Okay, the football part of the Super Bowl can be super cool, you know, if you’re into that. But for us marketing nerds, it’s the advertising that’s exciting. From the commercials played during the game to the email campaigns all the way to the TikTok campaign with Justin Bieber. It’s not only the biggest televised event of the year, it also serves as a pioneer of advertising trends. After all, if a commercial is going to cost $5.6 million, it better pack a punch. What are some of the things we can learn from all these ads? Let’s find out…
Relevance is Still Relevant
Current events had a heavy influence on many of the ads shown during this year’s Super Bowl. There were plenty of political ads, which is always to be expected (especially during an election year). But there were also a lot of ads influenced by social causes. If your ads are relevant enough, more people will talk about them, share them and consider them when they’re thinking about making a purchase.
Audience Matters
This year, we saw an influx of ads targetted to women. After all, they make up 45% of the NFL’s fanbase according to a 2018 study. Olay’s #KillerSkin campaign was one of these ads. Tying back into the social cause-based ads, it focused on female empowerment. And, to top it off, it was a clever spin on many popular horror movies. Relevant, entertaining and pertinent to its target audience? It’s no wonder it won first place in the sixth annual Digital Bowl.
Celebrities Reign Supreme
Another common occurrence in Super Bowl commercials? Celebrities. This has pretty much always been the case. This just goes to show that this trend won’t be going away any time soon. Justin Bieber’s efforts with TikTok and Chipotle (love it or hate it) is a great example. Not only does it use the power of his celebrity, it also shows just how powerful the relatively new platform is. Another great example of this is Post Malone’s Bud Light commercial. Or maybe it’s Jason Momoa in an ad for Rocket Mortgage. Or Chris Evans, Rachel Dratch and John Krasinski for Hyundai. Or… well, you get it. The power of the celebrity is as strong as ever in marketing.
The Super Bowl is exciting for a lot of different reasons, but here at Wolf & Key, nothing is better than an advertising extravaganza. Now, we might not have Baby Nut on staff, but if you’re looking for some digital marketing help, we’ve got you covered. Reach out today.
