The biggest winners this year were holiday-themed spots with offers, including both Walmart (with Black Friday) and Pandora Jewelry (with the holidays); as well as big names, including Meta and Christina Aguilera with Nintendo Switch.
Welcome to another edition of “Know What Works,” a new feature on our blog in which we highlight ads that were highly successful in generating Search Engagement, EDO’s proprietary measure of the increase in search activity for a brand or product in the minutes immediately following a TV ad airing.
The 55th Annual Country Music Association (CMA) Awards aired last Wednesday, November 10th. The exciting winner this year was Chris Stapleton for Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year, Single of the Year, and Song of the Year.
Aside from the actual awards, there were other winners during the big event. The biggest winners this year were holiday-themed spots with offers, including both Walmart (with Black Friday) and Pandora Jewelry (with the holidays); as well as big names, including Meta and Christina Aguilera with Nintendo Switch.
Top Four Airings during the 2021 CMA Awards:
Walmart’s Black Friday Deals for Days
Walmart’s airing at 10:47pm EST during the 2021 CMA Awards generated an additional 46,000 online searches for the brand. The airing, Black Friday Deals for Days, is a part of a larger Walmart Black Friday campaign that began in late October advertising deals for the whole family.
Interestingly, Walmart also had an airing during the 2020 CMA Awards, America’s Cart, which was a more holiday-oriented spot with no sales or offer. This particular airing generated an additional 29,000 online searches during the award show last year, which is 37% fewer online searches than its 2021 CMA Awards airing.
Pandora Jewelry
Pandora Jewelry generated an additional 30,000 online searches thanks to their Fulfill Every Wish airing during the 2021 CMA Awards. This 30 second holiday-themed ad was a success for the brand. To put it in context, a consumer who saw this airing during the award show was 134% more likely to search for Pandora Jewelry, in comparison to the average Pandora Jewelry TV ad airing that aired during Primetime Broadcast in the past year. In addition to this, EDO estimates that Pandora Jewelry would, on average, require over 5 ad airings during Primetime Broadcast to generate the same online engagement as 1 ad unit during the 2021 CMA Awards.
Meta
The big splash Meta made in late October set the stage for an engaging TV ad airing. The single Facebook Is Now Meta 30-second ad during the 2021 CMA Awards generated an additional 29,000 online searches. This is certainly a contrast to the single Facebook Portal airing during last year’s CMA Awards, which only generated 1,700 additional online searches.
Nintendo Switch
Nintendo Switch aired a creative with the big name: Christina Aguilera. The Stay Connected with Nintendo Switch TV ad airing during the 2021 CMA Awards generated an additional 25,000 online searches for Nintendo. It is not surprising that big celebrity names help generate online search for brands (as EDO previously found with sports celebrities), but this airing during the award show was truly a win.
A consumer who saw the Nintendo Switch airing during the 2021 CMA Awards was 207% more likely to search for Nintendo, in comparison to the average Nintendo TV ad airing that aired during Primetime Broadcast in the past year. In addition to this, Nintendo would, on average, require 5.6 ads during Primetime Broadcast to generate the same online engagement as 1 ad during the 2021 CMA Awards.
Why did these 2021 CMA Awards airings work?
Impressions during the 2021 CMA Awards were similar year-over-year (only 4% lower), yet the show still engaged consumers. TV viewers who watched the 2021 CMA Awards were 11% more likely to search online for the brands, in comparison to the average Primetime Broadcast TV ad airing. Additionally, due to the engaging program, EDO found that a brand would require, on average, 2.8 ad airings during the average Primetime Broadcast program to generate the same amount of online engagement as 1 ad unit during the 2021 CMA Awards.
Key takeaway: live events can work for your brand.
With Thanksgiving around the bend and the rest of the holiday season not far behind, EDO has seen brands start advertising for the holidays sooner than ever. Walmart and Pandora Jewelry are only two examples of the many brands taking advantage of the season to invest their holiday-themed ads in this special awards show event.
Find what works for your brand, just as Walmart, Pandora Jewelry, Meta, and Nintendo Switch did during the CMAs. For more information on how EDO can help improve the timeliness of your creatives or optimize ads for higher consumer engagement, contact us today, and #knowwhatworks.