A young strategist’s first observations on the Superbowl ads
I am more of an advertising fan, than a football fan. In football, strategies are complex, and the demonstration of their impact on a specific play gives me headaches. Advertising however has the power to tell good, smart, simple, sometimes noisy but most of all, relevant and interesting stories. Well, at least that’s what it should be aiming for.
That’s why, when I watch the Superbowl, I pay way more attention to the commercial break than to the actual game. And this year, I felt like I had some thoughts to share about what I saw. Maybe it’s my 2-years experience as a strategist that is kicking-in, sharpening my critical view. Better yet, I felt confident enough to publish it … for the first time! Wow. This one I can’t explain. Perhaps it’s just Valentine's Day aura generating a boost of confidence.
Anyway, as the industry is currently trying to list their top 3, top 5 or top 56 Superbowl ads, I focused on trying to keep some momentum by roughly summing up my first thoughts on this year’s overall edition.
So here it is. Raw material. 5 genuine observations before my System 2 (thanks Daniel Kahneman) gets to work, and the job takes back control of my thinking.
I. Back to basics: babies and puppies
Unlike any other time of the year, attention span for advertising is at its top during the big game. People are looking for this emotional thrill that can stick long enough for them to have a good story to tell. And when it comes to add some stopping power to a commercial, nothing can beat babies, music and/or any cute animals. A couple brands got it right this year. Entertaining and memorable.
The good stuff:
II. The obvious always goes a long way
Sometimes I tend to overthink what a good insight is, or may be, or intends to be. Whether people like it or not, it just needs to be raw enough. Not to be good. And when a couple of these have the chance to get some good reach, the Superbowl-kind of reach, it just makes me feel good about the job.
The good stuff:
- Pringles
- FTX
- Mc Donald’s (to me, even Kanye West is secondary here)
III. You chose (your celebrity)… wisely!
At the end of the day, people just want to have fun. It is not that surprising then that the big majority of brands decided to feature a celebrity to deliver their message. Whereas it just makes sense from an entertaining perspective, it can be a risky business. Sometimes it’s just too much, or even worse: it’s just off the brand’s DNA.
You chose wisely:
- GM (The protagonist’s name is also the product’s)
- Lays (Fun times, humor, and a bit of weirdness. Casting is on point.)
- Planters (Positioning the brand as an actual debate for the “community”)
You chose poorly:
- Planet Fitness (Let’s put some celebrities in there and see if it works)
- Crypto.com (It feels like déjà vu. Brand attribution is close to zero here.)
IV. Simplicity (and weirdness) breaks through
Adding more stuff, more celebrities, more logos, more lyrics or just more airing time can easily become what annoys or lose the audience. A couple brands bet on a minimalist approach, and the least we can say is that it will make people talk for some time.
The good stuff:
- Polestar (Beautiful. Brilliant.)
- Coinbase (even if they did not manage to deliver properly, earned media is off the roof)
V. Sustainability is (still) too hard to find
This last one is a reality check. The Superbowl being what it is, most of what we saw yesterday was intended for us to buy more stuff. I understand that the context leads brands to stay more lighthearted in their messages, but in 2022, I think people would have respected any brand following the lead of last year’s Chipotle and demonstrate how they plan to tackle today’s environmental and social issues. Because no, it’s not just about electric vehicles.
Honorable mentions:
This sums up my personal thoughts. If it can help anyone to get some perspective, it will be worth it. Now, I am going to let these sink a little. In the days to come, I am looking forward to exploring more takes on the matter, to build a stronger POV and maybe land on a couple takeaways that can be useful in my day-to-day work.