For a moment, we're going to set aside the debate over the
merits of advertising. We can all admit that Super Bowl ads have a
marked impact on consumers, who have spent days comparing notes on
the Budweiser Clydesdales' instant replay and FedEx's spoof of
"Castaway." Many have also been surfing the sites of the brands
they enjoyed most on Super Bowl night, creating dramatic traffic
spikes, according to a survey from comScore Networks:
- Cadillac ran five ads between 8:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. and
visitors to cadillac.com jumped tenfold in those hours. - On Super Bowl Monday, visitors to Reebok.com increased 308
percent over the previous Monday in response to the new "Terry
Tate, Office Linebacker" ad.
Tactics: When your ad team is planning any major push, make sure
you know how you can support them with interactive PR. Anticipate
information site visitors will expect, and work with the Web team
to ensure that the site can deliver.
Also, take a cue from the advertisers and use site traffic as a
powerful metric to demonstrate the value of PR. When you've
conducted a major PR effort, even if it's not directly related to
your Web site, look to traffic numbers as validation.