Three Attributes Of A Great Super Bowl Ad

After reading lists of Super Bowl ad “hits and misses,” it’s apparent that many represent an individual’s point of view regarding what ads they liked and why. From a marketing perspective, it’s important to distinguish between an individual’s personal opinion of what ads they “like” (a consumer view) versus some standard way of evaluating the strength of advertising (a strategist’s view). I refer to this as taking off the consumer hat and putting on the strategist’s hat.

Identifying a great ad from a marketer’s perspective is different than from a consumer’s perspective. Consumers tend to think of entertaining ads as being good. Whether they remember the brand name, let alone anything about the brand, is inconsequential to them. Therefore, measures of consumer reaction (e.g., USA Today’s Ad Meter) are often based on popularity and likability. In addition, consumer ratings systems typically don’t limit reaction to the target. This is problematic as, for example, men could be rating feminine hygiene products and vice versa. Or women could be rating a beer product that is targeting men. Ads aren’t designed to appeal to everyone—only to the target.

Likability and popularity are often not the primary goal for marketers; instead marketers tend to focus on strengthening the brand and business in some meaningful way. If likability doesn’t translate into stronger consumer affect and/or purchasing behavior, than it is unclear as to what value it holds.

While there are a number of ways you can measure the strategic strength of an ad, below I share three important ones.

1) The ad convincingly and clearly communicates some element of competitive advantage about the product or service. One of the best ads this year for delivering on this dimension is Google’s “Fixed on Pixels”. The entire ad focuses on the benefit of being able to “fix” photos by erasing specific parts of them. Another example of this was Hyundai’s “Smaht Pahk” (from the 2020 Super Bowl) which focused on the car’s ability to park itself.

Not surprisingly, when brands focus on the unique value that they create for consumers, they are more likely to convince consumers to consider (and buy) them. And this connects directs to the business goal of increasing affinity and revenue.

2) The drama in the ad is connected to the product or service. This sounds easy, but many brands actually miss on this dimension. It is easy to have a funny or dramatic story that is not clearly linked to the product – and therefore it becomes a distraction. An example from this year that did a very good job connecting the drama in the story to a unique feature of the product is Doritos’ “Jack’s New Angle”. The entire ad is about the new angle, i.e., a triangle, which coincidentally is the same shape of a Doritos chip. Another example is Weather Tech’s “We All Win”— the entire drama is around the challenges of manufacturing in America, which is where Weather Tech produces their products. In both cases, the shape of Doritos and the production of Weather Tech are differentiating elements of their brands and the drama in the ads reinforced it.

In contrast, M&M’s “Super Bowl 2023” ad talked about candy-coated clam bites. This is a continuation of a stunt that included tweets days before the Super Bowl and then another ad later in the Super Bowl. Many consumers are not likely aware of the ongoing storyline and if viewing the ad in isolation, it fails to link the drama to anything that is actually unique or differentiated about the product. A friend I was debriefing with after the ads were over said: “What was the M&M’s commercial about?” That is typically not the response you want after spending millions of dollars on an ad. The risk of course is that it doesn’t compel consumers to want to buy the product.

3) The ad engages and entertains consumers in a way that drives recall. Herein lies the challenge of creating great Super Bowl ads. Not only do they have to be clearly understood, with the drama anchored on a point of compelling differentiation, but they also have to be memorable — break through the clutter via high entertainment and engagement value. I remembered clearly Hyundai’s “Smaht Pahk” add from two years ago because it was effective in creating humor that was highly engaging and focused on “wow” innovation at the time.

This year, the Pepsi Zero Sugar ads with Steve Martin and Ben Stiller — two high octane celebrities — delivered entertainment through humor that poked fun at actors and acting. Another ad that is getting positive attention for its high entertainment value is Bud Light’s “Hold,” which converts the pain of being on hold into an opportunity to dance and drink a Bud Light.

While it is easier to deliver any one of the above criteria, it is quite difficult to do all three in a single :30 second spot. The Hyundai ad from 2020 is an example that delivers all three — drama that focuses on a clear point of differentiation and is communicated in an engaging, entertaining, and memorable way.

Many ads resonate with consumers, but they don’t inspire or motivate a purchase — or deepen or change how consumers feel about the brand. And this is the very high standard that marketers hold themselves to. While many lists of great Super Bowl ads will focus on which generated buzz or were most popular—often to people outside of the target—the final test of a successful Super Bowl ad is whether it strengthens the brand and business.

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