It’s Super Bowl weekend.
Oops. We’re supposed to call it “the Big Game.”
Or, maybe we should call it the “Big Game With Teams Most People Don’t Really Follow But We Still Watch Just For the Commercials” game.
Whatever you call the Super Bowl, it’s the culmination of a long season. The National Football League’s biggest party of the year comes down to 60 minutes.
While this year’s game isn’t without controversy, (referees had a rough week in the conference championship games), the match-up between the Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots showcases some of the leagues best players.
WHO ARE YOU ROOTING FOR?
Like many football fans, I don’t really care who wins.
I’m more interested in my favorite college players. Regardless of who wins , someone with Nebraska ties will get a championship ring. This is the 26th straight year a former Nebraska Cornhusker has played in the Super Bowl.
Rex Burkhead for the Patriots, and Ndamukong Suh for the Rams both wore the Huskers’ helmet. Additionally, Zac Taylor, another former Husker, is an assistant coach for the Rams. And, Greg Zuerlein, the Rams’ kicker, grew up in Nebraska and played football and soccer a Lincoln Pius X High School.
So no matter who wins the game, my home state will be proud.
WHAT WE’RE ALL REALLY ROOTING FOR
Unless you’re a fan of one of the teams playing, most people watch the Super Bowl not just for football. They watch for the commercials.
Super Bowl commercials are notorious for bringing out the best in marketing teams, When you pay millions of dollars for 30 seconds of airtime, you have to pull out all the stops.
Commercials have changed over the years. This change coincides with changes in sociopolitical views. Some companies abandoned the product driven ads in favor of celebrity endorsements or campaigns that draw on emotion.
HOW CREATIVITY DRIVES COMMERCIALS
When it comes to television commercials, especially for those aired during events with large audiences, companies use a variety of tools to get the most bang for their advertising bucks.
1. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
The event goes a long way in determining what type of commercials work. With the Super Bowl, advertisers know that while many watching will be sports fans, there are a large number of people who watch only for the commercials. This means marketing teams need to find creative ways to reach a diverse audience. For specialized products like luxury cars or perfumes, these ads should be more targeted. But for food and drink companies like McDonald’s or Coke, they have a bigger creative challenge to come up with commercials that appeal to a wider audience.
2. TRADITIONAL VS. BOLD
Over the years, some companies relied on similar types of ads that have had great appeal. One of my favorite examples is Budweiser’s use of their famous Clydesdale horses. For many years, everyone came to expect a Budweiser Clydesdale commercial. Here’s one of my all-time favorites from Budweiser, especially appropriate after the controversial officiating this season. Utilizing traditional images and themes resonates with viewers seeking familiar products and values. But some companies go with new approaches. Rather than putting focus on the actual product or building the brand name, they use things like dancers, modern music, and celebrity endorsements. These commercials focus on catching viewers’ attention through bold graphics, colors, and images. Perfume/cologne commercials are good examples. They often include actors on a beach somewhere, or other idyllic setting, where a speaker talks about passion and/or paradise, and actual product names isn’t mentioned until the final shot.
3. HUMOR
Humor is a universal tactic in advertisement. Regardless of the viewer’s demographics, making him laugh goes a long way to a memorable commercial. If you can get someone to laugh, they not only remember the commercial, but are more likely to talk about it with others. And today, sharing these funny commercials on social media adds to the effectiveness. Some of the best examples of humor in a Super Bowl ad come from Snickers. A personal favorite from 1996 shows the poor guy painting the Kansas City Chiefs logo on the field spelling the name wrong. (As a Denver Broncos fan, I approve of anything making fun of the Chefs…er…Chiefs.) Another great example of using humor, along with pop culture favorites, was with this great one from Volkswagen. The young boy dressed as Darth Vader gets a surprise when his mind control techniques work on the car.
4. EMOTION
On the opposite end of the marketing scale from humor is using extreme emotion to tug at viewer’s heartstrings. Some Super Bowl advertisements in recent years have incorporated themes like bullying, domestic violence, and showing kindness to others. While the commercials don’t make the claim that these problems can be solved if everyone uses the company’s products, they show the company’s commitment to helping their employee and investing in local communities to work together to find solutions. A good example of using emotion is a 2015 McDonald’s ad where they announced an upcoming Valentine’s Day promotion. The ad shows customers being asked to pay for their food by doing things that spread love and kindness – calling a family member to say “I love you,” a group hug, and dancing with their kids. Commercials that utilize this sort of feel-good emotion brings attention to the company’s overall brand. They encourage viewers to support the company because of their investment in helping others.
CREATIVE CAREERS IN ADVERTISING
With so much riding on the success of a Super Bowl commercial, companies need talented and creative people in their marking teams. This is true not only for television commercials, but also for every other form of advertising.
Putting your creative skills to use as a copywriter, graphic designer, videographer, or producer can be a great way to bring new ideas to a competitive field.
Advertising is everything for companies. No matter how good your product is, if you can’t spread the word about the product and the company, you’re going to have a hard time selling much.With a creative approach to advertising, companies – big and small – can turn casual sporting event viewers into loyal customers.
So as you gather around the television on Sunday to watch The Big Game, when the commercials come on, think about what they’re really trying to tell you.
**What are your favorite Super Bowl commercials? Do you prefer the classic product-driven ads, or do the more abstract and innovative ones work for you?**
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