Every year people come together on one day for two reasons, to either a) watch two of the best football teams of the season come together for the Big Game or b) they stay for the commercials. For big brands, this is a huge opportunity to make an impression when the rest of the year commercials are usually unwanted. This year was the year brands tried to deliver emotional spots for their audience, whether it was awe-inspiring, uplifting, amusing and even horrifying. Only a handful of ads were successful at executing their ideas, while others sadly flopped.
It was notably a night for advertisers to not just be entertaining but socially conscious. Coca-Cola and McDonalds proved that it’s tough to be clever and sincere without losing the audience’s attention. Coke committed to an anti-bullying message that ended up being predictable as it went along. As for a long-term campaign, Coke could have creative success in the long run. McDonalds fell victim to predictability as well, aimed to convey a similar sort of message that was geared more towards spreading love. Even though this commercial fell flat, McDonalds had a great night on Twitter. And if you happened to miss the Nationwide commercial, you most definitely heard about it. Even though they drove a darker message in their commercial, Nationwide made a comment that, “If we save one child, it was worth it.”
One of the most notable commercials with a strong message is actually a repurposed ad from 2014. Which, hats off to Procter & Gamble for creating an advert that really was that good, they decided to show it again. Their ad “Like a girl” is a great example of delivering a social message effectively with a clever creative concept. Even though the ad was rerun, the reactions to the commercial were in the positives.
If you are a fan of Budweiser’s new puppy commercials, you might have been excited to see another installment of their furry friend only to find you and your best friend in tears. Don’t worry, the entire United States knew your pain. The sentimental ads did fairly well, the Budweiser puppy being the most remembered as far as storytelling is concerned. Other brands like Dove Men, Toyota, and Nissan who targeted the specific “Dad” audience played it safe as they tried to tackle the sentimental department.
You may have thought that this year’s Super Bowl commercials may have not met your expectations, but as far as advertising goes, there were a handful of new and creative ideas that did exactly what they were set out to do, start a conversation. If you didn’t watch the Super Bowl at all, here are our favorite, top five commercials from this year.
1. Kia: “The Perfect Getaway”
This was one of two car ads we really enjoyed. What’s better than a Super Bowl ad poking fun at Super Bowl ads?
2. Loctite: “Positive Feelings”
Strange but memorable, Loctite definitely made a name for itself, kind of reminds you of the Head-on commercials.
3. Snickers: “The Brady Bunch”
This was a good example of doing something fresh and new while keeping to their “You’re not you when you’re hungry” campaign.
4. Clash of Clans
Liam Neeson made fun of his recent success in this commercial for a game app called Clash of Clans.
5. Budweiser “Lost Dog”
This is a given, who doesn’t love Budweiser’s new favorite duo?!
