With over 17 years of digital marketing experience  across media and digital agencies, eCommerce and technology platforms, Nick Pahade is currently spearheading Poptent’s efforts to address the surging demand for video content that is well-produced and delivers an authentic voice to the audience.

Considering the current frenzy marketers are in to create the next great viral video, the company is betting on building a scalable platform to connect content publishers and content creators.

The goal is to bring the two together in an iterative process for production, testing and sharing, resulting in the company mission:  “Poptent harnesses the engagement and creativity of more than 50,000 video creators to generate high quality video content for online, mobile and broadcast.”

Pahade has been recognized by MEDIA Magazine as one of the “Top 50 People to Know in Interactive Marketing”. He was also named an Online All-Star by MediaPost and was included in Advertising Age’s coveted 40 under 40 list. He is also active in the venture capital area serving in both an advisory role and angel investor to a variety of industry start-ups.

Not too far from the location of this year’s Super Bowl, Nick Pahade resides in Princeton, New Jersey with his wife, two daughters and the family dog. He cites his favorite pastime as anything that allows him to spend time with this kids, but also has a passion for electronics, technology, a marine reef enthusiast, and great food.

Nick Pahade

CEO, PopTent

• Age: 38
• Apple or Android? Apple
• HQ: Princeton, NJ

• First Job: Paper Boy
• First Car: Mazda 626
• Fave TV Show: Shark Tank

Which Super Bowl Ads Have Caught Your Attention So Far?

Unilever was one of the first brands to unveil its Super Bowl spot online (January 14th), although the company opted to release a one minute version of its #KissForPeace campaign, while only purchasing a :30 second slot during the game on Sunday. Still, Pahade says he really likes the AXE advertisement, saying it is “clever, evokes emotion and is well produced.”

On the slightly negative side, Pahade was somewhat disappointed by one early release: “I really wanted to love the Squarespace video just to see some competition in this sector but it fell sort of flat for me and the theatrical production quality looked like it would have benefited from a bigger budget.”

Outside of the official game time ads, many brands with a connection to the Super Bowl are running concurrent campaigns and capitalizing on the buzz, including MetLife, who holds the naming rights to the stadium where Super Bowl XLVIII will be played. They’ve released a series of shorts online, and Pahade gave a hat tip to the creative lead, Ari Merkin who is behind the MetLife Anthem campaign, noting “that was a really fun and well produced video as well.”

Poptent’s Player In The Game

While Pahade is a bit modest about it, there’s one commercial in particular he’s excited to see be successful in social media. In 2012, Dannon approached the Poptent community to develop a breakthrough commercial for Super Bowl XLVI. According to the company, thirty-five of Poptent’s top producers answered the call to submit their creative vision for Dannon OIKOS, which included bringing in actor John Stamos as the steamy spokesperson.

Due to the overwhelming success of that campaign, Dannon again asked the Poptent community for this year’s commercial creative. This time, Dannon’s agency Vinizius/Y&R was involved in the collaborative effort with the community to develop ideas; the brand found lightning for a second time with Poptent creators Joe Binetti and Brian Gregoire.

Modesty aside, Poptent and Pahade have plenty to be proud of with the new OIKOS spots going viral on social media very quickly. Pahade admits, “selfishly, we are very excited about the work our Poptent community of creators helped ideate for Dannon’s Oikos brand done in collaboration with Y&R.. but maybe I love Full House too much!”

OIKOS “The Spill” – Full Length ad released January 25, 2014, over 2.7 million views since:

OIKOS “The Big Tease” – Teaser ad released January 20, 2014, over 1.3 million views since:

Which Brand Will Be The Most Prepared From A Social Media Perspective?

Following the early predictions and sentiment from fellow Hashtag Bowl commentators, Susan Beebe and Peter Shankman, any brand has the potential to newsjack the the live event and take advantage of real-time marketing opportunities.

“Oreo set the bar last year and its tough to win two years in a row. From what I have seen so far, I’m going with Bud Light this year,” says Pahade, noting that the Bud Light teasers made use of the #UpForWhatever hashtag to build early buzz from its teaser ads.

What Else Should We Expect From Super Bowl XLVIII Advertisers?

This year may signal a seismic shift in advertisers’ awareness of multiple devices and many platforms, as Pahade makes a prediction: “I think you will see the majority of marketers truly embrace multi-screen conversations and dialog to truly take advantage of the entire SuperBowl experience and build up; those that don’t will be called out on it and should be prepared for the storm that will ensue! It’s a good mix of advertisers this year so I am looking forward to some great content.”

Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Marketing Land. Staff authors are listed here.

About The Author

Elisabeth Osmeloski

Elisabeth Osmeloski is VP of Audience Development for Search Engine Land and Marketing Land. In addition, she assists in programming sessions at Third Door Media's Search Marketing Expo conference and the Marketing Land Events series and manages speaking engagements for editorial staff. Follow her on Twitter @elisabethos.