I’m sure that a lot of people were surprised to see the Panthers fall to the Broncos last Sunday (you know Eli Manning was).
But what I’ve always take time to recap on is the ads, of course! Being at a watch party with a bunch of advertising friends really steps up the expectations during commercial breaks — we’re a tough crowd to please! Although our opinions varied from ad to ad, there were a few that stood out to me:
The “Aww” Factor
Heinz Ketchup “Wiener Stampede” | Agency: David Miami
A usual Super Bowl ad trope is the cute puppy, and they went all in on it with the Heinz family of condiments waiting for the adorable wiener dogs in hot dog costumes. Such a simple concept but it was charming and adorable and how can you deny that little kid as a ketchup packet??
The big day is coming up, Super Bowl Sunday! A day of snacks, football, and the ultimate stage for big-ticket advertising.
(It’s also the day when everyone from your grandpa to your mom becomes an ad critic.)
It has become such an anticipated event, brands have released/leaked previews or the entirety of their commercials to the public before the big day. Personally, I think it takes the fun out of it, but I see why it’s beneficial to brands. Hype up the big moment, create buzz, and gain free media coverage. I get it. But I’ve always loved a good surprise.
I’ll definitely be live tweeting during it all: reactions to commercials, Katy Perry’s halftime show, and the game itself. (Yes, I actually like watching football and understand the game!) Follow me at @miaenberg or check out the feed on the right side of this blog.
And I’ll have a post-game post recapping the best and worst of this year’s AdBowl. Need a refresher on some of last year’s gems? Check out last year’s analysis here.
It was that time of year again, where everyone becomes an ad critic. Although everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I like engaging with my fellow advertising/marketing students on the “effectiveness” and “quality” of these multi-million dollar ads. And it seemed like, from my Twitter feed, that the game (total blowout by the Seahawks) and the ads were lackluster this year.
Overall, the ads have sparked controversy–or have surprisingly chosen to forgo cliche shock-and-awe. Here are my picks for Ad Bowl 2014:
Featuring the song “America the Beautiful”, this ad showcases American diversity as it is sung in multiple languages and many faces. You have the classic Americana scenes of the Grand Canyon and cowboys weaved with a variety of families enjoying Coke at the movies, a picnic, and so on. It ended with the hashtag #AmericaIsBeautiful and invited viewers to share their photos for a chance to be shown in Times Square. Beautifully picturesque and with charming voices, this ad was a win for me. Adweek rates it an A- while the readers give it a B.
Why it was controversial: Proponents of the “Merica” movement showed disdain for singing an American anthem (not the national one, I will note) in languages other than English. It fueled the anti-immigrant fire and opinions varying from “You come here, speak English” to “You can’t do that to the National Anthem” and “I’ll never drink Coke again” (for a full range of online opinions, check out their Facebook page). Yet among the negative (and often misspelled) comments, there were a lot of praise for the ad and defending comments as well. Either way, Coke has skyrocketed their brand engagement across social media platforms.
Cheerios ‘Gracie’ | Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi
A sequel to their TV spot from ____ that sparked controversy over featuring an interracial family, little girl Gracie gets some good news from Mommy and Daddy. And she has her own terms to her definition of family. Adweek gives the ad an A, while readers gave it an A-.
Why it was controversial: A classic American brand featuring a family that does not fit the white, middle class icon ticked people off. By making a sequel to the ad is just a way for Cheerios to tell the haters “So what?” and represent what America is today — just like Coca-Cola.
Change of Pace:
Axe ‘Make Love. Not War’ | Agency: BBH London
Axe takes a whole different route from its normal sex appeal for the 16 year-old boy; it gets political. A man and woman are presented in locations of political chaos and wartime: vaguely North Korea/China, Vietnam, Soviet Russia, and Iran. Each of their actions reflect love instead of war, pairing with the hashtag #KissForPeace and introducing their new product Axe Peace.
Why the change: Being that it was made by a London agency, it’s easy to recognize the British style in the TV spot. Taking Axe to a political level is something that an American agency would not pair together, but it is a nice change of pace. Adweek gives the ad a fair B+ while readers rated it a B.
Indirectly an ad for Intuit Quickbooks (which aids the company GoldieBlox), it powers little girls to get a non-gender stereotyped toy. Commercial made me instantly wonder what GoldieBlox are — essentially a kid’s engineering kit geared towards girls (think Tinker Toys or Kinex). It’s a step in the right direction!
Any personal faves from this year’s Super Bowl? Ones you hated? Feel free to comment!
Amelia Enberg 