Back
Sunday night was that time of year again. When 30 minutes of US airtime costs you $7 million and change. The annual Super Bowl ads circus came to town. And while there was no standout Apple 1984 effort, there was plenty of the usual good, bad, funny and the mildly unhinged. (And lots of Usher).
It wasn’t a year for amazing new insights and lessons, but there were plenty of important truths validated and reinforced. Here are just a few… with big thanks to the good people at www.superbowl-ads.com
Humanise the technical
Innovation is exciting but how often is it moving? Google Pixel celebrated their Guided Frame feature by showing Javier, a blind man, as he documents moments big and small at the centre of his life. Javier in frame is a simple story of inclusion and accessibility through technology. The end is a lovely touch.
Playing with contemporary themes gains traction
Current themes, memes and celeb news are temptations brands can’t stay away from. For very good reason, as the audience has already done some of the work for you. It doesn’t always land but here are two instances where it does: a mayo-mad moggy mocks social media bandwagons and Pete Davidson’s ‘legendary love life’, and Michael Cera tries in vain to flog crossover opportunities.
A nice in is a win
How do you make a low(ish) alcohol beer with an image problem stand out in a cool way? What do you say about Uber Eats when nobody needs any introduction? What’s your storytelling approach to finding renewed magic for an established brand? Sometimes you just need a nice in.
Bud Light’s Easy night out mines the genie seam as a comeback strategy following tanking recent sales. Humour, sport and socialising are back as Sonny Valicenti gives a group of young Americans the most fun night ever, where anything you want is easy to get.
Uber Eats’ we-do-more-than-you-realise-we-do ad is based on the conceit that in order to remember one big thing you’ve got to forget something else. This leads to a fun, sleb-led cameo-fest where Jen, Posh, Becks and the rest all have a stupefying bout of amnesia.
Simplicity is elegant
Who needs pictures? Disney+ brings their ‘Where great stories live forever’ message to the watching millions through the medium of memorable film lines. A little obvious, obviously, but simultaneously unexpected, given their pedigree as an animation hothouse. Sometimes simplicity is all you need.
Long-term brand building needs a deep dive
Keeping the spirit of a brand going long-term needs deep understanding of the brand’s core essence, and endless re-imagining in the storytelling. Dove has a great track record. This year’s piece around low body confidence among girls playing sport feels very Dove – empathetic, sensitively handled and based on data that should inspire a collective intake of breath. This is a you-know-it-from-the-first-second-you-see-it brand.
Try to use Christopher Walken
And why wouldn’t you? The voice, the unique cadence, the effortless, detached cool. And here, BMW go heavy on it – ‘there’s only one Christopher Walken and only one ultimate driving machine’. True enough.
And that’s a tiny tour of ’24. One final shoutout to the editors. Executing a good, clear, memorable message but with some depth, in 30 seconds, remains a talent not everyone has.
