Pre-game teasers, hijacking tactics and audience participation are all some of the tactics marketers are trying to leverage in an effort to stretch their dollars beyond the fleeting 30 second spotlight.
Rather than covering and rating every single ad from the Super Bowl, we’ll be looking at only the best, and the worst to see who nailed it, and who fumbled and dropped the ball.
TOUCHDOWNS
DOOR DASH ENCOURAGES VIEWERS TO ‘DOOR DASH ALL THE ADS’
A clever activation that hijacks every other Super Bowl ad and turns it into one for DoorDash by promising to deliver one lucky fan every product they see in every single commercial – snacks, beauty, holidays, beers, cars and tax services (to name a few).
It’s a unique way to show the breadth of their service, and create noise against competitor Uber Eats who enlisted celebrity heavyweights.
DORITOS, JENNA ORTEGA AND A PAIR OF DAREDEVIL ABUELAS
Kicking off the pre-Super Bowl buzz, Doritos dropped a teaser with Jenna Ortega that took a wild twist when the actual ad hit the screens.
The spot features her two abuelas, Dina and Mita going to extreme lengths to get some Doritos. Picture supercharged mobility scooters, a dash of kung fu, wire stunts, and parkour – all in one. It’s quirky, unforgettable, and a blast to watch.
OPENDOOR SELLS A HOUSE DURING HALFTIME
Opendoor makes it easy for people to sell their own with a Virtual Assessment tool. In the ultimate product demonstration during halftime, they advertised a real user’s home with a live stream to show just how simple and easy their platform can be.
We love how they transformed a simple product demonstration into a creative use of media which will undoubtedly find a buyer off the back of it, and generate further PR beyond the Super Bowl.
LIQUID DEATH USES ITS BIG GAME AD TO SELL LITTLE ADS
Liquid Death, a brand that sells tap water in a can with fancy packaging has taken a pretty unhinged approach. Their big game ad is an ad to sell ads on the side of their packaging via an eBay store.
In a sea of polished ads packed with celebrities it stands out like dog’s balls and gives them the potential to recoup the cost of their air time – because they certainly didn’t spend a lot on the production of the spot itself.
FUMBLES
MILLER LITE MISSES THE MARK IN AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
If convoluted was an ad, this would be it. Miller aimed to sign up 1,000 people before the Super Bowl to wear a branded QR code shirt and encouraged them to go for a run outside during the ad breaks for a chance to win beer. Why anyone thought fans would willingly leave the comfort of their sofas to run the empty streets while half cut is a mystery.
If you want to watch an example of a great activation turning fans into ads then look no further than Tui’s Catch A Million campaign.
MICHELOB ULTRA’S AD FEATURING MESSI IS A COMPLETE MESS
It’s basically just Messi dribbling (and that’s exactly what this ad is – dribble) a CGI soccer ball on the beach for two minutes while he waits for the keg to be replaced.
The amount of high powered talent in this spot isn’t enough to make this one interesting. It’s celebrity for celebrities sake. At least the other beer brands tried to be interesting with this year’s spots.
UBER EATS FORGETS YOU CAN’T JUST WHACK A CELEBRITY IN AN AD AND CALL IT DAY
Uber Eats’ teaser with Victoria and David Beckham showed some promise and intrigue by playing off a viral moment from the Beckham Netflix documentary.
However the final ad missed the mark with a barrage of forgetful celebrities. It’s a far cry from the local ‘Get almost almost anything’ work which, in our opinion, is much more clever and memorable.
In the battle of delivery giants, DoorDash takes out the championship.
TRENDS
THE ABSENCE OF AI
AI is the hot topic for everyone at the moment, yet there was a significant lack of ads in this space. In previous years when Crypto was all the rage we had Matt Damon, Larry David and others gracing our screens.
CELEBRITIES GALORE
The overwhelming majority of ads this year were packed with celebrities – some in lieu of having an actual idea. Chris Pratt sold Pringles, Post Malone sold Bud Light, Christopher Walken drove BMWs. Some of the most impactful ads this year actually featured no celebrities at all.
THE TAYLOR SWIFT EFFECT
Beauty brands saw an increase in spend during Super Bowl – not so much on TV but on social media, in large part due to Taylor Swift’s effect on ratings.
SPORTS BETTING CAN’T BE STOPPED
Since the legalisation of sports betting in the US in 2018 it’s becoming more and more prominent every year. With this year’s Super Bowl being held in Las Vegas it’s no doubt that betting brands made up some heavy rotation, not just during ad breaks but with broadcast integration as well.
VERY FEW HOLLYWOOD BLOCKBUSTERS
With the exception of Ryan Reynolds and the launch of the Deadpool trailer, there was a clear absence of Hollywood blockbuster trailer drops which could be attributed to the writer’s and actor’s strikes last year causing a delay in titles being released.
