Kanye West’s ‘terrible’ Superbowl ad was a masterclass in the power of lo-fi content
This week saw rapper Ye demonstrate not just the power of an ad spot in the Superbowl, but also Fabulate’s Nathan Powell’s argument that consumers are now more than willing to accept ads which are purposely unpolished.
It’s entirely possible that Kanye West might have just killed the traditional TV super bowl spot.
I mean just look at the numbers. By choosing to craft the entire advertisement on an iPhone, West not only circumvented high production costs but also captured a global audience, resulting in a remarkable return on investment. His $7 million investment in a Super Bowl slot with a $0 production budget generated 284,357 orders for Yeezy, totalling $19.3 million in sales in less than 24 hours.
Imagine those results as an entry in the Effies. Most Australian agencies, brands and TV Networks I know would salivate at the prospect.
This is a silly article and I don’t know if the author knows how to build a brand bs make content
Content in most channels is getting better / higher quality again – incl. tik tok
Ads are often like a shop front they communicate what a brand values sometimes that’s to look good sometimes it’s to look expensive sometimes it’s to look cheap
Ye is the brand here try doing this day to day with someone not a celebrity and watch sales fall
Before we discard great creative ideas with excellent execution as having a future in Super Bowl advertising, let’s acknowledge the difference in strategy between this and nearly every other Super Bowl TVC. This is a RETAIL ad, aiming to generate immediate sales (with, on your figures, a 2.75% ROI – before adding in his fine for illegal mobile use). It is an excellent use of celebrity endorsement because in this case, the celebrity is the product.
But the annual opportunity offered by the Super Bowl telecast is for the ultimate BRANDING and/or CORPORATE IMAGE message to grab exposure which, in many cases, continues to pay dividends for years beyond that initial exposure. I suggest these advertisers are looking for a much greater ROI than 2.75%
the Yeezy brand is still generating major revenue for Adidas, even as they offload merchandise quickly. And it’s no small figure. Quite right this is very much a promotional tactic and less so brand building, but to spend 7 million and in 48hrs get back almost 20? Please tell me who is doing those numbers on an individual level? Kanye is disruptive, but he sells. I think after his near 10 billion dollar valuation not even 4 years ago, he got bored
Ye, He’s a genius