84 Lumber's controversial Super Bowl commercial generated super-sized results, as reflected in traffic numbers reported to ProSales today by the agency that created 84's commercial as well as in a report by an independent firm.
The Pittsburgh-based Brunner ad agency reported that its Feb. 5 Super Bowl commercial for 84 and the follow-up video on the Journey84.com website have been viewed 15 million times on YouTube to date. In addition, it said:
- 84 Lumber had the top-trending videos on YouTube both Super Bowl Sunday evening and all day Monday, Feb. 6, and the video package was in the top 20 the next day as well.
- Journey84.com generated 2 million users on Super Bowl Sunday alone.
- Traffic on 84Lumber.com shot up 15 times higher than average during Super Bowl weekend, which Brunner counts as lasting from Feb. 4 through the end of Monday, Feb. 6.
- 84Lumber.com's homepage was viewed 500,000 times during Super Bowl weekend.
These numbers are separate from the millions who saw the live ad when it was aired during the game.
Meanwhile, Advertising Age magazine cited research by ListenFirst Media that concluded 84 Lumber led all Super Bowl advertisers in "social audience impact acquisition." ListenFirst based its metric on "the absolute and relative growth in Facebook Likes, Twitter Followers, Instagram Followers, and YouTube Subscribers from Feb. 5 to Feb. 7." The number of 84's Twitter followers skyrocketed 707%, a gain of 17,160, and for all the social categories it racked up more than 65,000 new fans in the three-day period.
All this was generated by an ad depicting a Hispanic mother and daughter's journey to the U.S. for the chance at a new life. The 90-second ad shown during the Super Bowl ends with an invitation to go to Journey84.com and see the rest of the video--including the part that the Fox TV network wouldn't allow to be shown over the air.
Near the end of the full ad, the duo reaches a wall, which presumably separates the Mexican and U.S. border. Though they are both upset, the daughter doesn't give up and the mother spots a large door in the wall that's been left unlocked open. They push through the door and enter the U.S. Then 84's tagline rolls across the screen: "The will to succeed is always welcome here." There also is an invitation to visit 84Careers.com.
The ad and online video generated 1,200 social media responses that ran the gamut.