Respond to 2020: Here are the answers from the 2021 Super Bowl commercials!
“It might not be easy, but it’ll be amazing.”
——Toyota “Upstream” commercial
What is the biggest event of last week? Undoubtedly, the spotlight is projecting to the Super Bowl LV.
Americans were so yearning for this Big Game, especially for this challenging period. Although only 25,000 fans were allowed to the game, this show still provided people the most enjoyable moment to reunite and cheer for after the miserable 2020. Not even mention Super Bowl is the dream of all the advertisers. CBS sold all of its commercial time on the game, with advertisers paying an average of $5.5 million for a 30-second spot.
So since every second is so precious during the Big Game, what are the messages advertisers want to deliver to the audiences? Now, let’s have a peek at the key contents of the 2021 Super Bowl commercials!
Respond to 2020: about Convid-19, the political issues, and the lessons we’ve learned
Instead of typical Super Bowl Ads, including creative and funny content to entertain the viewers, more brands choose to associate their commercials with social issues this year. Absolutely, 2020 is a setback for all humans, and especially for Americans. The pandemic, BLM movement, presidential election are all like the “elephant in the room,” which cannot be ignored by neither the audiences nor the advertisers. Therefore, lots of companies use this great opportunity to give their replies to these issues.
Respond to the Covid-19
Life has changed so much since the Covid-19 rages on. Wearing masks on, keeping social distance, and scared of being infected, people are tired of the unpredictable changes in their lives. That’s why they need the Super Bowl to help them escape from daily lives and stop for breath.
Bud Light and Dorritos have caught this insight and combined it perfectly with their new products. Bud Light Seltzer has used the well-known phrase“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” to connect the “last year’s lemons” and its new lemonade product; Dorritos has used “Flat Matthew” to show the monotonous 2D life in 2020 and connect with the new Dorritos 3D product will bring you back to real 3D life. The connections between 2020’s lives and their products are so creative that we can easily resonate with the ADs and choose their products to solve our anxieties.
Respond to the political issues
Political issues are an inevitable topic to respond to last year. Jeep has done outstanding but also controversial work by using Bruce Springsteen as the narrator to encourage the Americans to “meet in the middle”; Weather Tech answers American’s questions of not bringing manufacturing back to the USA with the answer, “We Never Left.” Indeed, Super Bowl is a big chance for the company to show its value to the public. It might be risky at some point since not everyone identifies with it, but the commercials may leave deep imprints in consumers’ minds.
Respond to the lessons we’ve learned
Thanks to the pandemic, we have more time to reflect on the most valuable thing in our lives. Michelob ULTRA’s commercial “Happy” answers that “Joy is the whole game, not the end game.” This ad reminds me of Pixar’s latest movie, Soul, which inspired me that life is not only about success, but we also need to pay attention to every enjoyment in our life. This is a great message for the brand to inspire and have an emotional connection with all viewers.
The answer from 2021: “Hope” is the only thing unchanged.
The most memorable commercial for me is the “ Upstream” from Toyota. This commercial uses 60 seconds to tell the incredible life of U.S. Paralympian Jessica Long. This commercial has earned 932,675 online views with no superstar actors, 56,693,875 social impressions, and a fabulous 98.1% positive sentiment.
What makes it so remarkable? The answer is storytelling.
The inspiring story of Jessica helped Toyota to leverage the message of “Hope.”The spirit of challenge is so easy to permeate into the viewer’s heart since that is the most common thing sharing among humans. Regardless of race, party, or nationality, every person can easily resonate with this feeling and be motivated by this spirit. Just like the lines in Jeep’s commercial: “whoever you are, wherever you’re from, it’s what connects us, and we need that connection.” The “unsinkable spirit” from Jessica is the “common ground” for all viewers.
Also, the punchline “It might not be easy, but it’ll be amazing” is not only a conclusion of Jessica’s experience but also enlightenment for all human-being who has suffered from 2020. Even though life may not be easy now, keep pushing and still fighting it, the result will be extraordinary to all of us. “Hope and strength” is the real panacea to all the people.
Toyota has done an extraordinary job not only because of Jessica’s incredible experience but also the story’s form. There are two lines in this story. The positive sequence of a call received by Jessica’s adoptive mother to inform her about Jessica’s rare condition and a trip down memory lane of Long’s childhood, which, in turn, would help lead her to become the second most decorated Paralympian in US history. It’s hard to believe that it only uses 60 seconds to present this extraordinary story.
The world has become more divided after the pandemic. For me, the most regrettable thing of 2020 is the Olympic game's postponement; we've lost the chance to have all humans reunited together; we’ve lost all humans' opportunity to pursue the same virtue together. However, as the partner of the team USA, Toyota gives us a response. No matter how unpleasant your previous lives are, no matter what would happen in your future lives, “there are hope and strength in all of us” for the world to overcome difficulties together.
Bravo!
