Super Bowl Storytelling

In this post I will be analyzing the storytelling differences between Coca-Cola’s “All the Way” Super Bowl advertisement and Tide’s “Miracle Stain” promotion.

“All the Way” tells the story of a pee-wee football player and his long fumble recovery. After running the ball back for a touchdown, the boy continues running off of the field. As he runs he jukes through trees and ducking under fences until he arrives at a real football stadium. After he finally completes his run, a groundsman hands him a coke.

Tide tells the story and hype behind a Joe Montana shaped stain in their ad “Miracle Stain.” After spilling salsa on his jersey, a 49ers fan discovers that the stain resembles the Hall of Fame quarterback. The news picks up the story and fans come from afar just to take a gander at the stain. All of the hype suddenly comes to a halt when the fan discovers his jersey is missing. His wife washed it with tide detergent and exclaims, “Go Ravens!”

Coke’s commercial had a very fun atmosphere that makes the viewer reminisce about their youth. The ad adds humor and cuteness to hook the audience, which is shown through the kid weaving through the imaginary players. The advertiser isn’t revealed until the end of the commercial, when the groundsman hands the kid a coke. This is meant to show the refreshing nature of their product.

The exposition of the ad is shown through the kid entering the game and his teammates telling him not to mess up. The rising action occurs when the kid is running with the ball and gaining entrance to the stadium. The climax happens when the kid “scores” inside the huge stadium, finally reaching his goal. Finally, the drinking of the coke signifies the falling action and resolution.

Tide’s commercial begins the narrative with the creation of the stain. This exposition shows the fan dropping the salsa on his jersey. The rising action shows the stain getting national attention and other 49ers fans rushing to the house to view the stain. The climax happens when the fan can’t find his missing jersey and finds out his wife washed it. There isn’t really much of a resolution in this advertisement besides the fan’s wife saying “go Ravens.” The advertiser isn’t identified until the story ends. The commercial ends with a full screen graphic with the the tide logo and the phrase “no stain is safe.”

This advertisement specifically targeted longtime football fans. If you don’t know who Joe Montana is then this ad will completely go over your head. The tone that Tide employed is humerus and isn’t meant to be taken seriously in any way.

I think the Tide commercial told a more complete story, but the Coke commercial is more shareable. The Coke ad caters to a wider demographic because everyone has that inner child somewhere inside of them, where the Tide commercial would probably be shared more by 49ers and Ravens fans. That being said, the Tide commercial tells a more complete narrative because you view the story from a bunch of different angles. You see the news cover it, the fans coming from far and wide, and the jersey owner himself all harping over the stain, which is a really fun twist. Overall, I think ads expertly capture the viewer’s attention. They were both funny and added intrigue throughout.