Super Bowl Ads, What’s The Catch?
It’s well-known that each year the Super Bowl is the most watched sporting event in the world. Whether you’re an avid fan of football or not, you’re likely tuning in to the big game to watch the halftime show or because you’re at a Super Bowl party. Aside from the action on the field, viewers turn up the volume and quiet the room to make sure they don’t miss a single commercial.
Super Bowl commercials have become increasingly popular over the years and many point to Apple’s Super Bowl ad in 1984 as a turning point for changing the way the commercials are perceived. Their dystopian future based ad introduced the Macintosh with a spot that felt more like a big budget movie than a sales pitch. Since then, companies have tried to capture the same success with bigger and bigger budgets each year.
Which brings us to today, where generating buzz with your ad is like navigating an advertising jungle with the commercials getting almost as much attention as the game itself. About 76% of likely Super Bowl viewers in the U.S. say they’re excited for the ads, this according to a survey conducted by Harris Poll and Marketing Brew (Source).
When attempting to define which ads each year are the best, it’s important to separate the advertiser from the viewer. A single person’s opinion of which ads they liked may be based on a certain celebrity or song that was used, or whether or not they laughed. However, when looking to gauge the effectiveness of an ad from a marketing/advertising point of view the metrics change quite a bit. See below for some examples of ways you can determine the strategic strength of Super Bowl ads and a few examples from this year.
Connects well to the product or service
Especially in recent years, it seems companies have gone the route of bringing a celebrity on board to pitch their product. While this can be quite effective, it’s important to remember that you can’t simply rely on their star power to sell. You need to make sure that the overall message of the ad is simple and to the point, while setting a clear tone. Having a funny story or something shocking won’t go very far if the ad ultimately doesn’t relate back to the product or service
Take this year’s Doritos’ ad featuring Louisville’s own Jack Harlow. Harlow is about as big as they come in terms of star power, but the entire ad is focused on the triangle shape of the Doritos chip which drives home the product they're selling.
Generates buzz and engages the audience
While millions of people will be watching these ads, it’s still critical to make sure brands are going after their target audience(s). You want to have a wow factor that gets people talking about your ad immediately after viewing it and even the next morning at the office. It can be tricky to accomplish but some of the most effective ads know their audience extremely well and even more so know how to connect with them after the game ends.
Frito-Lay was a great example of this with their “Breaking Good” ad that combines fans of snacks and one of the most watched television shows ever, Breaking Bad. They even teased additional flavors directing viewers to go beyond the ad and engage with the brand.
Creating an emotional connection
Like all good marketing efforts, a goal should be to connect with your customer on an emotional level. It’s no different when it comes to a Super Bowl ad. Whether you go for funny or dramatic, or even pulling at the heartstrings, connecting with the audience and inspiring them can strengthen the message you’re trying to get across and establish the company’s values.
This year’s ad from The Farmer’s Dog did just that. Following the story of a puppy and a young girl as she grows up, this one had us reaching for the tissues.
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