BY MEL DUNN
Since streaming viewership surpassed cable TV for the first time last year, we have to ask: Are traditional TV commercials becoming obsolete? Maybe … except on Super Bowl Sunday.
On one of cable’s highest-grossing nights, and perhaps the only time viewers choose to watch commercials, well-known and aspiring-to-be-well-known brands shell out nearly $7 million to secure a 30-second spot. As annoying as commercials can be, many of us are loathe to miss out and will stall our snack and bathroom breaks to see which commercial is up next.
As marketers, we have acutely high expectations for brands on Super Bowl Sunday. After all, we know the stakes are high for brands to make the most of being on the big stage. While we went into the night optimistic about this year’s contenders, overall, we left wanting more … humor, wonder, emotion … anything! Nonetheless, a few standouts had us chuckling, crying, and scratching our heads.
Some of us predicted that a food brand would deliver the most memorable Super Bowl commercial this year. Well, we were … close? The Farmer’s Dog, a fresh dog food brand won our hearts and blew up the group text with its commercial about a dog’s unwavering companionship through every stage of life. And, we weren’t the only saps—the sentimental spot won first place in USA TODAY’s 35th Ad Meter competition.
Amazon’s ad also featured a pup, helping them rank highest among the limited tech commercials on Sunday night. As a team of multiple pet parents, we support the canine theme, and there’s even proof it works. Budweiser’s “Lost Dog” Super Bowl ad was the last “emotional” commercial to land at number one on the charts in 2015.
Per usual, companies reached into their deep ad pockets to hire familiar celebrity faces. Ben Affleck graced us with his Boston accent for a Dunkin’ ad. Will Farrell made us laugh during a General Motors and Netflix mash-up. Jack Harlow, Missy Elliot, and Elton John teamed up to reveal a new Doritos BBQ flavor. And, for the first time, Jesus Christ entered the Super Bowl chat, but not without controversy.
Nostalgia had its moment, too. Rakuten targeted 90’s babies with their “Clueless” commercial featuring some of the original cast. And T-Mobile brought back Zach Braff and Donald Faison to sing a “Grease” classic alongside John Travolta.
We’ve got to give props to Tubi for pranking us. One of their (many) commercials created a few moments of confusion on couches across America, causing viewers to turn on each other and blame sofa-mates for changing the channel. After a few seconds, it was clear Tubi was just simulating someone browsing on their streaming service. Points for grabbing our attention.
The real winner of Sunday night: Women. During a male-dominated sporting event, we were pleasantly surprised to see multiple women getting their well-deserved moments: Rihanna hit the high notes while soaring high above the football field on a suspended platform, and revealed she’s pregnant with her second child. Oh, and promoted her make-up brand, Fenty Beauty. But Rihanna wasn’t the only “woman winning” inspiring us. Kudos to the all-female flyover team and the ultimate football mom, Mama Kelce. And Eagles’ star quarterback Jalen Hurts has a notably all-female management team.
There’s no doubt that the way people absorb commercials has changed. But advertising is far from dead. As long as the Super Bowl is televised, or streamed, there will be big-ticket ad spots for brands to fill. Like any other evolving area of marketing, brands need to get creative to keep up. Some have already taken advantage of various ad formats and channels available—by teasing commercials on social media platforms or rolling out themed ads leading up to the game, like TurboTax telling us, “Don’t do your taxes.”
Let us know which commercial or Super Bowl moment you thought was the most memorable.