12/12
The Actionists 2nd Annual Big Game Ad Review
Lee:
Welcome to The Actionists’ review of the Big Game’s commercials.
Pio, you know the big game - elongated sphere ball covered in pig skin right?
Pio:
Glad you clarified. For the longest I thought the NFL stood for No Fashion Limits but no matter, good dreams must die hard.
Lee:
Exactly, what‘s important is our take on the game’s commercials.
Our criteria - commercials that aren’t just creative or funny, but commercials that DROVE THE BUSINESS and culture.
Pio:
Surprisingly, despite my immense dread and low expectations, there were some really good commercials.
And even more surprising (coming from me) was the NFL effort that I appreciated for the dexterity with which they handled their own history and the current political climate around race and gender equality. I can only hope they mean it because it is truly needed today.
I’ve always admired the NBA marketing for being both culturally relevant and having that impact drive their business while the NFL marketing, by comparison, always seemed so far behind and outdated. This began to change that.
Lee:
I couldn’t agree more. I loved their Flag 50 ad. It’s a perfect example of a brand taking a thought leadership position around female empowerment, changing the perception of women in sports, building a new audience with women, and driving their business.
But beyond their two ads, what impressed me was the cultural leadership in their pre-game content (which thankfully was much better than the game itself). The Lady Gaga song honoring and showing love for Los Angeles (the fires), New Orleans (terrorist attack), those affected by Hurricane Helene, and the recent airplane crashes. The performance of the Human Jukebox Marching Band from Southern University and A&M college (an HBCU) sharing beautiful Black cultural traditions was a really nice touch too.
Pio, what other brands did you think found a good balance between driving culture and selling a brand/product?
Pio:
I liked the Rocket Mortgage Super Bowl commercial and it was clever going from the ad live into the stadium with “Country Road.”
They took the very culturally relevant issue of home ownership in this “Have vs. Have not” era (that I think tipped the balance of the election) and reminded us all of the fact that the American Dream belongs to everyone–no matter race or gender. That they used the Super Bowl as the platform against which to make this big societal statement was a truly appropriate use of the Big Game. I was disappointed that the Ad Meter only ranked it #23 but this is also a reflection of what I know both of us feel is wrong with the Ad Meter.
Nonetheless, great effort by the team. It was a nice emotional hit in the gut.
Lee:
Man, I would have loved to be the person to hit you in the gut. But, I must agree with you. Hats off to our former colleagues, Jonathan Mildenhall and Peter Giorgi, at Rocket Mortgage and my friend from their agency - strategist Zach Foster. This ad gave me chills and if I’m honest, hope during this dark period.
Pio, while we are talking about commercials that moved us. Let’s talk about the Novartis “Your Attention Please” ad.
I was at a Super Bowl party and we were all yacking away, but this spot stopped all of us - men and women. Sure, it might have gotten the men’s and women’s attention for different reasons, but it still got us glued to the TV to tell a powerful message about getting screened for breast cancer. Hats off to the team at Novartis. What did you think?
Pio:
Agree. A brilliant misdirect given the Super Bowl target audience context.
I truly didn't know where it was going and thought up until the final reveal that some brand had made a massive mistake. And then….a PSA! Absolutely on point.
A minor quibble for me: the Wanda Sykes bit (I believe she battled breast cancer) felt like a double ending – a PSA to a PSA. I felt the same way about the lovely Pfizer ad that made me think differently about big Pharma–until they jarringly went from an impactful conceptual approach to a real life docudrama at the end. Both spots made the point without the need for the additional ending. It always makes a brand come across as less confident.
Were there any ads that you liked that maybe didn’t have as strong of a cultural impact or business context?
Lee:
Yes. I loved the Lay’s ad. It was a cute story about a little girl who grew up on a farm that made the potatoes Lay’s uses for their potato chips. The ad, besides telling a beautiful story, landed with a clear message of real potatoes grown in America. Great job to our friends at Lay’s!
Pio:
Agreed. There were many other good product ads - Uber Eats, Instacart, Hellman’s, Michelob Ultra – but for me just good, not great and I know you feel differently.
One that was very moving and yet still missed the mark for me was the Google Pixel ad. Google and Pixel continue to do very moving human centric narratives that show how technology can serve true human needs and God is that needed today.
But business wise for me I felt it was also a missed opportunity: to be in the Super Bowl, to spend this kind of money and not position yourselves as a worthy alternative to Apple’s iPhone….
Lee, what ad or two do you think had a big cultural opportunity and then missed?
Lee:
Sadly Budweiser.
They had an opportunity to re-establish themselves as the American Lager that used to be in our hearts and minds. And listen, they tried with that Clydesdale ad. But the ad had no cultural point of view and just fell flat. It was a big swing and a miss for me. I know it won the Ad Meter but in my opinion that just tells you how broken the Ad Meter is…
Thoughts?
Pio:
Agree but to be fair–given the business and PR debacle because of the Dylan Mulvaney controversy–I also totally understand why as a client they wanted to play it safe and get back to doing what Budweiser does so well.
I experienced something similar at Samsung with the burning phones and that kind of controversy is a blow to internal self confidence not just the bottom line.
So yes they may have played it safe but I don’t know if I’d have had the courage to do much more differently as a client if I had been in those shoes.
Bud Light went back to being a bro/party brand which is where they rightfully belong and a good course correct strategically. But the ad, in my (non-bro) opinion, was an executional hot mess - stiff acting that undercut any humor or punchline they were aiming for.
Wrapping up, for me the plus of it was brands like Nike, NFL, Rocket, Novartis, Lay’s really choosing the Super Bowl to make big cultural statements that would also drive their business. On the other hand, it seems many clients had the same unique idea of using a celebrity to the degree that they almost all cancelled each other out because I honestly can’t remember which celeb shilled for which brand.
Lee:
It really worries me when we agree this much.
Well the game sucked but it was nice to see some major brands get it right.
Pio:
You’re right the game really did suck. The Chiefs lost and I didn't get to see Kelce propose to Taylor Swift on the big Jumbotron in the latest phase of their show-mance.
Such a build up. Such a massive let down.
Lee:
And on that note let’s just call it a wrap for this year's Actionists Super Bowl Ad Review.
