With the U.S. primaries quickly headed our way this November, candidates from the two major parties aren’t pulling any punches. Both Trump and Bloomberg shelled out $11 million for Super Bowl ads designed to sway voters. But were they successful? Social listening reveals real-time reactions supported by AI-driven text analytics for unparalleled audience understanding. Trump and Bloomberg, take note!
Super Bowl Ad Media Mentions vs General Conversation
Exploring the Super Bowl conversation in the AI-powered and contextually precise, Quid, we see visually stunning conversation clusters that capture all of the high points. And this includes of course, in the bottom right corner, the share of conversation garnered by the political contenders we saw this Super Bowl Sunday – Trump and Bloomberg:
Digging deeper, we find that the media is latching on to:
- Trump’s attack of Bloomberg’s height
- Bloomberg’s portrayal of his stance on gun control
- Trump’s usage of Alice Marie Johnson (the woman who Kim Kardashian West helped free)
And when we isolate mentions of “Trump Campaign” and “Bloomberg Campaign,” the keywords that come up are compelling. “Criminal Justice Reform” is the most mentioned and resonated very strongly with viewers, as did the Hannity interview which was not as well received:
Sentiment analysis supports this understanding, with mentions labeling the commercial “simply brilliant” and Net Sentiment (a measure from -100 too 100) registering at 99%.
Bloomberg didn’t fare quite as well for his commercial. Negative sentiment is concentrated on “What will Bloomberg actually do about gun control?” And his Net Sentiment hovered around a -85, demonstrating the skepticism his ad created, which undoubtedly wasn’t the vibe he was going for:
Trump & Bloomberg Critics Everywhere
Both candidates were roundly criticized for a variety of things though. It’s not a blowout for Trump, even though it may initially appear that way.
Looking at a scatterplot of social engagement stats across “Trump Campaign” and “Bloomberg Campaign,” beyond what has already been mentioned, we also see high social engagement around Trump’s Kansas City mistake. Also, there’s lots of conversation around Trump’s insults towards Democratic candidates in Iowa – and, even for Trump, this isn’t a good look:
- References to “Sleepy Joe” Biden
- Senator Elizabeth Warren telling “fairy tales”
- Labeling Bernie Sanders “a communist”
- And, his new favorite – Bloomberg’s height
Suffice to say – each candidate faces unique challenges, much like each brand. And each requires a corresponding finesse when it comes to communicating effectively with followers.
So, Who Won The Super Bowl Ad War?
When it comes to overall “person primary mentions,” we see Trump capturing the lion share of the conversation. Not that all mentions are positive, but a solid portion were. The only thing he could’ve done to bolster his stats for this crowd would have been including Tom Brady in some way. The mentions would have soared. The sentiment may have dived (as most football fans love hating the Patriots), but Trump isn’t bothered much by negative sentiment overall anyway – even when he should be.
Bloomberg, on the other hand, does not have this luxury in this hotly contested race toward choosing a Democratic contender. And his effort trails behind the popular Super Bowl commercials in “person primary mentions.” We find him sandwiched between the halftime show OG performers.
Although he had more mentions than Shakira, he trailed behind JLo. Maybe connecting with one of those influential ladies to support his ad with a shout-out would have been helpful? Most certainly would not have hurt!
Real-time Audience Opportunities
And this is where it’s super valuable to have insight in real-time and track how a conversation is trending about your brand (or Presidential candidate) as things happen. It provides opportunities to connect meaningfully with influential constituents (or consumers) making these mentions online. When brands/candidates understand how their activities are resonating, they’re better equipped to address pain points and shift the narrative.
Right now, the @Mike2020 Twitter is on broadcast and isn’t engaging with followers outside of the script. And that is an opportunity lost – many opportunities lost, actually. @RealDonaldTrump isn’t doing much better in that respect, but he’s the man to beat. And with all eyes on Iowa, using every bit of insight at one’s disposal could definitely be a game changer!
Be sure to reach out for a demo of NetBase Quid ahead of your brand (or candidate’s) next category-defining campaign. We created one around the Super Bowl’s #BabyNut commercial to offer a glimpse of NetBase Pro in action. Because, having a social listening edge is what keeps those Super Bowl commercials so next-level competitive after all – other brands of every variety would be wise to follow suit!
