This brand was so happy with the success of its first Super Bowl ad it's considering another one - and soccer sponsorship
It was a big bet for Wix: A 30-second spot during the big game cost between $4.4 million to $4.5 million. And it was fighting to be noticed against a flurry of campaigns from well-known brands such as Budweiser and its "Lost Puppy" heartstring-tugger, and Snickers and action movie star Danny Trejo spoofing "The Brady Bunch."
But Wix thinks its $4.5 million ad buy - and its month-long Super Bowl marketing activity building up to game day on February 1 featuring retired NFL stars Brett Favre, Emmitt Smith, Terrell Owens, Larry Allen, and Franco Harris using Wix to help them start their life after football - has paid off.
Wix reported a 54% increase in revenue to $44.5 million in the three months to March 31.
In the earnings release, Wix CEO and co-founder Avishai Abrahami said the company "benefited from increased exposure of our brand, growth in international markets and ongoing efficiency of our marketing efforts."
Speaking to Business Insider, Wix chief marketing officer Omer Shai said it is difficult to directly link the Super Bowl campaign to revenue growth, but that it certainly helped, alongside product improvements, wider non-Super Bowl marketing activity, and increasing conversions.
Shai claims Wix's digital marketing, social media, and PR efforts meant 300 million people across the world saw the campaign in some shape or form. He says that is in addition to the 114.5 million people or so that tuned in to watch the game live on NBC in the US.
Ahead of the game, Shai had told us that his aim was to boost awareness of the brand and make Wix "synonymous with building websites."
We asked if the campaign had achieved this ambition. Shai said: "It's like running 100 meters [compared to] a marathon. It's a long journey. But definitely the Super Bowl has put us in a great place to do these kinds of things."
The effort has been so successful Shai said the 2016 Super Bowl "has potential," in terms of an advertising return.
What's more, the Super Bowl campaign has achieved something Shai wasn't necessarily planning for: "It's opened up some really interesting partnership opportunities ... partnership talks are still in progress but the big game has opened up lots of doors that were closed before."
When pressed on the types of partnerships, Shai wouldn't comment, but he hinted that his eyes are now set on soccer. He joked that sponsoring his favorite team Liverpool FC would be "too expensive," but said as a global company, markets such as Brazil, India, and Russia could be sponsorship options.
"If the right opportunity with the right company comes up, we may go with soccer," Shai added.
It is worth noting that while Wix's Q1 revenues soared year on year, Wix's net losses widened by 7.4% to $16 million as R&D, marketing and sales, and general and administrative costs all increased compared to the same period last year. The company says it expects to reach profitability on an adjusted EBITDA basis in the second quarter of February.