By Larry Vincent, Director, Group Strategy, Siegel+Gale

What does a Super Bowl advertisement have in common with a Tournament of Roses parade float? Contrary to popular belief, the answer is not William Shatner. Both revolve around global media events that attract significant consumer attention. Both require sizable investment from advertisers and sponsors (the price of a 30-second Super Bowl ad unit exceeded $2 million and, depending on the technology employed, a quality TOR float weighs in at $200,000). And both investments have a relatively short shelf life; while the exposure and audience reach is nearly unmatched, when it's over, it's over. That is, unless the investment is supported by broader communications such as public relations.

Executives in C-suites all across the country are scrutinizing the value of such one-time investments. On the one hand, they represent the greens fees for the country club of A-list brands. As one CMO put it, "No one ever got fired for buying ad time on the Super Bowl." In fact, some leading branding executives find it very hard to justify not participating, particularly when the competition is staying the course. On the other hand, too often the investment does not result in a quality brand experience. The problem with Super Bowl ads and parade floats is they compete with other sponsors for showmanship. Audiences expect entertainment value from these media exercises, and the drive to satisfy that entertainment expectation generally sacrifices a brand promise and/or sales value.

It doesn't have to be this way. A Super Bowl ad can, in fact, serve as a very strong brand touchpoint. Coca-Cola showed exactly how in the recent Super Bowl broadcast. Two of the ads it ran for Classic were delightfully on-brand while also serving up quality branded entertainment. The first ad featured borrowed equity from famous cartoon franchises, using Macy's-style parade balloons. It worked because it leveraged Classic's link to Americana and popular culture. The second ad, which featured political strategist James Carville and former Senator Bill Frist in an unexpected buddy trip, connected to a well-established consumer ritual that is inextricably linked to the brand—"jinxing" a friend when you say the same word and exacting a Coke as payment. These ads worked as branding tools because they balanced the style, tonality and messaging of the Classic brand with a storytelling experience worthy of Super Bowl media.

But effective use of "tent-pole media events" like a Super Bowl ad requires more than brand consistency and storytelling. The goal must be to use the event to drive a broader campaign. The media has the potential to generate momentum for a more frequent (and much less expensive) stream of brand touchpoints. From a brand strategy perspective, the tent-pole media event should summarize the brand promise (in Coke's case, the shared, refreshing delight of enjoying a Coke). It should also define the brand voice that will resurface in all subsequent brand interactions. From that point forward, the brand continues to build by using other communications vehicles to reinforce the messaging and the voice.

Too many tent-pole media events go to waste because the required follow-on resources are absent. Often, there aren't enough quality public relations efforts connected to the media event, or the promotional platform is not positioned to make the most of the buzz value. Worse, occasionally the media event bursts onto the scene once, and only once. The high-priced asset is never seen again. It's either inappropriate for subsequent rotation or the brand put too much emphasis on the event and not the ongoing branding effort.

Part of the issue is the scale and timing of such investments. Advertising agencies working on Super Bowl ads are under the gun to deliver creative that will stand out. Often, the desire to stand out is at the expense of the brand platform. And the rush to create the ad makes collaborative communications planning difficult, at best. Many PR agencies learn about a client's Super Bowl ad campaign the day the rest of the nation enjoys the finished product. That's unfortunate, because a well-planned publicity campaign can elevate and sustain a tent-pole media event.

Last year, MasterCard Worldwide ran a curious extension of its award-winning "Priceless" campaign during the Academy Awards broadcast, another tent-pole media event. The ad featured blanks where normally there would be price tags attached to consumables. It was the start of a promotional program that encouraged consumers to log on to Priceless.com and create a priceless ad of their own design. It was one of the most successful promotional programs the Purchase, New York payment brand has ever run.

There are three reasons for its success: First, it launched with a well-orchestrated, brand-focused communications campaign—the advertisement was not an isolated brand burst. PR and promotional efforts launched in concert and continued to support the campaign after the initial run of the ad. Second, the ad was a seamless extension of the brand promise, using all of the equity MasterCard has developed in "Priceless" for nearly ten years. Finally, the program delivered entertainment value that invited consumers to engage. The program was "on brand"—the tent-pole media event served the brand, not the other way around.

What does all of this mean to integrated efforts? Simply that when approaching a tent-pole media event as a brand initiative, marketers must keep three guidelines in mind:

1. Find a brand-appropriate hook to the event. This means understanding why the audience tunes in in the first place and finding a relevant way to weave your brand promise onto the stage.

2. Align your touchpoints with the media event. Draw attention to the brand through PR, retail, customer service and promotional programs.

3. Develop a roadmap to sustain the exposure and momentum after the media event has passed.

Laurence Vincent is a writer and strategic marketing consultant, specializing in brand management, corporate alliances, integrated marketing and branded entertainment. His clients have included MasterCard International, Texas Instruments, the National Football League, the Smithsonian Institution and The Home Depot, to name a few. Prior to joining Siegel+Gale, Laurence led the Los Angeles office and entertainment marketing division of Octagon Worldwide.