GVSU alumna to share insider secrets for creating successful Super Bowl ads

What do Doritos ninjas, Clydesdale horses, talking frogs, cavemen, a miniature Darth Vader and Mean Joe Green have in common? They all have had their 30-60 seconds of fame as commercials during the Super Bowl.

Several studies have proven that 50 percent of the Super Bowl’s more than 100 million viewers tune in to the big game just to watch the ads. That’s a lot of pressure not to fumble an impactful and memorable commercial.

Grand Valley alumna, Jocelyn Goldberg, ’10, is all-too-familiar with this pressure as a strategist with advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy, who has helped produce multiple Super Bowl commercials.

Goldberg will revisit her Grand Valley roots to present “Hashtags Don’t Break for Halftime: Inside Coke’s Social Media War Room” on Friday, January 16, from 5:30-7 p.m. in Loosemore Auditorium located in the Richard M. DeVos Center on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus.

“My presentation will reveal all of the preparation and real-time efforts that happen behind-the-scenes during advertising’s biggest event of the year: the Super Bowl,” Goldberg said. “I would encourage people to attend if they have any interest in advertising, as it will expose much of the intricacies and realities that are often overlooked and have yet to be fully understood given today’s ever-changing digitally-led landscape. I would also encourage people to attend if they would like to learn how to utilize real-time marketing for any business.”

By “real-time efforts,” Goldberg refers to the use of social media during large-scale events, like the Super Bowl, and how marketers are able to target their ads to a much smaller, more deliberate group of people for a lower price.

“Say your client wants to reach teens in Michigan. They could pay a hefty price to promote their ad on MTV, but there’s no guarantee that every person who happens to be watching MTV the moment your ad is broadcast is a Michigan teenager. But, if they use paid social media, they can pay a much smaller price to promote their ad specifically to the 13-18 year olds that live in Michigan. More data, no risk, smaller price,” Goldberg said.

With three Super Bowls under her belt working with Wieden+Kennedy’s Coca-Cola account, Goldberg is currently working with Weight Watchers to produce their Super Bowl campaign this year.

Goldberg's presentation is sponsored by Grand Valley's School of Communications and AAF West Michigan.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.aafwmi.org. Tickets: $20 members; $40 non-members; free for students.