This Super Bowl advertiser tells us why it is a 'no brainer' to spend $5 million on one 30-second ad slot
Wix - the website building platform - has teamed up with DreamWorks to return to the Super Bowl this year, with its second big game advert.
The ad will feature the characters from "Kung Fu Panda 3," as they try to get Mr Ping's noodle restaurant off the ground.
Relative to some of the other brands showcasing at the big game, Wix is not massive. It had 72 million registered users as of September 30, 2015, and reported revenue of $53.6 million in its latest quarter. There's no doubt that a spend of around $5 million on just one advert is a bold investment for the company.
So, is it worthwhile, considering the vast amount of advertising competition from the likes of Budweiser and Doritos on game day?
We spoke with Wix CMO Omer Shai to find out: "It was an easy call," he said, "the coverage that we got last year was amazing, so it was a no brainer. I do not know of any other advertising method that can bring me 120 million viewers on one day."
He revealed that the company used two measures to determine the efficacy of last year's Super Bowl ad: "One of the ways we measured the last ad's success was to assess to what extent people connected the brand with the message that we went with last year. That went well. And the second aspect was financial."
Wix reported a 54% increase in revenue to $44.5 million in the three months to March 31 2015, the quarter in which the Super Bowl was played last year. In that earnings release, Wix CEO and co-founder Avishai Abrahami said the company "benefited from increased exposure of our brand, growth in international markets and ongoing efficiency of our marketing efforts."
Shai told us last year it is difficult to directly link the Super Bowl campaign to revenue growth, but that it certainly helped, alongside product improvements, wider marketing activity, and an increase in conversions. He added that Wix's digital marketing, social media, and PR efforts meant 300 million people across the world saw the campaign in some shape or form - in addition to the 114.5 million people or so that tuned in to watch the game live on NBC in the US.
Last year's ad (watch above) featured retired NFL stars Brett Favre, Emmitt Smith, Terrell Owens, Larry Allen, and Franco Harris using Wix to build websites and new careers after football.
But this year, the creative vision is very different. They "Kung Fu Panda 3" characters will "embark on a series of 'out of the box' marketing activities but quickly realize that the key to success is to simply #StartStunning with a Wix website," a press release said.
The Wix CMO explained that the change in creative direction this year corresponds with the development of the company. Last year the ad was focused simply on linking the brand name with website development, but this year the ad will present the more specific message that Wix websites are beautiful to look at.
Shai said: "The opportunity to work with Dreamworks was great. The ad will emphasize the stunningness that we want to associate with our websites."
The CMO did also admit his love of sport (he supports the Baltimore Ravens and Liverpool FC,) which may be another reason for his love of Super Bowl advertising.