So what's that worth to VW? About $538,470 in free media when
benchmarked against the $3 million cost for 30 seconds of time
during the Super Bowl, according to Kantar. That's just what the
impressions would cost to reach those additional people and doesn't
include the PR value from the exposure and press coverage. But it's one way an advertiser can
offset the media cost of the Super Bowl with free impressions on
the web.
One could argue that those web impressions are more valuable
because they represent a choice to watch, rather than a passive TV
experience. "The Super Bowl laid the foundation; now they're
getting additional impressions and conversation with the audience
they are targeting," said Andrew Latzman, senior VP of research at
Kantar Video.
Kantar measured 195 placements of "The Force" around the web.
Combined with Volkswagen's other Super Bowl ad, "Black Beetle," the
carmaker has earned more than $600,000 in free media so far.
Viewing of the VW ad hasn't slowed down much. YouTube is counting
26 million views on the ad as of Friday; Kantar's tally, which
included YouTube, stopped Wednesday, meaning the video has accrued
at least another 6 million views since then.
But just like the views dropped off after Volkswagen's mega-hit,
so does the value of the free media. "Pug Attack" generated a
little less than $100,000 in media value and "Imported From
Detroit" $90,000. Overall, the top-10 Super Bowl ads on the web
have generated more than $1 million in media value since the
game.
Interestingly, the most-watched ad on TV, indeed of all-time with 120
million views, according to Nielsen, didn't fare as well on the
web. Chevrolet's "Wild Ride" didn't make the top-20 on the web,
showing that while ads get a boost on TV, they succeed or fail on
the web on their own merits.
But another issue is whether "The Force" is succeeding in
building allegiance to VW or selling any cars. The ad was the
most-liked, according to a Nielsen poll, but it wasn't even in the
top-10 of most-recalled ads after the game.
Fortunately for VW, it has a second chance on the web. It will be
interesting to see if "The Force" has any staying power, and what
VW and its ad agency, Deutsch, do to keep the meme going in
the coming weeks.
Below you can view the full list from Kantar and watch all the
Super Bowl spots in Ad Age's Super Bowl ad widget.
