2021 SUPER BOWL ADS: ME, YOU & WAHOO
By Brian Dolan Feb 8, 2021
If gunning for the best Super Bowl ad is a tired, old marketing practice in the Tik Tok age, I suppose writing ‘winners & losers’ articles is one level beneath that. With that self-awareness out of the way, I’d like to share some observations about this year’s ads. I’ve had the chance to work on 8 Super Bowl campaigns over the years and it’s like Christmas morning to see what all the other brand teams and their agencies come up with each year. I am writing this before reading any other ad reviews to avoid being influenced, so let me know what you think.
Watching the ads this year, I felt like most could be bucketed into 3 types. ME (ads that explain why the brand is great), YOU (ads that show what the brand can do for you, rooted in a human truth), WAHOO (an attempt to ‘win the Super Bowl’ and build affinity).
‘ME’ ADS
I found the ‘ME’ ads to be very frustrating in Covid times because the brand was talking AT the viewer, when people were looking for utility or entertainment, not your manifesto.
Weathertech - Family: Clearly, the annual Super Bowl ad has become part of the brand’s DNA and this year’s spot is inwardly focused on saluting their culture. More power to them but it seems more the case of a CEO with deep pockets than a sound marketing strategy.
Pringles - Flavor Stacking Space Return: This is an ad with a very obvious Creative Brief - “People love combining Pringles flavors to make their own creations. We can increase purchase volume by educating non-tryers”. The agency then pitched a funny way to show how obsessive people get about stacking once they start, and a Super Bowl ad was born. Bleh. The problem is that it doesn’t connect with that non-tryer and while the ‘Return from Space’ execution has stopping power, the brand is so focused on celebrating themselves that it’s not too memorable in an age where most chips are already launching bizarre flavor combinations that don’t require you to buy 3 cans!
Paramount+ - Expedition: Featuring Beavis, Butthead and Snooki from Jersey Shore, the ad celebrates the Mountain of Content available on their new streaming service and aims to build massive interest in the service ahead of the March 4th launch. As an awareness-building vehicle, it does it’s job. Paramount+ is launching on March 4th…got it. But as a persuasion vehicle, it is terrible, especially considering they ran 4 ads in the game with big-name talent. The reason is that they focus all their ads on a select group of characters and some flat jokes, but do little to justify paying for this service on top of the many others available. If you’re thinking, “well, their job was awareness, not persuasion”, I would argue that awareness should include a sense of excitement about the launch, which is thin if they don't justify its existence. Their silver bullet is, indeed, the mountain of content, but gone missing in the ads is that it will include all programming from Nick, CBS, Comedy Central and MTV. By focusing on a few characters, they make the viewer do the work of drawing that conclusion (“oh, Paramount+ will have all the Viacom content and that includes these channels…”). Some later ads did include watermarks for the brands included in the Paramount+ umbrella, but in totality, the ads felt like a hodge-podge of the characters I see when I run a search on Fios and type the wrong word. Not exactly worth a monthly fee.
GM - No Way Norway: Not all ‘ME’ ads missed the mark. The GM ad for their electric vehicles is all about how the US is falling behind on this front and that GM will help bridge the gap by 2025 with their massive fleet of new electric vehicles. But while it’s all about them, it brings star power (Will Ferrell, Awkwafina, Keenan Thompson), great comedic writing and a sense of intrigue and competition around this category. Now granted, it was a 90-second ad block, so whether they achieved 3x the value of competing 30-second ads is debatable, but I found it super funny and will now think about GM in the sphere of electric cars. The recipe of big budget + big celebrities + great writing is not exactly an inspiring ‘lesson’ for marketers, but I think that deep in here, there is an insight that Americans don’t like to get beaten - and therein lies an opportunity to stimulate demand for electric vehicles. Suddenly, this category is mainstream and macho. Who would have thought that was possible 10 or even 4 years ago?
‘YOU’ ADS
As a marketer, this group has a special place in my heart because they are guided by rich consumer insights. Many of these examples ‘have legs’ and could work as long-standing brand campaigns. However, on the Super Bowl platform, some felt a bit stale or lacked breakthrough. It was funny to see so many traditional Consumer Packaged Goods brands playing in this space because it’s how they are taught to operate (insight-driven, consumer first…).
M&M’s - Come Together: This ad nailed it for me. For those counting at home, the idea of ‘gifting candy’ has been done before in advertising (Most recently Hershey’s; Longer ago Rolo). But the idea of bridging divides and saying ‘I’m Sorry’ with a bag of M&M’s felt right for the moment. Clearly insight-based (‘I want to reconnect but I don’t know how’), hilariously written and with just the right amount of star-power (Dan Levy) and sizzle (M&M mascots), this was one of my favorites. The real test will be whether M&M’s can break through the cultural zeitgeist and become the ‘official candy of apologies’ and I hope they do. My only reservation on this one - it just felt weird to see the CURRENT world depicted (i.e. Karens) but with regular air travel and no masks or social-distancing. I mean Hershey’s literally pulled their campaign last year because of this. But I guess the brand is offering escapism and imagining a world after the pandemic.
Door Dash - Sesame Street: Another ad from the first commercial break, I feel like Door Dash had it’s coming out party to mainstream America with this spot. By coupling the nostalgia for Sesame Street characters and their iconic ‘People in Your Neighborhood’ song with the more recent cultural relevance of Daveed Diggs (Hamilton), Door Dash tapped into the insight that people want to support struggling local businesses but find it inconvenient. The song was perfect to break through and make their service feel very familiar, even for people that haven’t downloaded the app or tried it.
Reddit - Super Bowl Commercial: I love that it doesn’t even have a name. This :05 spot was the anti Super Bowl spot. It will surely be the one to get all the buzz, despite most viewers missing it. That was the point. Reddit has been having it’s big moment these past few weeks amidst the Game Stop stock drama and this ‘short’ spot was the perfect way to capitalize, uniquely crafted for their target audience. It pays homage to the underdog - provides a space for them to thrive - and sort of flicks a middle finger at the institution of Super Bowl advertising (well, at least that’s the narrative, as evidenced by the ‘we interrupt this program’ sound effects). It’s beautifully simple and will be the 2021 case study for years. As brands experiment with non-traditional advertising before the game, after the game (shameless plug), away from the game, or in the game but with a short-form approach, Reddit is one of the few this year to actually break through.
Hellman’s - Fairy Godmayo: This one is interesting to me because all the ingredients were there (see what I did there?) but for some reason, it didn’t seem to stick. They seemingly had a great insight that people feel anxiety about wasting their leftovers and crafted a smart campaign (‘Make Taste, Not Waste’) to help people solve their leftover problems with ‘the Hellman’s magic’. Add the hilarious Amy Schumer and it all works. Then why did I forget about it by the next commercial break? Well, I think it’s not well-suited for the :30 format in this big a forum. With more education in a surround-sound (dare I say 360 degree) campaign plan, they can make mayo America’s weapon against leftovers, all wrapped in a corporate social responsibility mission to reduce food waste. My conclusion here is that the campaign works and will become a great platform for the brand - but the $5.5M investment in this spot may not deliver beyond the sizzle of priming retailers and earned media / PR outlets.
Tide - The Jason Alexander Hoodie: Tide’s jarring but memorable and insight-based ‘it’s dirtier than it looks’ ad was a great new chapter in the brand’s long history of Super Bowl advertising. Some people immediately told me they thought it was weird. I loved it. What a great articulation of a-day-in-the-life of your laundry to hit home when anxiety about germs is high. For Seinfeld fans, it hit on multiple levels. This may have felt like a simple ‘WAHOO’ ad to draw laughs, but it hit a relatable, emotional insight that I thought was spot on for the times.
Cheetos - It Wasn’t Me: Didn’t we just see this ad, but with MC Hammer singing ‘You Can’t Touch This’? Yes, it’s a bit of a re-tread of the insight that eating Cheetos and leaving evidence of your crime is a source of guilt….but it still works. Ashton & Mila remain an adorable couple and the nostalgia of Shaggy’s 2000 anthem are enough to drive breakthrough, recall and affinity. The viewer can easily see themselves in the scenarios they depict. This ad isn’t rocket science, but it’s a formula for success.
‘WAHOO’ ADS
These are the Super Bowl ads we’ve come to know and love over the years. Like popcorn, they draw quick, satisfying laughs or an “awww'” from the big room of guests and, with a few exceptions, are quickly forgotten. Devoid of heavy brand benefit messaging, the ads have one goal in mind - hit you over the head emotionally (funny, sad, heartwarming). And if well-branded, build affinity for the brand.
Bud Light - Legends: Ah yes. Another year, another big swing from Bud Light. The ‘best of’ editions never quite land like the originals, but this provided some satisfying nostalgia for iconic ads of Super Bowls past. As a lover of advertising, I liked it, just because I remembered each ad and how it made me feel at the time. As a critic, it probably tried to pack too much into one spot, overwhelming viewers and ultimately getting lost in the shuffle.
State Farm - Drake from State Farm: Amazing. Does it make me want to buy car insurance? No. Does it help me understand why State Farm is better than Geico? No. But who cares? This is Super Bowl equity advertising at it’s finest. Great celebrity cameos. Great comedic timing. And one of the few spots that people will probably remember the next day. Think about this though - the ad wouldn’t make sense as ‘Drake from Geico’, because State Farm has built such strong recall around their over-arching ‘Jake from State Farm’ campaign. This means the brand has cleverly made their identity inseparable from the next-day conversations about ‘that funny Drake ad’. And for that, they avoid the trap of many funny past ads that zero out on brand recall.
Toyota - Jessica Long’s Story: One of the few tear-jerkers this year, Toyota begins their Olympic advertising with a heartwarming story of swimmer, Jessica Long. It captures your attention and emotion with a beautiful track and execution. Will people remember it’s from Toyota? I doubt it, but that’s the risk that product manufacturers take with bold societal messaging. Given Toyota’s advertising budget, I suspect that it’s part of what their leadership team feels is necessary to put their brand on a different plane than their dozens of competitors. Time will tell if they stick with this campaign beyond next summer’s Olympics, but it is great, feel-good content in the mean time, during a time when we are starving for it.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Few of this year’s ads really hit the pandemic head on. The closest were probably the funny Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade and the M&M’s ad mentioned above. My gut tells me that’s ok, as people seek escapism in this 11th month since quarantining began. There will always be a peanut gallery that laments the lack of good ads every year, but I found a lot of them to be funny and relevant. There were some eye rolls, such as the tone deaf Michelob Ultra ‘All Star Cast’ ad (‘organic water’ just felt like they were asking for it), the Wayne’s World ‘Wayne & Garth are Back’ ad (painful writing) and the Jeep Springsteen ad (well-intentioned but trying too hard IMHO). There were many forgettable ads, which is of more concern for the brand teams & agencies behind them. And there were countless brands that tried to hijack the Super Bowl without buying spots in various ways with varying success. In the end, the grand stage of Super Bowl advertising still feels relevant and worthwhile. And given the seismic shifts of the past year, both in culture and in advertising, that’s something that’s both unexpected and a bit comforting. Thanks for reading!
——————————
ABOUT CPG CAMP
CPG Camp is the largest Brand Management training program of its kind for aspiring marketers at the Undergraduate, MBA and professional level. The company was founded by several brand leaders who noticed that even the most talented prospective marketers are often unprepared for the Marketing interview & day 1 of an internship or full-time role.
Our purpose is simple: teach the next generation of Brand Marketing leaders what we wish we'd known. We offer real-world training & recruiting services to land your dream job & accelerate your career.
TRAINING: Our signature offering is an online Brand Management Boot Camp with 16 self-paced modules & assignments to simulate the life of a Brand Manager, addressing top blind spots for interviewees & new hires. Grads receive a LinkedIn certificate & entry into our Recruiting Database. We also offer a live version of the boot camp and various online mini-camps & corporate trainings. After training thousands from 150+ universities & organizations in 10 countries, 90%+ say they’d recommend to a peer.
RECRUITING: We provide services like Resume Reviews, Mock Interviews and our Brand Interview Playbook, the definitive guide to mastering the Marketing interview. Our step-by-step guide includes downloadable prep templates plus our Case Frameworks Cheat Sheet. This service is free for out-of-work professionals and military veterans.
CONSULTING: If you’re interested in hiring one of our Camp graduates or a Brand Marketing Consultant, you can provide us with some basic information so we can see if there’s a match.
LEARN MORE: To learn more about CPG Camp, visit our site: Home, About, Services, Testimonials, FAQ, Contact.