Super Bowl Sunday came and went with great fanfare, even if it was just for the half time show. Seriously, didn’t Katy Perry rock it? The game was filled with drama and tense moments, that can only be summed up as, “The Patriots won the game, but really Seattle lost it.” What a nail biter ending. Here on the South Coast, which is darn close to Seattle’s Pacific North West, it was generally Seahawks territory, so we’re all wandering around shaking our heads in shame this morning.
But how about those commercials, the other piece of entertainment on showcase Sunday?
In Canada, the CRTC prohibits commercials that air in the US from being shown during the Super Bowl on Canadian networks. We got our own mix, which were largely unmemorable, except for the Budweiser hockey goal light spot, which easily could have been a Tim Horton’s commercial with a logo switch at the end. It’s a bummer, but thanks to the internet, our largely outdated communications policy hasn’t yet caught up to technology, rendering the blockage irrelevant. Plus, pre-releasing ads has become part of the ad buy strategy. Paying $4.5 million for 30 seconds during Super Bowl certainly might garner attention from the 184 million estimated viewers, but it’s also the price of admission to online viewing before and after the game, media publicity coverage, word of mouth and social media chatter that goes with the whole package. So, for my Canadian friends, and those in the US who may have missed the Super Bowl, here is my pick of five that will give you something to talk about in the office this week.
Here are 5 spots that deserve creative strategy accolades:
Budweiser’s “Best Buds: Lost Puppy“
Clydesdales and puppies have little to do with beer, except when they’re buddies, and your beer is a bud. Building on last years “Puppy love” this spot has already won viewers hearts in pre-release being posted and shared widely on social media and #BestBuds trending long before the big game started. It was at 17.5 million views BEFORE the game? Not bad. Expect this one to be the most talked about.
This one hits the emotional hot button as well. McDonalds reveals during the spot that from Feb 2-14, they will randomly select customers to pay with lovin’. The spot sets up some beautiful moments of exchanges between loved ones, and will no doubt generate a build up of media coverage and online sharing approaching Valentines day. Well timed for maximum spin.
Before I’m called out for promoting this over the top blatantly racy, raunchy and sexist ad, I think it’s important to remember the male audience that was largely watching the game, and how this ad was to stop them in their tracks. That was the intent. It is full of inappropriate innuendos to be sure, but the strategy was to cause a stir during pre-release and play directly to Carl JR’s 18-24 year old male target. They didn’t make a national buy, so it is only viewers on the west coast who saw it during the game, but by being controversial they were betting that it would attract media coverage and be viewed online nationally by their target market, which it was. This was accomplished at a fraction of the cost of a total national buy. Well played strategically but I think the creative rolls back feminism at least 40 years.
NFL’s PSA against domestic violence
When this ad landed it left rooms silent. It’s a first for the NFL to air a Super Bowl commercial against domestic violence. This haunting spot pairs a women calling 911 pretending to order pizza, with images of a house in disarray. We never see the perpetrator or the victim, but we become engrossed in the audio. It’s a clever representation of a woman unable to leave an abusive situation. Of course the NFL had good reason to get onside with this cause after the regrettable behaviour of some of their players caused the whole league shame. This one is a chilling and emotional touch down.
The Dove Men+Care spot hits the mark in a subtle way for how it reinforces the role of caring Dad against the backdrop of the brute physical strength of football players, and some instances of family violence at the hand of players, that the NFL has battled this last year. Dove is getting onside in a positive way, with a message that resonated with the middle aged, middle America males who watched the Super Bowl. It was on brand and on target.
So as entrepreneurs or small business owners, without a spare $4.5 million to spend on a Super Bowl ad, what was the take away? A resounding theme was that “emotion sells.” Capturing and sharing human moments associated with your brand or business could be as easy as using your iPhone and a little creativity. Strategically leveraging publicity, media coverage, word of mouth and social sharing is another area these brands excelled in. Again, you don’t have to have a big budget to accomplish any of those. Something to think about as you go about your business this week! What was your favourite ad?
Mary, this weeks’ post is another great keeper! Thanks for making it so easy to see these great commercials. Well, maybe except that one stone age version, but it got my attention:)
Pat
Yes, Carl JR’s should come with a disclaimer on the creative. But the strategy behind it for the target market to get the word out was well done. You could probably only get away with this type of thing in 2015 during Super Bowl. Any other time there would be an uprising!