1. Super Bowl XLVIII is poised to overshadow more than just
Groundhog Day this Sunday; five days after kickoff marks the
Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. With two of
the worlds biggest sporting events happening only days apart, a
BAVC comparison between the two brands seems only natural.
Last year, Super Bowl Sunday was the most watched night of
Primetime Television, with more than 108.5 million viewers tuning in
for the game. From a financial standpoint, the past 10 Super Bowls
(2003-2012) have generated more than $1.85 billion in network
advertising sale across more than 130 marketers.
The Olympic Games also boasted high viewership stats: more than
219.4 million Americans watched the 2012 London Summer
Olympics, which boasted an unparalleled 5,535 hours of coverage
across NBC and its affiliates.
As social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, have
developed into legitimate news sources, consumers have found
new ways to connect to events like the Super Bowl and Olympic
Games. Across the 16-day span that the London Summer Olympics
were broadcasted, over 150 million Tweets about the games
disseminated across cyberspace. Similarly, last year’s Super Bowl
generated 24.1 million Tweets.
The question therefore becomes: given the large viewership and
interest in both the Super Bowl and Olympic Games, which brand
ultimately reigns supreme according to the BAVC data?
2. THE SUPER BOWL VS. THE OLYMPIC GAMES
Which event has the stronger brand?
Energized Differentiation is more than a
brand’s point of difference, it also shows how
excited consumers are about a brand. Esteem
measures how well regarded a brand is.
Together they create Admired Differences,
which relate to loyalty and advocacy.
The Super Bowl has more Admired Differences than
95% of the 3,000+ brands tracked by BAV in 2013,
while The Olympic Games scores higher than 92%
of all other brands.
95
The Sporting Event I’d Prefer to
Watch or Attend
With higher Admired Differences,
The Super Bowl is also more
preferred to The Olympic Games.
37%
92
30%
The Super Bowl gets credit for the rugged nature of football and the fun, social element of
bringing together friends and family, while The Olympics gets credit for its unique way of
connecting people around the globe. But, whereas The Olympics span several weeks
across multiple TV channels and include various rounds of competition within different
athletic categories, The Super Bowl is one big, concentrated event focused on football
alone. Additionally, the Super Bowl has something for everyone to connect to: win-or-gohome football for fans, a plate of chicken wings for foodies (the National Chicken Council
estimates 1.25 billion wings will be consumed during Super Bowl XLVIII), and commercials
and a half time show to entertain the rest.
Viewership Percentage
Visionary
Adults NOT
on Social
Media
70%
59%
are more…
Unique
Social
Media
Users
62%
Socially
Responsible
62%
Social
Fun
is more…
-6
-3
Rugged
0
3
Percent Difference
6
9
12
In the end, while both events get
viewership lifts among Social Media
Users, The Super Bowl gets a bigger lift and
reigns supreme due to its more social
nature.