What the Best Super Bowl Ads Did Right
The LA Rams celebrated their second Super Bowl victory (the last one over 20 years ago at Super Bowl 34 in 2000). However, many in the business world are focusing more on the ads featured during the game. Super Bowl ads are famously costly and reach a gigantic audience. The best Super Bowl ads make themselves stand out and leave you thinking about them long after the game is done.
What Makes Super Bowl Ads Unique?
The Super Bowl is a premier stage for advertisers in the United States. There are several reasons these ads are so highly valued by businesses, the advertising industry, and the public.
- Cost. According to USC News, companies pay up to $7 million for a 30-second spot. The price of these ads alone lends a certain prestige to companies that can afford them.
- Reach. One reason businesses are willing to pay the price of Super Bowl ads is for the chance to reach over 100 million viewers worldwide, though mainly in the United States, where the Super Bowl is the nation's biggest sporting event.
- One of America's most significant events. Millions of people watch the Super Bowl not only to see the two best football teams compete but also to gather with friends, eat and drink, and watch the halftime show. It's a major social and cultural event. Advertisements have also become a major talking point regarding the game, and not just among marketers.
- Advertising channels worth exploring that aren't TV. Super Bowl ads are widely shared and discussed across social media sites, YouTube, and many other platforms, allowing them to be viewed by even more people for years to come.
Companies have a great incentive to put lots of effort into their Super Bowl ads. Aside from reaching a large audience, businesses want the prestige and branding opportunity that comes with the space.
The Best 2022 Super Bowl Ads
Here are a few of the most noteworthy ads from Super Bowl 56.
Coinbase QR Code
One of the most talked-about ads was a deceptively simple one from the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase. The entire ad was simply a QR code floating around the screen. This was an interactive ad where viewers could scan the QR code to visit Coinbase's web page. It was so popular that the app actually crashed for a while. This ad is an example of how many businesses will advertise in the future, using a minimalistic ad that entices the audience to seek further information.
Chevrolet: Sopranos Opening
The Sopranos is one of the most popular shows of all time. Viewers of all ages continue to watch it, often many times. Chevrolet creatively reached this massive audience by portraying a scene that mimics the Sopranos' iconic opening scene. David Chase, the show's creator, directed the ad and called it New Generation. It features Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who plays mob boss Tony Soprano's daughter Meadow. She's driving a 2024 Silverado EV, Chevrolet's latest electric vehicle. The ad has the original theme music and many of the same scenes. The ad taps into nostalgia for a classic show. It also emphasizes the appeal of the product for a younger generation.
BMW: Zeus and Hera
Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has a long history of playing heroic, larger-than-life figures, plays the god Zeus in this ad, with Salma Hayek as the goddess Hera. Zeus becomes bored with retirement as people repeatedly call upon him for favors, such as charging someone's stalled golf cart. However, when Hera brings him a BMW iX electric car, he's reinvigorated as they drive off accompanied by Eddy Grant's Electric Avenue. This ad works for a few reasons. It links BMW's electric car with Zeus, a god famous for his thunderbolts. Schwarzenegger is perfect for this role, as he's known for injecting humor as well as action into his roles. He and Salma Hayek are a great power couple to showcase a high-tech vehicle.
Rocket Homes: Dream House With Barbie
Rocket Homes and Rocket Mortgage had one of the game's most compelling ads. It features Anna Kendrick, a group of kids, and a Barbie playhouse. This ad, along with the Chevy Soprano's video, taps into nostalgia. Barbie has been an iconic American toy since the 1960s. People also closely associate the dolls with domesticity, making them a great link to a mortgage company. In the ad, Anna Kendrick explains to a group of children that Barbie wants to buy her dream home. It didn't hurt that Rocket Homes ran a Super Bowl sweepstakes in which $1.6 million was awarded to 14 winners.
Amazon Alexa Mind Reader
This ad, starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost, humorously looks at the perils of Alexa being able to read your mind. As a couple has everyday household conversations, Alexa in the background first anticipates their thoughts, then makes wisecracks such as “Fake your own death” to avoid a social event. When the woman boasts of a recipe from her grandmother, Alexa reveals it was really from Whole Foods (getting in another promotion, as Amazon owns the health food chain). What's clever about this ad is that it addresses concerns about voice assistants such as Alexa by making us laugh, reminding us that the powers of these devices are limited.
Doritos & Cheetos Flamin' Hot
In addition to the many ads for electric cars and other tech products, the Super Bowl featured some clever promotions for snacks. The joint Doritos and Cheetos ad shows a woman in a tree watching animals in the forest. After she drops a bag of Flamin' Hot, an assortment of creatures, including a sloth, bird, bear, and crocodile, begin grabbing the snacks. A colorful bird starts singing in the voice of Megan Thee Stallion, Salt-N-Pepa's hit Push It. This ad is a multi-sensory experience, giving viewers lots of visuals, music, and even taste as the animals react to the heat sensation of the chips with hissing sounds. It's a compelling reminder to either try or restock Cheetos or Doritos Flamin' Hots.
Uber Eats and Don't Eats
Uber Eats produced another funny food-related ad featuring quite a few celebrities, such as Nick Braun, Jennifer Coolidge, Trevor Noah, and Gwyneth Paltrow. They attempt to eat non-edibles such as kitty litter, aluminum foil, and diapers. This is a somewhat counter-intuitive ad in that it portrays people eating items that are repulsive rather than delicious. However, the ad called attention to the brand. It also reminds customers that Uber Eats sells useful non-edibles as well as food. The Uber Eats ad won an award at the 2022 Kellogg School Super Bowl Advertising Review.
You don’t have to wait for the Super Bowl to put out a great advertisement. Suppose you would like to know more about effective advertising to capture your audience, head on to our website today. Find out how Viral Solutions can help your business.
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