Why brands need to take bigger risks

Strange and dangerous things happen every day, some representing bold and risky breakthroughs. On October 24, 2014, Alan Eustace, senior vice president of knowledge at Google, a respected engineer and leader, made waves by jumping from the stratosphere, breaking the world record previously set by Felix Baumgartner in 2012. Wearing a specially designed spacesuit, Alan ascended in a balloon to a height of more than 25 miles and then jumped into space, reaching a peak speed of 833 mph (greater than the speed of sound) as he plummeted toward Earth. Even more interesting, Eustace planned the jump in total secrecy — a private initiative with a small, dedicated team of experts, without the support of one single dollar in sponsorship money. Eustace did it because he wanted to do it: One man guided by passion and compelled by the sheer risk of the jump, resulting in a new world record and opening up the stratosphere for research. The fact that the jump was orchestrated by a small team working without the overhang of a larger organization may have given Eustace and his team the freedom and speed they needed to break the record. For us, the connection between Eustace’s risky jump and a growing trend in the world of brand advertising is clear: Brands that take bigger risks are reaping bigger rewards — especially in the digital space — and positively impacting brand metrics and sales. Twitter On the heels of Eustace’s news, we wanted to dive deeper into the phenomenon of risky behavior driving impact as it relates to brand advertising on digital platforms. Ambush on the Big Stage It’s impossible to think about advertising on the big stage in the U.S. without talking about the Super Bowl. With 111.5 million viewers, the broadcast of Super Bowl XLVIII last year was the most watched TV show in U.S. history. Super Bowl XLIX is expected to break that record. These numbers pale in comparison to the reach of digital video, with more than one billion unique monthly users visiting YouTube. In fact, digital is responsible for people watching Super Bowl ads more than the game itself — 50% of the Super Bowl audience watches the ads on YouTube before the game airs, and 62% tunes in to these ads after the game is over. Big brands always make a splash at tent- pole events like the Super Bowl, but increasingly, we’re seeing smaller brands winning even more. Take Newcastle Brown Ale’s Super Bowl play. Knowing that the company had neither the permission nor the $4 million plus budget required for a prime slot during the Super Bowl game, Newcastle showed the world the ad Newcastle would have made, if only they could have. Veering off the traditional path, Newcastle took a risk by creating digital teasers, trailers, fake focus group footage, and mock “behind-the-scenes” footage featuring Anna Kendrick and Keyshawn Johnson. Newcastle created the commercial it might have made if the firm had the gigantic budget or the rights to advertise during the game. The campaign received more than 10 million views — prompting the posts, social shares, and comments Newcastle needed to gauge viewer response — and was mentioned in 600 news articles. Newcastle conjured up more than one billion impressions, and in markets where the campaign also received promotional in-store support, it resulted in a high triple-digit lift in sales. Newcastle ambushed the Super Bowl, leaving competitors wondering what their prime slot spend really got them. “One man guided by passion and compelled by the sheer risk of the jump, resulting in a new world record and opening up the stratosphere for research.” Of the several lessons brand advertisers can learn from Newcastle’s effort — Adweek’s pick for the No. 1 ad campaign for 2014 — is that taking risks sticks with us. Newcastle was willing to put its budget toward an innovative digital approach that side-stepped both the safety and the pitfalls of traditional outlets. Newcastle proved that risks can pay off, and the company may have inadvertently paved the way for all brands — big or small — to rethink their approach to costly, tent-pole advertising events like the Super Bowl. Newcastle is hardly the only brand out there taking these kinds of risks. They are part of an even bigger trend we’ve been keeping our eye on. Smaller Brands, Bigger Wins There is no denying that big household name brands like Coca- Cola and Nike fund some truly excellent creative work. In some cases, as with Oreo (and its parent company, Mondelez International, formerly known as Kraft Foods), these well-known brands are noted for taking some calculated risks. However, we’ve seen that more often it’s smaller or lesser-known brands that benefit from taking bigger advertising risks. Turkish Airlines is not a tiny brand in terms of its advertising spend. Still, up until recently, the airline was dwarfed by some of its mainstream competitors including United, American or Delta in terms of brand recognition and awareness. A few years ago