In every article I read this morning about Super Bowl ads, there was a consensus that the ads this year followed a theme of humor. I find that funny, because humor is used every year, as are other themes. My two favorite ads were indeed humorous: the first was the one in which Carrie Bradshaw and the Dude switched from their signature drinks–a cosmo and a White Russian, respectively–to Stella Artois. I also enjoyed the Bud Light-Game of Thrones crossover. I’m a huge GoT fan, and I remember the moment I realized the commercial was reenacting a scene from the show, I yelled, “that’s from Game of Thrones!”
I really liked the Tide commercials for spoofing other commercials, including other Procter & Gamble products such as Old Spice. In fact, I’ll admit to being tricked. For example, when I saw a Clydesdale at the beginning of a commercial, I thought it was going to be a Budweiser commercial, but it was actually Tide. This goes to show that commercials for various sets of products (e.g. cars, prescription meds) follow a fairly uniform playbook. Because of the negative publicity surrounding Tide Pods, these commercials also did a good job of generating positive feelings toward Tide.
Big thumbs down to T-Mobile (equality) and Dodge Ram (Martin Luther King Jr.) for misappropriating political/social themes into their commercials. Was there no one at these companies (or at their agencies) who thought these commercials would be a bad idea? Continue reading “Super Bowl ads 2018: staff opinions”→
(Frankly, I wish I had turned off the TV after Lady Gaga’s halftime show, just so I could have been spared watching the Falcons’ epic collapse. At least this New York Times article titled “Why Do Fans Excuse the Patriots’ Cheating Past?” made me feel better.) A “Walking Dead” fan, my favorite commercial was of Lucille (Negan’s bat) smashing a football. In general, advertisers seemed to really push the limits of selling emotion over product features/benefits. For example, Hyundai did what so many other brands have already done, and that’s use U.S. soldiers reuniting with their families in a commercial, without talking about its cars. If you’re going to make the emotional tie, do something that’s not so transparent and unoriginal.
TAYLOR:
Being a Colts fan, it pained me to watch the Patriots win another Super Bowl and to now have to hear about “Tom Terrific” for another season. This year I enjoyed the commercials that were lighthearted and funny. Growing up in the ’90s and being a huge boy band fan, it was safe to say my favorite was the Bai beverage commercial featuring Christopher Walken saying the words to the famous N SYNC song, “Bye Bye Bye.” The commercial was subtle and funny but very effective.
CARLEY:
With the crazy comeback by the Patriots during this year’s Super Bowl, it is hard to remember specifics about the commercials. The most memorable to me and which became my favorite is Ford’s “Go Further.” This commercial was meant to pull on your heart strings a bit as it showed many situations in which people and pets were helplessly stuck. This commercial wanted to stray away from Ford being just about manufacturing cars and instead remind the public their company is all about mobility. No matter what sticky situation you are in, Ford is there to help you “go further” in your own way.
Each month, receive a short e-newsletter with the latest tips and news on various social media platforms.
