Super Bowl advertising space is arguably the most coveted by top brands. Every year, we at The Practice keep our eyes peeled not only for some great sporting action, but also for a sweep of campaign hype.

This year however, we witnessed something different; real-time advertising where the humble Oreo cookie led the way.  When fans were left disgruntled by the 34-minute blackout, Oreo jumped in with its very clever tweeted ad: “You can still dunk in the dark”, read the tagline, accompanied by a single image of the iconic biscuit against a setting of light and shade. Was this a milestone for the Mad Men, and have we welcomed in a year of “instant-advertising”? Tide, Calvin Klein, and of course, Oreo, all showcased quick-witted ads during the power outage- and fundamentally, they drew upon the instantaneous power of social media to propel their adverts into the realm of real-time news.

Had we not been aware of the time constraints- (each was created in approximately five minutes), we would have believed these had taken weeks, if not months to plan. After all, past Super Bowl advertising campaigns, and most campaigns for that matter, take approximately several months to create from inception to approval. Although it’s not fair to compare such different types of advertising, we can’t help but feel that this new wave of speedy advertising might just eclipse the power of classic Super Bowl ads such as Disney’s “I’m Going to Disney World!”

So how did Oreo accomplish such a feat? For the big game, Oreo and its company, Mondelez International were poised in position in a designated “social media command center” based at its New York digital ad agency. This allowed for precious proximity and communication between ad execs, its creative and tech teams which, as every brand knows, is a rare privilege- and huge advantage. Such was this advantage that within 14 hours, the ad had become a viral hit, generating over 15,000 retweets and comments such as; “Social media rapid response at its finest.”

Other brands jumped in on the hiatus and Twitter’s advertising potential, bidding on and purchasing search terms such as “power outage” and “blackout”, which Calvin Klein promptly won. Some even used the micro-blogging site for a little advertising diversion, including network PBS, who tweeted: “This might be a good time think about alternative programming. #SuperBowlBlackOut #WeHaveDowntonPBS”, to encourage viewers to switch over to Downton Abbey. Aside from Blackout-related advertising, we at The Practice also loved Oreo’s other tweeted ad created in response to Beyonce’s Half Time performance. Featuring a bouquet of Oreo cookies accompanied with the tagline, “We’re crazy in love with you”, it was also an instant hit, and perfectly timed.

Surely we’ve witnessed the peripheral line between the instant nature of social media, and timed advertising- but is this trend set to continue? Creative Director at Baker Street Advertising, Bob Dorfman, certainly predicts Oreo’s success will pave the way for others to follow. “During live events, marketers will have their digital agencies at the ready to seize the moment”, he said.

Did you catch any of Sunday night’s proceedings? We’d love to hear your reaction to Oreo’s quick and responsive advertising, or any of the event’s campaigns. Please tweet to us @PracticeDigital and have your say on our Facebook page.