Welcome to the 26th year of Wien’s Irreverent Review of the Super Bowl Commercials. However, this year will be a little different. Unfortunately, I will be out of the United States on Superbowl Sunday. And while they broadcast the big game worldwide, they do not include the US based commercials. So, this year, I am sharing my perspective on only the pre-released commericals IN ADVANCE OF THE BIG GAME
The average viewer and many “experts” still evaluate the Super Bowl Commercials on popularity, celebrity power, or entertainment value. But in my irreverent approach, I evaluate the commercials on three simple things: 1. Did people remember the brand being advertised? 2. Did the commercial enhance the value of the brand? 3. Did it stimulate conversation on Monday morning? At $8 million for 30 seconds, it needed to do all three to be worth it.
I write this every year, not because I think I have all the right answers, but to be a little provocative and stimulate conversation. I hope this years commentary in advance of the game gives you an additonal perspective at your Super Bowl party.
Budweiser -The Clydesdales ad on the Super Bowl used to be the gold standard of image advertising that was relevant to the core user and still managed to pull on the heart strings. It became the perennial winner on the favorite commercial list. Then, the creative team lost their way and walked away from the winning formula. The Clydesdales are back and celebrating hard work and admiration for a job well done.
Bud Light Post Malone, Shane Gillis and Peyton Manning star in an impromptu neighborhood party that uses Bud Light as the drawing card. It effectively creates an environment where you would want to be to drink beer, but I wonder how effective the product benefit of “easy to drink” is with the target audience. What is more interesting based on Bud Lights previous disaster in social media is the casting they used for the commercial which they labeled internally – Big Men on Cul-Du-Sac
Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise – Hellmann’s plays off one of the funniest lines on the big screen in the 1989 movie, When Harry Met Sally. Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal come back to deliver the product benefit “This one is Real” in a climatic fashion. While many in Hellmann’s target audience may not have been old enough to see the original scene 36 years ago, this one still delivers.
Instacart – This is a very entertaining commercial. How many TV commercial mascots can you name that made appearances in 30 seconds? The Energizer Bunny, Mr. Clean, The Green Giant, Puppy Monkey Baby, The Kool-Aid Man, Chester Cheetah (Yeah Frito-Lay) , the Pillsbury doughboy, Elsie the cow, and Hot Dog Puppets. The game in the commercial is called “We’re here.” Ok, but where was the connection to the brand?
Budweiser -The Clydesdales ad on the Super Bowl used to be the gold standard of image advertising that was relevant to the core user and still managed to pull on the heart strings. It became the perennial winner on the favorite commercial list. Then, the creative team lost their way and walked away from the winning formula. The Clydesdales are back and celebrating hard work and admiration for a job well done.
Budweiser -The Clydesdales ad on the Super Bowl used to be the gold standard of image advertising that was relevant to the core user and still managed to pull on the heart strings. It became the perennial winner on the favorite commercial list. Then, the creative team lost their way and walked away from the winning formula. The Clydesdales are back and celebrating hard work and admiration for a job well done.
My Questionable 8 for $7 Million for 30 seconds on the Super Bowl
Miller Lite – Rob Riggle’s stars in a Miller Lite commercial about not running a big beer commercial during the Superbowl. They should have followed their own advice and not run the advertisement.
Honorable Mentions
Verizon – The creative for Beyonce trying to break the internet is so over the top that while her fans will love it, I am not sure what it will do for Verizon as the message gets lost. “Can you hear me now?”
About Mike Wien – After spending 28 years in senior marketing roles at Frito-Lay, Pepsi, CitiBank, Omni Hotels and Deloitte, Mike left the Corporate World to teach Marketing and Franchising at Georgia State University. Six years ago, Mike semi-retired, moved to Boulder, Colorado to spend more time skiing and training for Ironman Triathlon and marathon races. Last year, Mike took third in the Challenge Roth Ironman Distance Trithlon in Roth Germany, and won the bronze medal for Team USA in the Long Distance Triathlon World Championship in Ibiza, Spain. When he is not skiing or training, Mike is working with a few clients on marketing strategy or providing keynote speeches to companies on gaining a competitive advantage or a “Specific Edge.”
Mike Wien
The Specific Edge Institute
Boulder, Colorado