Did Temu score a major win on Super Bowl Sunday?
Source: “Temu App Official Big Game Ad | Shop like a Billionaire”

The Temu e-commerce site has only been live in the U.S. since September, but that didn’t stop the Chinese-owned marketplace from looking to connect on a long ball during the broadcast of Super Bowl LVII.

Temu ran spots in the first and third quarters during Sunday’s game followed by others during the postgame report and Next Level Chef, which followed the Super Bowl broadcast on Fox. Those spots made it the most-seen brand during and immediately following the Super Bowl, according to iSpot.tv, a cross-platform TV measurement firm, which spoke to RetailWire.

The site, which had not run any other commercials in February, rose to the seventh biggest online retailer by ad impressions with individuals two and above as a result of its commercials. Data from the iSpot Creative Assessment survey found that Temu’s spot was the second-most “colorful” ad during the game. Nearly 20 percent of respondents said they were “much more likely” to purchase the brand’s products/services after watching the commercial.

Temu, which features a wide variety of inexpensive products in the apparel and footwear, beauty and health, home and garden, electronics, office products, pet supplies and sports and outdoors categories, pushed colorful fashion choices and low prices in its spot. “The prices blow my mind. I feel so rich. I feel like a billionaire. I’m shopping like a billionaire,” goes the site’s jingle.

The Temu commercial was the fourth most effective at driving engagement during the Super Bowl, according to EDO, Inc. The spot’s level of engagement with viewers was 10-times the median for spots run during the game. A spokesperson for EDO told RetailWire that it scored the performance of every national spot during the broadcast “based on the measure of incremental online engagement for a brand or product immediately following the airing.”

A NetBase Quid search by RetailWire on social posts mentioning Temu for all of Super Bowl Sunday and Monday showed a count of 47,510, with 31,530 on the day after the game. The number of impressions also jumped on Monday to 56,619,890 up from more than 4.86 million on Sunday. A spokesperson for NetBase Quid said that a majority of the posts appear to have come from bots.

Temu in October passed Shein as the most downloaded shopping app in the U.S., according to MIT Technology Review.

BrainTrust

“I think this ad accomplished exactly what it set out to do.”

Melissa Minkow

Director, Retail Strategy, CI&T


Discussion Questions

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: What do you think Temu set out to accomplish with its Super Bowl Sunday commercials? Was it successful?

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11 responses to “Did Temu score a major win on Super Bowl Sunday?”

  1. John Lietsch Avatar
    John Lietsch

    Honestly, I didn’t remember what Temu sold until I got to the word “billionaire” in the article. If Super Bowl commercials don’t necessarily move the transactional needle then their primary purpose is awareness and in a sample of one, Temu failed. However I suspect that Temu achieved awareness for its target audience. Apparently, I have no desire to be a billionaire!

  2. Neil Saunders Avatar
    Neil Saunders

    Temu is already a popular app in the U.S. The Super Bowl commercial has stimulated even more interest and will no doubt boost downloads and ultimately sales. Not least because the low prices and value for money message Temu pushed during the Super Bowl will resonate with many Americans. While there are some questions around their quality and sustainability, the rise of Chinese shopping platforms, including others like Shein, is a threat to incumbents, including Amazon. They may only be nibbling away at market share right now, but the bites they are taking are getting bigger.

  3. Gene Detroyer Avatar
    Gene Detroyer

    The data suggests they were successful if their objective was to introduce themselves.

    Now their challenge will be meeting the customers’ expectations. Will searching and ordering be easy? Will the delivery be smooth and prompt? Will the quality of the products exceed the cheap price? And, of course, returns?

  4. Patricia Vekich Waldron Avatar
    Patricia Vekich Waldron

    Temu’s launch plan was designed to raise visibility, and it has clearly resonated with their target market. Whether they can deliver on the brand promise over time is another game entirely.

  5. Lisa Goller Avatar
    Lisa Goller

    Temu is making its ambitious U.S. expansion plans known. (Much like TikTok and Shein.) What better ad placement is there than Super Bowl Sunday to boldly maximize reach?

    Its timely pricing strategy aligns with consumer demand for affordable options as inflation remains high.

    Temu’s spot was successful at driving brand awareness, web traffic and social media engagement.

  6. David Spear Avatar
    David Spear

    From a qualitative standpoint, Temu certainly achieved their objective in driving awareness to the brand. I saw at least two or three spots and all were colorful, cheerful, and interesting, but can they deliver the goods with customer experience, quality, and all the other factors that are so important to the overall retail experience? There’s also the new geo-political issues facing China-based companies given last week’s spy balloon fiasco. It’ll be interesting to watch this unfold.

  7. Melissa Minkow Avatar
    Melissa Minkow

    I think this ad accomplished exactly what it set out to do. It was a very memorable spot, and it inspired an impressive amount of curiosity among viewers who didn’t already recognize the brand. There’s a lot going on during the Super Bowl- people are gathered, there are many commercials competing for attention, etc. Temu’s ad disrupted the noise. In my opinion, that’s a massive share of a Super Bowl ad’s objectives.

  8. David Naumann Avatar
    David Naumann

    Temu’s advertising goal for the Super Bowl commercials was to accelerate its brand awareness in the U.S. Based on the engagement measured by EDO, Inc., the spot’s level of engagement with viewers was 10 times the median for spots run during the game. I would say it was a successful marketing tactic.

  9. Mark Self Avatar
    Mark Self

    They wanted awareness which they achieved. So, yes. Regarding the business itself, I do not know how selling $8 dresses online adds up to a sustainable model — come back and ask this question in a year!

  10. John Hyman Avatar
    John Hyman

    A very stylish ad offering fashion at low prices. How could it not meet the company’s initial expectations? The real victory will be the acceptance of the products, and the level of service received, by the U.S. consumer.

  11. Craig Sundstrom Avatar
    Craig Sundstrom

    In the case of a new company like Temu, the purpose of a Super Bowl ad is to get the name before the public; so far so good. But without follow-up (ads and exposure) any advantage will be lost. So at this stage I would give a grade of “incomplete.” The survey results I don’t find very meaningful, nor would most of us, I believe (who’ve filled out similar ones, which ask dozens of — often tedious — questions about things we scarcely remember).

11 Comments
oldest
newest
John Lietsch
John Lietsch
5 months ago

Honestly, I didn’t remember what Temu sold until I got to the word “billionaire” in the article. If Super Bowl commercials don’t necessarily move the transactional needle then their primary purpose is awareness and in a sample of one, Temu failed. However I suspect that Temu achieved awareness for its target audience. Apparently, I have no desire to be a billionaire!

Neil Saunders
Neil Saunders
5 months ago

Temu is already a popular app in the U.S. The Super Bowl commercial has stimulated even more interest and will no doubt boost downloads and ultimately sales. Not least because the low prices and value for money message Temu pushed during the Super Bowl will resonate with many Americans. While there are some questions around their quality and sustainability, the rise of Chinese shopping platforms, including others like Shein, is a threat to incumbents, including Amazon. They may only be nibbling away at market share right now, but the bites they are taking are getting bigger.

Gene Detroyer
Gene Detroyer
5 months ago

The data suggests they were successful if their objective was to introduce themselves.

Now their challenge will be meeting the customers’ expectations. Will searching and ordering be easy? Will the delivery be smooth and prompt? Will the quality of the products exceed the cheap price? And, of course, returns?

Patricia Vekich Waldron
Patricia Vekich Waldron
5 months ago

Temu’s launch plan was designed to raise visibility, and it has clearly resonated with their target market. Whether they can deliver on the brand promise over time is another game entirely.

Lisa Goller
Lisa Goller
5 months ago

Temu is making its ambitious U.S. expansion plans known. (Much like TikTok and Shein.) What better ad placement is there than Super Bowl Sunday to boldly maximize reach?

Its timely pricing strategy aligns with consumer demand for affordable options as inflation remains high.

Temu’s spot was successful at driving brand awareness, web traffic and social media engagement.

David Spear
David Spear
5 months ago

From a qualitative standpoint, Temu certainly achieved their objective in driving awareness to the brand. I saw at least two or three spots and all were colorful, cheerful, and interesting, but can they deliver the goods with customer experience, quality, and all the other factors that are so important to the overall retail experience? There’s also the new geo-political issues facing China-based companies given last week’s spy balloon fiasco. It’ll be interesting to watch this unfold.

Melissa Minkow
Melissa Minkow
5 months ago

I think this ad accomplished exactly what it set out to do. It was a very memorable spot, and it inspired an impressive amount of curiosity among viewers who didn’t already recognize the brand. There’s a lot going on during the Super Bowl- people are gathered, there are many commercials competing for attention, etc. Temu’s ad disrupted the noise. In my opinion, that’s a massive share of a Super Bowl ad’s objectives.

David Naumann
David Naumann
5 months ago

Temu’s advertising goal for the Super Bowl commercials was to accelerate its brand awareness in the U.S. Based on the engagement measured by EDO, Inc., the spot’s level of engagement with viewers was 10 times the median for spots run during the game. I would say it was a successful marketing tactic.

Mark Self
Mark Self
5 months ago

They wanted awareness which they achieved. So, yes. Regarding the business itself, I do not know how selling $8 dresses online adds up to a sustainable model — come back and ask this question in a year!

John Hyman
John Hyman
5 months ago

A very stylish ad offering fashion at low prices. How could it not meet the company’s initial expectations? The real victory will be the acceptance of the products, and the level of service received, by the U.S. consumer.

Craig Sundstrom
Craig Sundstrom
5 months ago

In the case of a new company like Temu, the purpose of a Super Bowl ad is to get the name before the public; so far so good. But without follow-up (ads and exposure) any advantage will be lost. So at this stage I would give a grade of “incomplete.” The survey results I don’t find very meaningful, nor would most of us, I believe (who’ve filled out similar ones, which ask dozens of — often tedious — questions about things we scarcely remember).