bud Light combines the indomitable Super Bowl formula of talented animal with corporate responsibility as it introduces a mangy pooch that fetches a bottle of suds whenever someone says “Here Wego!”  While espousing the message of dog rescue (including a Facebook page to like), that ad drives home the brand’s long-time catchphrase in a clever way.  “Wego” has to be the world’s most overworked pet.”

About Gourmet Ads

Gourmet Ads (http://www.gourmetads.com) is a global food advertising network, focusing on branding campaigns for reaching the grocery buyer online. With operations in the U.S.A., U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Gourmet Ads consists of over 300 cooking websites where consumers are spending time online researching recipes, making meal decisions and developing their grocery shopping lists. Gourmet Ads develops customized advertising solutions from regular IAB units, to portal type solutions such as background skins, roadblocks and interstitials which go beyond the banner.  It has represented such marquee brands as General Mills, Starbucks, Orville Redenbacher’s, Campbell’s, Nestle, Swiffer and Kraft Foods, as well as retailers Walmart, Kroger, Fresh & Easy and Safeway.

Gourmet Ads Selects Top Super Bowl Spots is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.

First Party Data reveals valuable insight into consumer behavior

Reaching target consumers, monitoring the types and numbers of people that visit a site, and which surfing habits an internet user has, is all transferred into various types of data which can be very valuable when it comes to advertising your products.

First party data is basically the data and research collected by brands themselves. First Party Data is often very valuable (and mostly confidential) to brands, giving them the knowledge about certain types of data means helps them as advertisers know the how and why to re-reach consumers or understand what prospective users might look like. By using first party data along side their advertising campaigns allows them target their advertising spend on reaching the exact target consumer.

There are endless types of first party data a brand advertiser might collect and use to re-engage with their target audience. These include but are not limited to a potential customer’s ;

• Registration Data
• Previous online shopping activity  i.e did they purchase or abandon their shopping cart
• Likelihood or intention of buying
• Gender
• Age
• Geo Location
• Time on their site
• How many times they have visited
• Number of pages viewed
• What product pages they viewed
• Browser
• Operating System

The most important fist party data to most companies is registration data. This provides the most in depth data about the person and is what is the most confidential data, hence why many companies will not share data. By knowing vital information such as this, an advertiser can focus their attentions on advertising to specific customers. The analysis of first party data is essential before using in your next advertising campaign. Without data analysis, you could be advertising to people that are unlikely to be interested in your product due to their age, gender, occupation or lifestyle. Many brands use DMPs ( data management platforms) to manage their first party data, first collecting it and then using it when media buying.

Advertisers can use First Party Data within the Gourmet Ads Marketplace

One of the advantages of using a Private Ad Exchange such as Gourmet Ads Marketplace, is the ease and ability to use your own first party data.  Gourmet Ads offers a private ad exchange where advertisers can take advantage of using the pre-arranged and fixed CPM prices for inventory.

First party data allows you to spend your money wisely and to carefully place adverts without wasting money on adverts that won’t be reaching the right consumers. First Party Data can even be used to personalize advertising creative aimed at specific consumers. This in turn is more likely for the brand to see a conversion.

Gourmet Ads believe that 2012 will be a year where advertisers everywhere will realise the phenomenal benefits of advertising using first party data. Brands that are yet to reap the benefits of using their own first party data to increase advertising sales will be able to personalise their advertising campaigns, reach various types of customers as well as target newer customers as well.

First Party Data is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.

Advertising campaigns to increase sales for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day – a day where couples can lavish each other with affection and gifts and show each other how the truly feel. Now, many people will believe that these sentiments should be shown at all times of year, not just on Valentine’s Day. Well we say; why not capitalise on the fact that people want to buy presents for one another at this time of year?

Valentine’s Day is one of the most popular days in the ear for the exchanging of flowers, chocolates, teddy bears and other gifts and these sales of these products climb every year. Basing your advertising campaign around this day can help you see an increase in sales for products relevant to the day. Digital advertising in particular offers some of the best opportunities for Valentine’s Day themed advertising campaigns – this is ideal for chocolate companies and flower delivery services.

Traditionally, Valentine’s Day advertising has mainly been focused at men purchasing gifts for women, however, as times change so do trends in buying which is why many advertising campaigns are beginning to be aimed at the female demographic.

A Valentine’s Day advertising campaign is all about knowing which groups of customers to target. Studies have shown that, surprisingly, people that are most likely to receive the most Valentine gifts are teachers, children and mothers. Gourmet Ads can give you the ideal platform to aim your products at specific target audiences.

Everyone loves a Valentine’s Day deal, so whether your company sells flower deliveries, chocolates, or bottles of champagne, Gourmet Ads can help you place your advert so that it will reach your desired consumer.

Valentine’s Day deals range from chocolates and flowers to gourmet dining options

If you own a restaurant or hotel, deals might include discount prices for anyone attending your establishment on Valentine’s Day – free bottles of wine or desserts or perhaps something similar placed in a hotel room will sound appealing to anyone who wants to do something special for their loved one on Valentine’s Day.

This time of year doesn’t just have to revolve around going out for food. Couples love sentiment, and if someone wants to treat their loved one to something truly special on Valentine’s Day, they may consider an even or activity. Going to the theatre, sipping cocktails in a classy bar, or even kayaking or abseiling might make for the person present for the right people. Activities placed alongside various dining options could be the perfect valentine’s package for someone.

For all the lovers that want to cook a romantic meal for their partner, advertisers can use Gourmet Ads to promote “Meal for Two” deals at a discounted price. Gourmet Ads’ large network of sites means that packages such as this and other discount deals can reach your target customers and could potentially increase sales of specific products.

So use Gourmet Ads to offer great deals all in the name of Valentine’s Day and you will generate interest which ultimately means more sales.

Advertising Valentine’s Day Specials is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.

Are you running online display ads to create your brand ?

Advertising via online display ads has long been established as an extremely effective way to increase brand awareness, draw in new customers and to educate consumers about certain products. As Gourmet Ads has been in the industry for many years and have been using online display ads for just as long, we know a thing or two about the importance of online display ads and how they can affect advertising campaigns.

Many people have questioned the use of online display ads, but the effectiveness has long been demonstrated by Gourmet Ads. Online Display ads can come in various forms, but most commonly can appear as web banners on various webpages. Gourmet Ads supports various banner formats and this type of advertising has been a proven way of generating click throughs to affiliated sites.

Click throughs and conversions are obviously a major part of advertising campaigns and are a great way for directing consumers to different sites whilst making money. However, beyond this, Gourmet Ads online display ads are crucial for the branding of products. Branding is vital in terms of customers indentifying goods and to be able to tell one company from the next.

Online display ads with Gourmet Ads can therefore help set your apart from the rest. If branding is all about standing out and establishing yourself as a unique company, let Gourmet Ads help you create your identity.

Evidence asserting that online display ads are very effective in creating a brand identity

When it comes to branding, we will often find that ‘the more exposure the better’ is usually the case. Volvo recently ran a study testing the impact of multi-screen advertising and the effect is had on consumers. Out of those who were only exposed to the Volvo advert on television, 50% could remember seeing it. Those that were exposed to the advert on TV, PC, tablet and smartphone however could recall seeing the ad at a rate of 74%.

The results from this case study are clear – the more a product or brand is exposed, the more effective the branding and the more likely consumers are to remember your product. Connecting with the right customer at the right time, emotionally engaging them and then measuring all the analytics is something that is best achieved through the use of online display ads.

Gourmet Ads supports a very wide range of advertising campaigns and provides platforms for display ads and pre roll video ads too. By offering these to you, Gourmet ads can help create a more effective advertising campaign with online display ads for your brand which ultimately will not only increase brand awareness and attract new customers, it will also educate your potential consumers about your range of products as well.

Display Ads Build Brands for Marketers is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.

Restaurant Advertising is vital to get customers in

Perfecting your menu, hiring the right staff and opening your brand new restaurant is often not enough to get customers walking through our doors. If you really want to increase customers and get everyone excited about coming to you for food, it is vital to consider restaurant advertising.

Marketing is crucial for restaurants to reach their target audiences and create a buzz. Consumers are not interested in advertising unless it is personal or relevant to them; therefore traditional forms of advertising have become almost obsolete, especially when it comes to dining options – after all, who is going to come to your restaurant just because you tell them to? Restaurant advertising is all about creating excitement; maybe introduce discount vouchers and get customers interested in your establishment.

Advertising on Gourmet Ads can help you reach your targeted audience through the geo targeting advert campaigns. Geo targeting basically means that specific adverts are tagged. This means they appear for specific people in certain geographical locations. By doing this, your adverts are not being displayed to people who will totally disregard them instead they are getting shown to consumers that may be interested in your restaurant!

Loyalty of customers is what makes you money, and if you get a good ‘fan’ base of customers that keep coming back for more, revenues will inevitably increase. Beyond just clicks and conversions, Gourmet Ads online display banner ads are perfect for establishing your company as a brand and increasing your loyal customer base.

Restaurant advertising is all about connecting with the right customer at the right time and engaging them emotionally in what you are promoting. By using Gourmet Ads display ads for restaurant advertising, we can then use web analytics to track consumers and see if the advertising had a positive impact on promoting your brand.

Consider Pre Roll Videos for restaurant advertising

Gourmet Ads supports a wide range of advertising campaigns and provides platforms for display ads and pre roll video ads to give you as many options as you like. Display advertising can come in many different forms, and web banners are often the most common form of advertising a product, brand or company. If you think a web banner might be the most effective way of attracting customers, this could be the perfect option for you.

Pre roll advertising on the other hand is ideal for advertisers (although 49.7% of consumers who were asked said they would not sit through a pre roll if they had a choice!). With Youtube and some other video sites offering ‘skippable’ pre roll ads, spending advertising money on those seems rather pointless, but a good pre roll before a relevant video clip that a potential customer watches may well grab their attention.

So, as you can see, restaurant advertising is all about relevance and relating to your customer – if they feel like a message is more personal to them, you are more likely to get further with them, and once you have their attention you can then develop this into a relationship with a potential consumer.

Restaurant Advertising is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.

Target consumers who love their kitchen technology

The popularity of kitchen technology is on the rise, along with so many culinary gadgets and pieces that have been specifically designed to make your time in the kitchen so much easier. With all this new gadgetry now available, it is the perfect time to start advertising kitchen technology and a great time to start targeting consumers who love their gadgets, but most of all, love their time in the kitchen to be as stress-free as possible.

There are so many gadgets on the market at the moment which are appealing to consumers all over the world, including kitchen technology with computerized screens, or specially programmed refrigerators which can tell the owner when he is running low on certain items.

When it comes to finding kitchen technology, most consumers do their searches online – probably because it is such a specialist product area – and because of this, web sales are the most used sales avenue to advertise these types of products.

By using Gourmet Ads to help you advertise your kitchen technology, advertisers can connect with dedicated food lovers and home chefs. Those who love spending time in the kitchen are often the most likely to be drawn in by any new technological advances in the kitchen, and any gadgets that can make their life easier are sure to be a hit!

Create brand awareness for gadgets falling under  kitchen technology category with Gourmet Ads

If you are trying to get a product noticed by kitchen gadget fans, then look no further than Gourmet Ads. We offer plenty of options when it comes to advertising solutions for kitchen technology and gadget campaigns, and also for web food retailers that feature these products. As kitchen technology is so up to date, it is a great image for any company to advertise these types of products as it creates an appearance of being modern and always offering state-of-the-art products.

From digital confectionery thermometers to fingerprint reading coffee making machines, the kitchen technology world has it all, and advertising them and their uses are likely to appeal to customers who like the idea of their lives becoming so much more streamlined when they own your gadget.

Although larger companies are the ones that tend to draw in customers because of their big brand name, who said this has to be the general rule of thumb? Gourmet Ads are ideal for creating brand awareness for smaller companies that want to establish themselves as market competitors and get their products noticed. Educating your customers with online ads about your kitchen technology will not only increase sales, it will also generate click-throughs to your website.

Using advertising to establish your brand should ultimately win you more loyal customers, and the more contemporary kitchen technology you offer, the more fashionable your brand will appear.

Advertising Kitchen Technology is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.

Engaging content is crucial to driving email subscribers

By leading consumers to subscribe to email marketing, and driving email subscribers, you are basically keeping them up to date with your products or any new developments in your company which might interest them. When people show an interest in your company or the products that your company offers, it makes sense to give them the option to stay ‘in the know’ about products that might interest them. By driving email subscribers, you can target certain consumers and give them what they want.

It’s important to know what people are looking for, and so each email that is sent out to your captivated audience should not be totally irrelevant to their needs. By sending them emails about products that relate to them, they will feel reassured that you are aiming the email at them, even if it is sent out to a whole list of people with similar interests.

Driving email subscribers means knowing what people want from an email subscription. You need to create your email content based on your readers. A great way of doing this is matching up recently bought products to certain email addresses. If there are any product announcements either about that specific product or a particular brand your customer likes, they’ll be glad of the initiative to contact them about it.

Creating engaging email content is crucial for driving email subscribers. If an email is personalized, fun and friendly, subscribers are more likely to take the time to read it. By starting the email with the user’s name, this is personalizing the email and aiming it at one person. Even if the same email had been sent to a group of people, by using their name, the consumer will feel like it is more relevant to them.

Driving email subscribers is about being fun and friendly and is so important if you want to keep your consumer’s attention after they have begun to view the email. By using a conversational tone, readers are far more likely to continue reading – especially if the email can make them smile!

Timing is equally important when driving email subscribers

Product incentives such as discounts and special offers can often work if you are trying to promote certain products. Be careful with this method though. If driving email subscribers is what you are aiming for, don’t make them think that they have signed up to an email subscription that is just full of products that are no use to them. Driving email subscribers to interact with other consumers and have some input into your products can be done through the use of social media platforms. By interacting with your customers, they will feel like they are getting a more personal service.

Timing your emails is important too and can create expectancy from your subscribers. If your emails really are that engaging, you should hopefully be able to keep your readers on tenterhooks waiting for the next installment of their email subscription. Don’t overload your customers with one email per hour – it will look like it has just been churned out. Taking all such measures can create a dedicated audience in driving email subscribers for your products or company.

Driving Email Subscribers is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.

Reach Chai Enthusiasts with Chai Advertising

Over the past few years there has been a significant increase in the popularity of tea, especially chai tea. No longer can a consumer walk into a coffee shop without being confronted by a vast menu of a variety of teas, and it is with this growth in popularity in mind that advertisers can now make the most of advertising opportunities.

This traditionally Indian tea is full of antioxidants and nothing sells better than a product that tastes great but also has fantastic health benefits as well. In supermarkets all over the world, chai brands are rapidly taking over a lot of shelf space and this is predominantly to do with the role chai can play in benefitting people’s health. This spicy tea product contains a third of the amount of caffeine found in a cup of coffee, which is great for those who are trying to cut down on their caffeine consumption.

Tea brewing machines and Chai spices are ideal for Chai Advertising Campaigns

Chai has also generated sales that are linked to the product. It is these peripherals that have made the chai industry an even bigger deal than it was before – the sales of tea making machines, chai brewers and its necessary herbs and spices have also seen an increase in sales. People not only want to be able to buy the perfect cup of chai from a coffee shop – they want to be able to make it at home too! There are many different types of chai available which is why there are also different recipes being developed that include chai’s ingredients. It is the combination of chai products that means that advertisers can make the most of advertising for chai campaigns.

Gourmet Ads can help smaller companies stand out and generate brand awareness. Gourmet Ads can help you achieve your advertising campaign for any of custom chai blends or the chai related peripherals, and there are plenty of angles you can take with your advertising and various solutions that you could use.

Creating brand awareness for chai and chai-related products can be done using Gourmet Ads and by generating awareness of your brand and your range of products (whether they are herbs, spices or chai making machines) you can reach out to the people that love chai.

Chai lovers everywhere can be targeted using Gourmet Ads and advertising on our network of sites – this will in turn not only increase brand awareness, but also generate sales too.

Advertising Chai is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.

Is Radio Advertising better than Gourmet Ads ? Well it sure is !

There are so many differences between radio advertising vs Gourmet Ads advertising that you may be wondering which is better and which can further benefit your business and increase sales. Well, read on and discover which type of advertising might suit you.

Radio advertising is considered a traditional advertising technique along with TV and print advertising. It is this ‘traditional’ approach that tends to make radio advertising slightly lag behind other media in various studies that have been conducted over the years.

When it comes to radio advertising vs. Gourmet Ads, Gourmet Ads definitely comes out on top. Not only is radio advertising a slightly old fashioned way to advertise products, it cannot reach as many potential consumers, and it is worse value for money for advertisers.

Online advertising with Gourmet Ads can be beneficial to your sales in the sense that there are many methods for increasing consumer purchases and raising consumer awareness of your products by exposing your products to a highly relevant audience.

Gourmet Ads has a much higher price performance ratio for advertisers than if you were to use radio to reach out to your customers. Gourmet Ads’ network of sites ensure that you as an advertiser can make the most out of several platforms online to show off your brand or a particular product. CPM advertising for example is a great way of generating traffic to your website and increasing brand exposure.

So are you still thinking about radio advertising vs. Gourmet Ads? Perhaps you haven’t considered the larger number of consumers you could reach out to by using Gourmet Ads. Radio advertising might have been a great medium of advertising once, long ago when the internet wasn’t so easily accessible to consumers, but practically everyone has the internet nowadays! Radio can only reach people within a specific perimeter usually, whereas Gourmet Ads online adverts can target people all over the globe – that’s why it’s called the World Wide Web after all.

Radio Advertising can’t provide trackable results like Gourmet Ads

Gourmet Ads are the professionals, and we are on your side. We work hard to track and keep up to date with web analytics so that you can make the most out of advertising without paying extortionate prices. Through Gourmet Ads, you can expose your brand and new products by converting exposure into real sales.

Digital marketing and media analysis is what eMarketer does best, and their recent research has specifically showed the big increase in investment from companies that want to use online advertising instead of traditional advertising. The big increase is of course due to the fact that online ads work!

There is no point in comparing these two advertising media because they are so different. Gourmet Ads really can generate more traffic and therefore more sales for your company, thus making the most out of your advertising budget. So don’t consider radio advertising vs Gourmet Ads any longer, as Gourmet Ads display and video advertising can create a far more effective campaign for the advertisers.

Radio Advertising vs Gourmet Ads is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.

Changing consumer habits directly impact advertising

Consumer habits are constantly changing, and as such changing consumer habits can have great impact on advertising. Being aware of the consumers’ habits means that you can provide them with products that they feel they need. It is all about understanding your potential customer and addressing what it is they want.

Changing consumer habits is constant and can affect market dynamics in a massive way, which means that advertising campaigns need to keep up. In the most obvious sense, advertising flip flops, sunglasses and barbeque foods isn’t a good idea if it is approaching Christmas time!

There has been a recent shift in changing consumer habits in buying, especially when it comes to food. More than ever, people are focusing on what is good for them and their families. Healthier options are available and the consumers know it – so much so that health foods that are organic or haven’t been genetically modified are at the forefront of the consumers mind when they buy food.

Consumers will have seen advertisements for organic produce that has told them how beneficial it can be for their diet. Advertising has such a great impact on consumers that they really do want to make a change and start eating healthily. By advertising your organic produce, you are adapting your advertising campaigns to reach out to the masses that want to lead healthy lives and subtly acknowledging changing consumer habits. CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) / FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) can cater to the consumers ever changing habits around the holiday times, which means a high stock turnover for you.

Advertising campaigns can tap into consumer psyche by keeping track of changing consumer habits

A really important thing to remember when creating an advertising campaign is that you need to tap into the consumer psyche to be more effective with selling your products. Creating an advertising campaign where you have clearly thought about your target demographic is much easier than trying to aim an advert at everyone and means that you have clearly taken into consideration the changing consumer habits.

By understanding that one group of people that you want to reach out to, you can create advertisements that appeal to them, thus generating sales. If a consumer feels like they have been singled out and a product sounds just right for them, they are obviously more likely to buy it.

A healthy diet is definitely important, and Gourmet Ads is dedicated to supporting the right healthy eating choices for consumers. The Gourmet Ads network focuses, on the constant changing food habits of consumers and we are confident in the fact that the right advertising campaigns for your product will mean that they can reach consumers.

The phrase “changing consumer habits” also suggests that habits can be changed, and by advertising your products well, you could well see a high increase in sales just through the medium of adverts.

Changing Consumer Habits is a blog post from Gourmet Ads Food Advertising network, providing Display Advertising , Video Advertising and Supermarket Advertising solutions to reach the Grocery Buyer online.