Unless you’ve been under a rock, you’ll know that yesterday was advertising’s biggest day, and our most favourite day of the year – Super Bowl!!
Each year around 50 brands sign up to pay $8m for access to a 30s spot during the big game. Why would they spend this much? Well, brands argue that it gives them the opportunity to connect with a very large and broad range of consumers in a relevant way.
This year, the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs was not that interesting, unless you are an Eagles fan (given their convincing win).
All the good action was either off the pitch (cue celebs, entertainment and Taylor) or…… in the ads (we know that over 60% of people (like us) claim to tune in just for the ads).
There were quite a few firsts this year. Many new brands appearing at Super Bowl for the first time. Welcome Duracell, Instacart and Nestle’s Coffee Mate. And hello Trump - he was there with his daughter (Ivanka) and apparently, he is the first president to attend the Super Bowl in person.
So, what was different this year? Well, there was a big change in the types of advertisers – more health-focused clients, and way fewer auto ads. A few of the Super Bowl favourites like M&Ms, Kia, McDonald’s and Pespi were noticeably absent.
And what was the same? Well, like most years, the game and the ads were packed with celebrities. Brad Pitt, Lady Gaga, Tom Cruise, Harry Connick Jr. were all involved before the game or the ads even started.
Speaking of Celebrities, this ad from Stella Artois was one of the best. It features David Beckham and Matt Damon – it has a funny and engaging story and leaves you feeling good. The brand is clearly trying to leverage off the association of the celebrities and Matt Damon claims that he drinks Stella as he ‘has good taste’.
Many of the ads from this year’s game had a light-hearted feel with an aim to tickle the funny bone. Hellmann’s does it so well with this re-make of that infamous scene from When Harry met Sally starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal. It is genius as it heroes the great taste of Hellmann’s mayonnaise in such a light-hearted and fun way.
Building an emotional connection with your audience is key to making any great ad. This works best when it is based on a relatable human truth. Coors Light were able to cleverly show how people feel on Mondays by using the visual of a sloth and creating a product called a ‘case of Mondays’ - perfect for the post Super Bowl Sunday hangovers.
Launching at last year’s Super Bowl with four ads, this year Homes.com used their two spots, starring Dan Levy & Heidi Gardner, to continue their story and convey the message that they are the best. Now any brands out there who have tried to make a statement like ‘we are the best’ knows that legal just won’t let it through….so why not make an ad about that….very clever!
You might like this ad for the eye candy or for the eye glasses from Meta + Ray ban – you decide which is best. Combining Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt and Kris Jenner was kind of fun and shows the functional benefits of the technology.
Google always show up in a positive way with an ad that tugs at the heart string. For a brand that is selling functional software they have an amazing ability to create strong, emotive stories that hero the software and how it can change your life. We can all learn from them.
And love it or hate it, this ad for Mountain Dew was the most talked about. With Seal singing a spoof on his famous song ‘Kiss from a Rose’, Mountain Dew took the piss out of themselves and aimed to get noticed and be memorable. You won’t be able to unsee this!!
Desperate to know what worked best? So are we. Get in touch with us and we can share the insights via a report or a presentation to your team on the highs and the lows of advertising’s big day.