The 51st Super Bowl was another huge point of focus on social, with both Facebook and Twitter reporting strong engagement. It wasn't quite as big as the 2015 event, but still, there was a lot of discussion, and many brands who benefited as a result.
First off, on Facebook. 64 million people participated in more than 240 million interactions on the platform. That's up on 2016, but still behind 2015, which saw 65 million people generate 265 million interactions. The game was also popular on Instagram, with 44 million users contributing 150 million interactions.
Also worthy of note - a whopping 90% of those interactions took place on mobile.
Meanwhile on Twitter, there were more than 27.6 million Tweets about #SB51 during the live telecast, resulting in some 5.6 billion impressions. The result was close to the 2015 record of 28.4 million Super Bowl tweets.
As you can see, Twitter has also listed the brands that generated the most attention during the game with their innovative, inspiring and creative event tie-ins.
And while it's too late for this year's event, there are some key takeaways for brands based on the 2017 Super Bowl data.
As explained by Facebook:
"Marketers who apply what they learned from the Big Game will be well-positioned to win consumers' attention during the Academy Awards, March Madness and other upcoming events."
The key lessons?
- Extend the conversation - Both by complimenting other campaign elements and by tapping into trending discussions with relevant tie-ins
- If you hadn't heard, mobile remains crucially important - Again, 90% of the interactions on Facebook and Instagram came via mobile device (YouTube has also reported that 70% of their Super Bowl-related watch time came via mobile)
- The continuing rise of video is also evident - Video is a key compliment that can help boost your campaign reach
- The conversation is multi-platform - According to Facebook: "people go to Facebook for reactions and opinions and to Instagram for an insider's perspective. Experiment with sharing key moments on Facebook and offering behind-the-scenes glimpses or exclusive content on Instagram."
While creativity and audience understanding is always critical, these are some key tips that can help boost your social campaigns when looking to link into trending topics and events.