It’s that time of year again – it’s the Super Bowl – and advertisers have a guaranteed captive audience. This sort of thing has become a rare occurrence – the ability to reach over 120 million people all at the same time, live. It’s why a 30 second spot will cost between $8 million and $10 million just to air. Companies will open their wallets for celebrities, stunts, special FX, the rights to iconic songs and the permission to bring dead icons back to life (shout out to Fred Astaire).
The goal? To create something that will leave a lasting positive impression in the hearts and minds of consumers.
And here is another rarity – the Super Bowl is the most ad friendly audience of the year! People actually look forward to the commercials.
Sadly, most of the ads will disappoint by relying on overly focused-grouped jokes, leaning on celebrity instead of a great idea or making a loud sparkly spectacle without any authenticity. We’ll see a lot of ads that might get a chuckle or two but be forgotten by the 3rd quarter.
The brands that will win this advertising Super Bowl will be the ones that emotionally connect with their audience. How? By being authentic, by telling a human story, by making us feel something, and by saying something only they can say.
So on Monday morning ask yourself, does the Instacart ad with Ben Stiller and Benson Boone bring a smile to your face? Or will it be that emotionally manipulative Budweiser Clydesdale and baby eagle ad that brings a tear to your eyes?
It’s hard to predict what will break through and become the next Coca-Cola “Hey Kid Catch” or Budweiser “Whassup?” And not every year delivers a classic, but when a Super Bowl commercial succeeds, it’s usually because it made us feel, not just made us laugh.