On social media sites and at water coolers all over the country, I suspect that many people are sharing their enjoyment of the Super Bowl game itself and of the Saints winning performance. Well, let’s hope so because I’ve read some pretty scathing content about that other important element of Super Bowl Sunday – namely the ads.
And I agree – overall I was really disappointed. But, rather than just sounding like an old cynic, I wanted to share my view of what I feel has gone wrong and I think that there are several factors at play here:
1.) Our expectations as viewers appear out of step with the realities of marketing today. Fewer companies than ever before are prepared to create advertising spots specifically for the Super Bowl. There is simply not the money in most marketing budgets to do so. The implication of this budget crunch is that a number of advertisers decided to run their ‘normal’ current ads. Makes sense for them but it’s out of step with the expectations of viewers who want to see new, funny and entertaining stuff.
2.) The Super Bowl historically has been a special occasion that from an advertising perspective used to be the reserve of big, familiar brands. Recently, the stage has been hijacked by a bunch of online newbies who generally appear not to have the skills, resources and creativity to produce the type of memorable and compelling ads that the big occasion warrants. There has been the odd exception over the years but this appears to be a real pattern that has developed
3.) Lastly, it appears many of the “one-off” ads just fail to cut through the clutter. And clutter in this case is noisy, crowded living rooms with snacking and chatting galore. In this context, many ads have to work visually rather than depending on the voice-over to deliver the benefit. That’s why for me, the Doritos and Bud Lights worked better because of the visual focus in conjunction with the cumulative impact of multiple spots…another reason why this occasion needs the big advertisers, not the small fries.
The Super Bowl is one of the major television attractions of the year. It’s a prestigious event. The fact that as many consumers tune in to watch the ads as they do to watch the game is important. While there is absolutely nothing that the NFL can do to influence the quality of the game (other than to hope), the advertising is within their grip to control. And it is my opinion that they urgently need to develop and implement a strategy that attracts more of the leading brands of the world to this leading entertainment occasion.
View all the ads online here: Hulu AdZone
Simon Williams
Tweet this | Tags: Super Bowl
