Unless you’ve been busy hanging out under the Denver International Airport with the Lizard People you’re probably aware that this Sunday marks the 48th anniversary of one of the grandest modern American spectacles: Super Bowl-related marketing!
In recent years, the actual game has become nearly secondary to the buzz over which company will spend 2/3rds of their annual advertising budget on a 30-second hail-mary shot at the end-zone. The stakes?
A chance to live forever in the warm memories of consumers…and the annals of YouTube.
Eager for the opportunity to take part in the competitive-spirit of the weekend, Wasp decided to conduct our own analysis of the two teams featured in this year’s match-up the only way we knew how: By comparing their social media accounts.
We lobbied to make this a legitimate prop-bet at our favorite Las Vegas Casino, but our e-mails weren’t returned. Anyway, let’s kick this thing off:
Facebook Foes
When it comes to Facebook, the official Seattle Seahawks account starts off strong. Boasting much more than just a twelfth man, the Seahawks lay claim to more than 1,480,000 fans. Throughout the month of January, they averaged 60,774 new Likes, and 462,477 People Talking About them weekly.
More impressively, was how often they updated their Timeline with links, images, and video. As of this writing, Seattle has made 159 unique posts since January 1, 2014. That’s a little more than 5 per day.
Pro-Tip: Regular updates not only improve your overall reach on Facebook, but they keep fans engaged throughout the day, ensuring your content finds itself in their News Feeds at all hours.
However, the Denver Broncos shut down this initial drive the same way they’ve overwhelmed their opponents all season: pure offensive numbers.
The official Facebook page for the Broncos caters to over 2,270,000 fans. During the month of January, the numbers climbed nearly a mile-high; Averaging 73,219 new Likes and 568,900 People Talking About them every week. All this accomplished with 114 posts since the beginning of the month. This sheer popularity wins them the first round.
Twitter Titans
Moving into the Twitterverse, the Broncos follow up with another strong drive. 467,000 followers hang onto every one of their approximately 20 Tweets per day. A vast majority consist of links to news articles about the team and promotional photos. The Broncos set the bar as an informative, professionally-run Twitter account.
#Broncos and @Seahawks writers asked and answered four key questions each leading up to #SB48: http://t.co/YRfqY68ChX pic.twitter.com/5wu0Kw7xcM
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) January 31, 2014
Yet, Seattle is the true MVP in this category. While broadcasting to “only” 430,000 followers, scrolling through the Seahawks’ Tweets shows true interaction and engagement. Scattered throughout are Re-Tweets of fan photos, replies to fan Tweets, and a 10-Tweet more per day average over Denver. With the fast-paced environment that Twitter fosters, constant monitoring and participation in the ongoing conversation is essential. Seattle blitzes the competition, and easily takes this round.
@k8carlsen Dear Ryan, #GoHawks! #TGIBF pic.twitter.com/uWUtMn8F5z
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) January 31, 2014
The Google Gridiron
Like any good game, this one comes down to the wire. For our tie-breaker, we turned to the big “G.”
No, not Roger Goodell, Google.
Search volume for the terms “Denver Broncos” and “Seattle Seahawks” over the month of January provided nearly identical results. However, we had to declare a winner. With a goal-line stand towards the end of the month, the Seattle Seahawks barely scraped by, with a 1 point higher rating. Fans can probably thank the popularity of a certain cornerback’s post-game interview for the extra push.
Final verdict: The Seattle Seahawks can claim victory in this year’s Super Social Media Bowl. Now pass the dip, and let’s hope for an even tighter game this weekend!