By George Anderson
Marketers, including Unilever and Anheuser-Busch, have decided that women have been overlooked for too long -- at least during the Super Bowl, that is.
The two consumer goods marketers have taken heed of research showing that 44 percent of viewers for the Super Bowl are female with spots specifically targeted to the fairer and often smarter sex. This year's game is expected to draw an audience of roughly 89 million people.
Ed Erhardt, president-ad sales and customer marketing for ESPN and ABC Sports, told Ad Age, "As the property (Super Bowl) continues to be seen as a social event, advertisers are clearly using it to reach a wide variety of audiences." The game's broadcast, he said, allows marketers the opportunity to communicate a "big message in a big environment."
Unilever (a RetailWire sponsor) is looking to connect with the nearly 40 million women expected to watch the game with spots from its Dove "Real Beauty" campaign.
According to a report on the Ad Age web site, "Anheuser-Busch VP-brand management Marlene Coulis has been vocal in her desire to turn her back on past Super Bowl ads that have been called sexist by the National Organization for Women, and instead try to appeal to women who make up 20% of its beer drinkers."
Moderator's Comment: What do you think about the strategy of targeting women with commercials aired during the Super Bowl broadcast? How can retailers use the focus consumers have on the Super Bowl to purchase products not normally associated with a strictly male audience? - George Anderson - Moderator