The Philadelphia Eagles have been crowned world champions and Super Bowl 52 is officially in the books. With commercials this year costing an average of $5M for a 30-second spot, it’s not surprising to see many brands shy away from the price-tag. However, that didn’t keep some of them from still getting in on all the buzz, and letting a timely, controversial tweet out. I’m looking at you, Duracell.
The Tweet
Batteries hold a sacred place in the history of Philly fans. Congratulations, Philadelphia, and Fly, Duracell, Fly. pic.twitter.com/qkEcPbFj4N
— Duracell (@Duracell) February 5, 2018
Yowza.
For those of you who aren’t familiar, Philadelphia fans have been criticized for throwing batteries on the field (and in some cases, players). Though personal injury and unruly fans are nothing to make a mockery of, Duracell tactfully maneuvered the sensitive waters here and leveraged their brands ‘core’ (pun intended). The 3 lessons reinforced here are powerful for all marketers.
1. Timeliness is key.
If there was ever a time to make a remark of this caliber, it was now — right after the Super Bowl and when the social-sphere is buzzing. If Duracell waited a week or two to post this, it gets nowhere near the mileage that it does. The social team tweeted no within 30 minutes of the final score being called.
2. Be relevant.
The tweet was specific to Philadelphia. We wouldn’t be talking about this if New England won as relevancy no longer exists. The “Fly, Duracell, Fly” is just hilarious, too.
3. It has to be sharable.
Duracell’s edgy tweet kind-of evoked that ‘oh, man… I can’t believe they just did that’ type of reaction, which, makes you want to tell your friends and is highly sharable. Seeing a brand do this earns some major points, especially when they let down the perceived corporate veil and let their personality come out. That, my friends, pays social dividends.
In a world highly saturated with content, I have to give credit to the social team at Duracell.
A special ‘thank you’ to Wes. M for initially sharing this tweet with me.