The New England Patriots’ win over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX was an instant classic–a great game with the outcome decided in the final seconds, room for plenty of second guessing as to what might have been, and an unlikely hero making his first career interception to pull victory from the jaws of defeat.
However, the commercials in this year’s Super Bowl lineup didn’t live up to the game, according to most of those creatives surveyed by SHOOT. Their general assessment was that many advertisers didn’t take full advantage of a golden opportunity. While the game actually kept viewers glued to their seats for four quarters, most spots came up short in their attempt to captivate a mega audience.
As in years past, all the creatives who provided feedback for our survey are with agencies that did not have any commercials on the Super Bowl this year. SHOOT sought them out in part for that reason–they’re having no particular axe to grind as they shared their considerable expertise on what ads hit and what missed on Super Sunday.
Here are their assessments which amount to informed Monday morning ad quarterbacking:
Jamie Barrett, creative director/founder, barrettSF
Every year the Super Bowl seems like sensory overload to me as I try to process what I saw in terms of the commercials. There are so many. But that speaks to the degree of difficulty when it comes to doing work that stands out. Even when people like myself are paying attention to what’s being shown, it can all become a big blur–all these brands on some level trying to raise their game and it can be a hit or miss. You can get lost in the shuffle.
One major shift, though, does stand out to me. I can remember 10 to 15 years ago, if there were two or three commercials on the Super Bowl that didn’t attempt to be funny, that was rare. To be emotional, serious, dramatic was the exception to the rule. You’d see a Nike or Budweiser do it a couple of times and that made it quite effective, changing the overall tenor of the advertising.
But yesterday, at least half of the commercials were going for an emotional appeal. There was shocking PSA stuff, The Nationwide spot talking about the kid who died. Even GoDaddy–due to some extenuating circumstances–not attempting to be funny. There was a lot of emotional storytelling, pulling heartstrings every other commercial. Of course, you can’t anticipate what other advertisers are going, which makes it all the more difficult to break through emotionally. This in turn made the funnier commercials stand out more–they provided some comic relief in the midst of these emotional commercial pods.
I think we see that it’s not wise to go with the emotional executional elements that are formulaic–the swelling music, the slow motion footage, the panoramic scenes. The ultimate formulaic effort was the Jeep spot featuring “This Land Is Your Land.” It was the epitome of that formula–there were 20 spots you could line up next to it cut from the same cloth. The languid edit, the pithy ending–something like “the world is a gift”–driving through the wilderness. It dipped into the menu of things you use to create emotional advertising and because of that, it didn’t feel fresh.
By contrast, I’d say the [Carnival] cruise line ad with JFK audio, his ode to water and the ocean, was more unusual. In the context of all these emotional commercials on the game, this one passed the “makes people shut up test.” There was something about its starkness and stillness that forced people to stop and listen. It didn’t feel familiar.
On the comedy side, also passing the “make people shut up test” was the Snickers spot. People wanted to see the Brady Bunch takeoff. Also passing the test was the spot in which Bryant Gumbel and Katie Couric talk about the Internet years ago on the Today show, not knowing anything about this breakthrough. Fast forward to now and they talk the same away about an electric [BMW] car. Also Jeff Bridges made people shut up and take notice–the opening frame of him in that SquareSpace commercial was odd and got your attention. I also liked the Avocados From Mexico spot–it got funny quick which is important on the Super Bowl. There was also a regional GrubHub spot that played showing people getting hit in the groin and face–stupid slapstick “Jackass”-type humor. The physical comedy stood out because of all the emotional advertising we had been seeing up to that point.
You know that emotional, tug-at-the-heartstrings commercials are prevalent when you see two spots from two different advertisers showing artificial legs. These brands are all stepping on each other.
When you’re doing emotional storytelling on the Super Bowl, you should pray that too many others aren’t doing the same. You should stay away from the cliche executional emotional elements. And you should stay away from the emotionally sad and go with the emotionally inspiring messages.
Sean Cummins, founder, global CEO/chief creative officer, cummins&partners
It all comes down to two themes in Super Bowl advertising: the wonderful one-off commercials, and the enduring platforms. There were more wonderful one-offs than enduring platforms. But the spots I liked best were of the enduring platform nature.
Snickers is a great example. The brand has done a body of work that people know and understand. People don’t want their brands to change that much. They want reliability and trust. Everybody knows the gag [you’re not yourself when you’re hungry] but wonders where it will go next. This latest [Brady Bunch spoof] commercial was well done. It’s not a case of an idea running its course yet sticking with it–like when the show Happy Days had run its course and tried to keep going with a “jump the shark” storyline. They [BBDO] are still coming up with fresh ideas to advance the Snickers brand and what happens when you’re hungry. They’re still building on the equity they’ve created.
There were some reasonable attempts on the one-offs side–Toyota Camry, Dove. We saw the pendulum swinging back from when men are the dumb guys who get things wrong to instead now showing the virtues of guys, specifically Dads. I also thought it was brave of T-Mobile to go with someone as polarizing as Kim Kardashian, whom many people feel negatively about. She is a great strategist of her own brand and came off here not taking herself too seriously with a funny spot.
At the same time, this Super Bowl wasn’t all yuck, yuck, funny. There were attempts to take different colors from the emotional palette. The McDonald’s spot was very worthy. The Budweiser spot anthropomorphizing the puppy and Clydesdales. And the domestic violence 911 call was chillingly brilliant. I did not know where that was going at first. Initially you think it’s a crank call ordering pizza on an emergency line. Then you realize it’s truly an emergency, a domestic crisis that’s happening. It was one of the most dramatic, powerful pieces of communication I’ve seen in a long while.
Paul Hicks, executive creative director, Godfrey Q
The best commercials weren’t for beers or cars or any of the big-ticket brands. It’s really strange how the McDonald’s and the Budweisers–even with the puppy spot–didn’t shine as much as their budgets would suggest they should. The best work included an avocado [Avocados from Mexico], a tampon [“LikeAGirl” for P&G’s Always feminine hygiene brand], a phone battery charger [Mophie] and a Loctite glue commercial.
Loctite followed a formula of five or six years ago–be whacky, crazy and stand out. No one else did this. They owned it. And in doing so, they won the “Big Balls” award. In a category you wouldn’t expect to see any high-profile TV, they went all in. I read that they spent their entire year’s budget on this–and they stood out. So many others spent the money and were non-memorable.
The “LikeAGirl” spot offered a great insight. The Mophie and avocado ads were better in their longer online versions. The long-form Mophie spot is just amazing.
There were serious topics tackled but you have to be careful how far that trend goes. I’m not one who wants brands to preach at me. You have to be careful that the Super Bowl doesn’t turn out to be a place where brands tell us what’s wrong with America. That can come off as a little patronizing.
Still, Nationwide gets grief from talking about one child’s death, while Mophie kills an entire planet and everyone loves it.
Liam Neeson playing that game [Clash of Clans] was probably the best use of celebrity on the Super Bowl.
There was a lot of nostalgia. Usually when I say nostalgia, it’s pejorative. But this time, it wasn’t too sappy. Even as much as the Nissan stuff missed, it’s hard not to pay attention when “Cat’s In The Cradle” is being played.
I watched the game with my parents who are in the 70s. It was fun watching with them. They liked a couple of comedy spots–the Fiat/Viagra ad, and the American Revolution piece for Turbo Tax.
It seemed like some of the bigger brand efforts–for McDonald’s and Bud Light, especially–had online as the epicenter of their campaigns. Unless you’re engaging in social media, the broadcast spots themselves weren’t that impactful. You had to go online to get the whole story. Sometimes the emphasis on social media has made the TV spots less engaging.
Gary Koepke, chief creative officer, North America, SapientNitro
Advertising and the Super Bowl have become so connected over recent years. During the pregame, sportscasters encouraged us to, “enjoy the ads.” There’s so much hype and pressure on marketers to create resonating moments with their advertising. A prime example of this in Super Bowl XLIX happened before the game when [Seahawks running back] Marshawn Lynch walks over to the bench, picks up a container and eats some Skittles. It made me wonder if that was planned or not…I assume so.
Ronny Northrop, chief creative officer, Y&R California
Snickers was probably the best of the bunch. A hilarious spot. I loved it. A pretty easy choice for me.
I thought the idea behind the band of brands [for Newcastle] was brilliant–getting a bunch of brands together to share the cost of a slot. Still, I don’t know if that has more of an industry insider appeal. I’m not positive that was the best way to win over a mass appeal audience. It might have gotten lost in the shuffle.
I liked the :60 version of the Kia spot with Pierce Brosnan. It was lovely, nuanced just right. Also the Mophie commercial with God’s cell phone dying was funny and cinematic.
In terms of trends, looking through social media during the game, I read a couple of comments that hit home. One was, “Don’t worry. Apparently every brand has already saved the world.” Another had to do with all the tearjerker commercials-the Dad angle, the dead kid who would have lived if not for an accident. It seemed that about half of the ads went for the heartfelt stuff. Everybody got on that bandwagon. They should have checked with each other first, like couples who share their vows. The Super Bowl is a party, a place to have fun.
Still, it’s possible to break through with a serious message. The 911 phone call/domestic violence PSA was pretty amazing. It was excellent and made quite an impact.
There was also some social chatter at one point which I agree with–at some point we have to better as agencies and advertisers from scanning through the archives for great speeches and poems as voiceovers. Nike’s done it. The [Dodge RAM Trucks] “Farmer” spot of a few years back on the Super Bowl did that to great effect. But we can do better than trying to copy that. This year we had the cruise ship [Carnival] with JFK, Muhammad Ali on Toyota. You don’t want to entirely take formulas away but this isn’t right for all brands.
Steve O’Connell, executive creative director/partner, Red Tettemer O’Connell + Partners
The first ad in the first quarter was the amputee spot for Toyota, which coincidentally set the tone for the night of commercials as a whole – an attempt to inspire with an emotional connection. Some did. Some didn’t.
What was less of a coincidence was that most of the players who did it best–Always, Dove Men, Dodge–used existing content that already had a track record of success. While it’s always more fun to see new work, it’s hard to knock the brands that wanted to use winners already in their arsenal. The costs saved on extra production can’t hurt either.
There were some standout comedy gems. Snickers was by far my favorite, along with BMW which was also up there. Ultimately, though, for a day that is supposed to be about fun, there weren’t enough spots reflective of that in my opinion. I felt as though I’d seen funnier Doritos commercials in the past, but at least they gave me a break from “feeling.”
All that said, despite the fact that I hate to admit it, that freaking Budweiser puppy totally worked on me. Best buds.
Julian Schreiber, executive creative director, Johannes Leonardo
I’ve been living in the U.S. for only a little over a year. This is my second Super Bowl and this time I went to a Super Bowl party with 30 or so people in the advertising business. So we’d talk during the game and there would be silence during the commercials. We discussed the ads.
The Super Bowl is the one moment in advertising during the year where people say our priority is to entertain and to gain attention–they skew things towards a spectacle more so than regular advertising. And in that regard, you see what people are willing to do.
There were some clear winners in my mind, as well as ones that didn’t do as well. I didn’t think there was anything that absolutely stunk. The ones that did well did something fresh that stood out. Those who stayed with the themes they used before didn’t make quite the impact. In the Super Bowl, you look for surprises.
The ads I thought were amazing in no particular order included: Kim Kardashian for T-Mobile. I’ve seen lots of T-Mobile work about saving data but this was new and fresh.
The one I didn’t see coming was when the TV turned off for Chevy Trucks. The screen went blank, there was silence, and the entire party I was at stopped. These guys knew what they were putting out there. They were so aware of the context and the environment. It got your attention; everything just stopped.
There were also some clever executions. I liked the Bryant Gumbel/Katie Couric ad with real footage from the Today show years ago when they are both puzzled about the Internet, talking about the @ symbol. It was an incredible breakthrough they knew nothing about. And fast forward to today and they’re doing the same thing when inside the BMW electric car.
And I also very much liked the McDonald’s commercial where people pay for their food with lovin’. That could be an ad that runs any time of the year. As an execution, let’s have people pay with random acts of love. It’s a clever, heartwarming approach that will make people like McDonald’s more.
As for those that didn’t quite do it for me compared to others, I’d have to say the Dove work about what makes a man really strong. I had seen that before. I quite liked the execution but in the context of the Super Bowl, it felt rather flat to me. Also Bud Light’s “Up For Whatever” didn’t captivate me. It was consistent with what they’ve done in the past but I was more taken by other things on the Super Bowl. I was also a bit disappointed by the Merecedes-Benz fable.
Overall, though, I was impressed. What we’re seeing is an effort to get people involved in advertising. McDonald’s theme is a way of involving people. Advertisers are involving people more and more in their executions and reflecting them back in their work. Advertising is more and more a two-way conversation with the public.
Eric Springer, chief creative officer, Ignited
The brands that did the best for me stuck to their brand voice. When agencies and brands look at the Super Bowl as a chance to let go of their brand voice and go for a big funny moment to get attention, it usually doesn’t work. T-Mobile lining up with Kim Kardashian. Is that your brand voice? Is that where you want your brand to be? At the party I was at, the boos started as soon as Kardashian came on TV.
Sticking to its brand was Snickers. That [Brady Bunch spoof] spot was great. You’re not yourself when you’re hungry.
Fiat as a sexy Italian car stuck to its brand, with Viagra pumping up the car to four doors. Awesome.
Clash of Clans with Liam Neeson worked. Clash of Clans isn’t a big Call of Duty-type game. They stuck to the Clash of Clans brand and that spot came to the top.
I love Coke as a brand and Wieden as an agency. They stuck with the “Happiness” theme but the spot was not as great as the ones in the past. They got a little over the top with their message. Still, I give them huge kudos for sticking to what the brand voice is all about.
It felt like agencies–not the brands–were aiming for that “emotional trophy.” The Nissan spot with “Cat’s In The Cradle.” Are you really going to pull from that emotional cart. Real heavy. I hadn’t seen my dad in a while. Help me. It was extremely well produced but I don’t know how that makes me feel about Nissan.
The Nationwide spot is getting a lot of backlash, tackling the prevention of child deaths. Oh my God. It was like how can we use the one day that we want to watch some football, have some beers, eat food we shouldn’t eat–and turn that day of gluttony and football into a day of awareness for horrific things in humanity. Child death, domestic violence.
The NFL spot on domestic violence was great. It was so well written about the woman making the 911 call and ordering pizza. But it was so heavy and it brought the whole room down. It didn’t feel right for the Super Bowl. Yet the spot itself was well done and should and could have been right somewhere else. I don’t know how you fit that message into the context of the Super Bowl. It felt forced, like a band-aid for the NFL to get over its own problems.
Too many people were going for the emotional trophy versus how do I make a brand’s voice unforgettable. The Super Bowl is the one day we celebrate the brands we love–like Coke and Snickers. It’s not the day to focus on the bad behavior we all hate.
The game itself was far more entertaining in my book than the commercials.
