WebProNews reports that Pepsi will not buy TV advertising during the Super Bowl, opting instead for social media. Is that a smart move?

I think you can argue both sides of this question.

On one hand, nearly half of all U.S. households will be tuned in on Super Bowl Sunday. On the other hand, using social media, Pepsi has the potential to reach a wider audience worldwide. While there will be a lot of eyeballs glued to the screen during the Super Bowl, most of that audience will be in the U.S. The rest of the world considers football a game played mostly with the feet, what we call “soccer”.

Still, how many people are watching is a moot point when you consider that Pepsi has a huge budget for the Super Bowl. I’m betting they can get a lot more social media mileage for the same money. And if their social media advertising goes viral – which it very well could considering the height and depth of the PR that will be surrounding it – Pepsi could come out a big winner.

Another pro for social media is the long-lasting effect. Super Bowl advertising is effective for a limited time. The ads run then they’re gone. If they happen to be good enough then they’ll be etched into the minds of watchers for a little while before forgotten.

By contrast, social media links stick around forever. Done right, a savvy social media campaign could also turn into a huge link building campaign, giving Pepsi a big boost in search engine rankings for their keywords.

What do you think? Is this a smart move for Pepsi?

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