Super Bowl: The Main Stage for Marketing Champions
We are 7 days away from the Super Bowl, aka a marketer’s version of the Oscars. Every year, we look forward to the genius creativity and how brands find a way to tell their story in 30–60 seconds.
The best ads resonate with the masses. They land a clear message that people can understand, remember, and enact.
With live sports up in the air at the beginning of the NFL season, we weren’t quite sure how brands would respond. Amidst COVID-19, advertising & marketing budgets have been slashed significantly for 2021. Some major advertisers like Coke, Anheuser-Busch, and PepsiCo, have decided to opt out of this year’s SB and have shifted their resources to support COVID-19 relief efforts or other priorities.This decision increased supply until the last minute, thus allowing smaller advertisers an opportunity to introduce themselves on the main stage for champions.
Still, the magic of Super Bowl ads persists. Although we have to wait until the main day to see all of the ads, brands have started to roll their stories out across digital channels. We noticed three main emotional themes across brands:
JOY
It’s such an obvious choice, but sometimes the best marketing speaks to the most obvious truths. After surviving 4 years of Trump and basically 1 year of the pandemic, people want to experience joy. We see it in the growing habits of self-care, at-home indulgence, and the growing trend of mindfulness. In spite of what our realities are, joy is a necessity and another way to think about winning.
Michelob Ultra approached their ad, Happy, in a way that you were forced to quickly connect their product with sports and the joy it brings consumers when the worlds combine. It’s a star-studded montage highlighting community, togetherness, and laughter.
Understand: The name of the ad is literally “Happy” — enough said.
Remember: Again…they said joy/happy/win so many times, it’s hard to forget what they represent
Enact: Consumers seeing their favorite athletes makes it easy to associate Michelob Ultra with sports watching — this creates a clear occasion for the beer.
COMEDY
Who doesn’t need a bit of comedic relief? After another unexpected week of penny stocks making billionaires poor and losing cultural giants like Cicely Tyson and John Chaney, we need some laughter.
Tide continues to communicate their functional benefit — “we clean dirty clothes the best.”
This time, the dirty takes form as a hoodie with various facial expressions from Jason Alexander, best known for his role as George Costanza in Seinfeld. In The Jason Alexander Hoodie, Tide uses unique film techniques to showcase the pain we put our clothes through when they get dirty.
Understand: Tide didn’t have to do much to get us to understand their message because we’ve been hearing it for years. They just rotate products when it makes sense.
Remember: Who else can say that they have a digital hoodie? It was a unique spin to their year over year message. Also Jason Alexander adds a nostalgic touch for Seinfield fans who are probably 2 kids in by now.
Enact: This ad showed us that our dirty clothes have feelings — clean them — and only with Tide.
HOPE
Forever FLOTUS said it best. Hope is the guiding principles for survival in this era. And two brands hit this emotion so vividly and beautifully.
Budlight announced their new Lemonade Seltzers with Last Year’s Lemons, a play on the familiar adage “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” The visual effects show a hailstorm of lemons to highlight the whirlwind of 2020. The advertisers make an interesting choice to start the ad off in a seemingly COVID-19 free world. 3 friends are gathered at what looks like a backyard cookout in sunny weather — a moment we’re all quietly awaiting.
Understand: Everybody knows the saying when life gives you lemons, and it’s a clear tie-in with the product
Remember: The visual effects of the ad are hard to forget. Bright yellow lemons help you automatically associate with the potential taste of the product.
Enact: The occasion was made clear to us — this is a drink made for good times with friends
Chipotle decided to double down on their positioning as the fast-food chain that serves “Food with Integrity” in their 0:30 spot, Can a Burrito Change the World. Honestly, this one is a TIR favorite. Several years ago, Chipotle became the star of bad news with records of unhealthy practices. Since then, they’ve been making every effort to show how fresh their ingredients are and with this spot, they prove this fact + their impact on the earth. They spark your childlike curiosity by starring a 8–10 year old boy posing the wild, but clever idea that a burrito could change the world…through sustainable farming practices.
Understand: The little boy clearly calls out each step of making a Chipotle burrito and the ad serves as a montage for the process
Remember: The brand cleverly uses the behavior of little kids asking random “what if?” questions of their older siblings/family members — it’s something most people can relate to.
Enact: After seeing that ad, you not only want a freshly made burrito, but you know that buying it from Chipotle will somehow change the world. It empowers the Chipotle consumer to keep doing what they do — because every step matters when trying to save the earth.
What ads are you looking forward to seeing? Which brand do you think will walk away with the trophy as champion for Super Bowl 55?