The Super Bowl is probably the one time of year when many people tune in to commercials rather than switch them. Companies are keen to take advantage of this unique opportunity, which is why to raise the profile of their brand or product they had to pay a record $8 million to air a 30-second spot. The high price tag is undoubtedly a result of the huge TV ratings. Super Bowl Number 59 (LIX) was missed by an average of 126 million viewers, according to broadcaster Fox Sports. How effective the Super Bowl ads were was analysed by the research agency Ipsos.
The analysis was conducted using Creative Spark, where 150 respondents from the general U.S. population rated each ad to measure its effectiveness and potential. After the game, a survey of 1,000 respondents was conducted via the Ipsos.Digital platform (specifically the Fast Facts tool). And subsequently, Ipsos Synthesio analyzed up to 4.9 million Super Bowl-related mentions on various social media platforms.
This year's ads were decidedly less controversial and creators made more of an effort to stay in the safe zone. Many brands used the power of nostalgia and brand assets, humor or even celebrity to do so. They also largely reflected current global trends, which Ipsos identified in its Ipsos Global Trends study.
Celebrity here, celebrity there, celebrity everywhere!
In the Super Bowl commercials, which are packed with global stars every year, celebrities have long played a central role. But companies must be cautious when using celebrities in ads, according to findings from Ipsos, because while celebrities can grab viewers' attention, they often lead to less brand connection. Therefore, chip manufacturer Pringles used one of its core brand assets - the bearded mascot Mr. P - to cast celebrities known for their typical beards in its advertising. The ad achieved an effective use of celebrities through a logical connection to the brand and was ranked in the top 10% of ads in terms of creativity in the Ipsos database.
Even in the Czech Republic, it is common for companies to use celebrities to promote their brand. A good example is the presence of various companies as sponsors of sporting events or individual athletes. In the world, one of the biggest sponsors of sports is the clothing company Nike, which with its advertisement also attracted attention at the Super Bowl, as it became one of the most discussed advertisements on social networks during the game (according to Ipsos Synthesio data).
Humor as a top advertising tactic
As many as 75% of U.S. Super Bowl viewers say ads containing humor are among their most popular. The strong representation of funny moments in Super Bowl ads is confirmed by Ipsos data, which shows that these particular ads deliver 37% more humor than the overall Ipsos U.S. ad database.
In the Czech Republic, humour also works as one of the ways to achieve greater audience attention. Unfortunately, not all ideas and jokes can be taken from globally successful brands and humour is one of the creative themes that is very difficult to transfer between different audiences. However, while foreign spots can serve as inspiration, it is important when creating advertising to focus on specific local insights and observations that are more likely to resonate with the viewer.
This year's Super Bowl commercials were full of humor. Some brands took a more subtle direction, such as Stella Artois and their star "brother" duo Beckham - Damon. On the other hand, Mountain Dew didn't fall short of its reputation and applied a more radical approach. Their completely insane advert, in which almost nothing makes sense, had a very strong response on social media and ranked in the top 5% in the Ipsos Social Power database (an Ipsos metric).
Best AI+HI connection
One of the current global trends is "Technological Advancement" (or Technowonder), which is mainly associated with artificial intelligence (AI). Technology companies are increasingly trying to promote AI, but it is important to strike a balance between highlighting the benefits and accentuating people's concerns about this new technology. Portraying AI as a useful tool rather than a replacement for humans is clearly a more acceptable way for audiences. This approach has been mastered perfectly by Google, which has planted the use of AI in the everyday life of the housewife and linked AI with HI (Human Intelligence). At the same time, this ad is a prime example of storytelling that takes the viewer on an emotional roller coaster.
Nostalgia is in
Partly as a result of the rapid development of technology, led by AI, "Retreat to traditional values" (or Retreat to old systems) is becoming an increasingly strong global trend. Some people perceive progress as a threat to traditional values and therefore like to resort to nostalgia. For example, in the USA, two out of three Americans (66%) wish their country was the way it used to be, and in the Czech Republic, up to 82% of the population consider tradition to be an important part of society. Nostalgia therefore represents an opportunity for brands to connect with consumers through memories of the past.
Well-known and established brands can create a nostalgic atmosphere through their brand assets and consistent communication. Budweiser, which has developed a very strong association with the Clydesdale horse breed, has long focused on this strategy. They also achieved one of the strongest brand associations (top 10%) through this set, and they didn't have to use the brand name once (all references to the brand were purely visual).
In a more difficult situation are new brands that need the viewer to remember not only the ad itself, but also the company. This was brilliantly done by Instacart (a grocery delivery app), which populated its ad with familiar brand mascots, including Mr. Clean (Mr. Proper in our case), Chester the Cheetah (Cheetos) and Tony the Tiger (Kellogg's). The 30-second ad brings them all together to show one delivery full of "old friends" that is only possible with Instacart.
Even a serious topic can get attention in an ad
In addition to creativity, empathy is also important in advertising, and if an ad scores significantly on both aspects, it's poised for success. Ipsos calls such ads Misfits, and among this year's Super Bowl ads, there was just such a Misfit. The pharmaceutical company Novartis created a spot to focus on breast cancer awareness. It built the spot's story about this serious topic on a stereotype (breasts as the focus), and supplemented it with celebrities (Hailee Steinfeld and Wanda Sykes, who has overcome breast cancer herself), humor, and a strong final message, making the ad one of the top 5% of ads in terms of creativity in the Ipsos database.
You can look forward to the Czech Misfit ads on 12 March, when Ipsos will present the traditional evaluation of last year's ads at the Ranní káva: Inspirational ads event.
By Richard Bernát, Ipsos
Source: mediaguru.cz
