$5.2 million for 30 seconds. That is how much CBS charged (and advertisers willingly paid) for one of its coveted advertising slots in the 2018 Super Bowl, according to CNBC. Not bad, considering you have a captive audience of over 100 million viewers not just tuning in for the big game, but just as enthusiastically focused on watching the ads. What a time to be in alive.
While my military clients’ ad placement was no where near the $173,333 per second mark, Branch 5 Marketing took the opportunity to reach the military patron/football party host with MyMilitarySavings.com’s January Digital Circular.
In addition to price and coupon advertising, we created store-level activation with demo programs built around the football party eating occasion. This roster included demo signage complete with consumer talking points, football-themed decorations including banners, base wrap and die-cut cardboard footballs, price signage and party-perfect appetizer recipe cards.
If you are interested in the who’s who of ads in upcoming Super Bowl LIV (54), you can check out AdWeek’s Super Bowl 2020 Ad Tracker.
Aside from big games, let’s talk big changes! January 1 kicked off the beginning of a new era for eligible veterans to utilize on-base Commissary and Exchange shopping benefits. This expansion authorizes over four million VA service-connected disabled veterans, purple heart recipients, former POW’s and their caregivers to shop on base. There has been some feedback regarding onboarding difficulty at base visitor control, due to the threat level increase as tensions rise with Iran. However, some Commissaries have reported seeing an uptick in new shoppers despite increased security measures.
I was curious to know if military spouses were being permitted to accompany eligible veterans on base, as my post-service husband is now one of the four million that will be permitted to shop at DeCA and the Exchanges again. While the clarity of this answer has been murky at best, I found an article from Military Times that addresses the issue and provides some insight on to what the DOD says about spouses accompanying veterans to shop.
As of November 2019, DeCA maintained its patron savings at an average of 23.7% by shopping at a Commissary versus outside the gates. Millions of additional authorized Commissary shoppers with the ability to cut their grocery bill by nearly a quarter – that’s a substantial win.
If you are authorized to shop on base, please consider supporting your local Commissary and make the trip for your party needs!