One more Super Bowl is in the books.

It didn’t turn out as I had hoped, but I must say that I like that Mahomes and Andy Reid won a Super Bowl…they seem like deserving competitors that give their all to the game – you have to respect that.

We know who won the big game, but who do you think won Super Bowl Ads game – the battle for the hearts and minds of consumers?

Being champion is hard!

One thing is clear to me when watching these ads with a critical eye: it’s just as hard to be the ‘champion’ of Super Bowl Advertising as it is to be the champion of the game itself!

Creating ads that are winners to the mass market that watches the Super Bowl is no easy task!

So picking my winners and losers was not easy…I realize I’m being an ‘armchair quarterback’ here.

But…somebody has to do it! 😉

Here are my picks:

Champions

In order to qualify as a Champion in my book, the ad needed to be memorable, communicate the value proposition of the product, and be emotionally compelling:

Michelob Ultra – ‘It’s only worth it if you enjoy it’

Funny and they nailed their brand message.

Google – ‘Loretta’

Really emotionally powerful and demonstrated the value of a very intangible product very clearly.

Hyundai – ‘Smaht Pahk’

Hilarious and a great demonstration of the product.

https://youtu.be/85iRQdjCzj0

Tide – ‘Later’

Funny, weaved throughout the game, and communicated the power of the product.

Budweiser – ‘Typical American’

Man, you have to respect how well they know their audience – they nailed it.

Porsche – ‘The Heist’

A fun, theater-quality demonstration of their new electric cars!

Contenders

‘Contenders’ are definitely winning ads, but not ones I’d consider ‘champions’. Here are my picks:

Jeep – ‘Groundhog Day’

It’s hard to go wrong with Bill Murray as your spokesperson. Also a great demonstration of their new model.

TurboTax – ‘All people are tax people’

I mean, they did something fun with the topic of taxes. Nicely done!

Cheetos – ‘Can’t touch this’

Funny and actually used a ‘negative’ about their product in a positive way.

Better Luck Next Season

I think these ads simply failed. Better luck next season!

Subway

What? You don’t remember this one? Yeah, neither does anyone else. I can’t even find a link to it. It was 100% focused on their commodity pricing. This is exactly why the company is nearly dead.

Mountain Dew

Who drinks Mountain Dew? 16 year olds to maybe 25 year olds. How many of them even know the movie the Shining? And the commercial is about a man being violent towards his wife…loser ad.

What would you do?

It’s easy to critique these ads, much harder to create something that the world would find compelling.

What would you do differently?

If you’re an agency, are you bringing your best ‘Super Bowl-quality’ creative to your clients’ ads?

Agree with me? Disagree? Let me know your picks!

All the best,

 

Mike Cooch