And so the Super Bowl ads for another year have rolled out to almost as much excitement and fan fare as the game itself. Some of the UK's top creative minds in the advertising sector chose their favourite from this year's crop and explained just what was so special about them.
Steve Hatch, CEO for MEC UK - Oreo
“When thinking of the best ad from the Super Bowl, you have to consider which was the most effective. As the lights went out at the New Orleans Superdome, there was only one winner: Oreo. It wasn’t even in the much talked-about half time slot; in fact it wasn’t even a traditional TV ad. It was a free ad that showed everything great about seizing the opportunity. “Oreo reacted the quickest to the power out and created a relevant and humorous ad, with the strap line ‘you can still dunk in the dark’ that was tweeted out for free while other brands around £2.5m for a half time slot. Real-time marketing at its incredible best. “And the worst? For me, it was the Go Daddy. I understand being controversial is in their DNA but this spot just felt lazy.”
Amanda Phillips, managing director at Volume Group - Taco Bell
“Taco Bell was the surprise winner of the Super Bowl ads for me. Whereas many of the ads took a contrived and pastiche view of gender roles, Taco Bell showed true understanding of its audience by using humour to make heroes of older men and women. By recognising the popularity of its food with older people, Taco Bell has created an impactful ad by shrewdly used this insight to create a humorous ad that appeals both to the direct target audience, and the younger generation. By depicting older people as party animals, the ad may lead younger people to re-appraise their impression of the brand, whilst simultaneously appealing to the older generation as not being too old to have a good time. Audi was fairly predictable this year with an ad epitomising the American teenager’s fantasy of taking risks by driving the coolest car (an Audi, of course) to the prom, kissing the prom queen and coming away with a black eye from the prom king. However, its interactive element, inviting viewers to vote for the ad’s ending and essentially co-creating the ad like a mini-movie, was one of the best of the evening. Not to mention their quick response to the blackout on Twitter, ahead of its rivals. Super Bowl ads are akin to the Queen’s Speech in terms of representing the mood of the nation, and the latest ad from Chrysler was no exception to this. Taking on a subdued and dignified tone, the ad reflected the collective pride and resilience of Americans through an ode to farmers. However, not all brands got it right. Car manufacturer KIA produced a surprising ad about ‘Baby Land’, in which a stereotypically embarrassed father creates a tall tale for his son to avoid the awkward ‘facts of life’ conversation. While I did enjoy the spot itself, like many ads on the night it’s difficult to see how this will drive people to buy the product, with little opportunity for viewers to engage with the brand afterwards.”
Toby Southgate, CEO UK & Ireland, The Brand Union - Samsung Galaxy
“Personally, I believe Samsung Galaxy wins the Superbowl. No contest, no power outage, no arguments. No need for Beyonce to shake her ever-increasing behind. This is great. OK, it might not be the most original idea – Orange Gold Spots anyone? - but hey, this is the Superbowl. These are two big contemporary comedy movie stars, combined with a great script. Not sure if these guys ever 'act' as such, but it works – for them, and for the brand. And this is the goddamn Superbowl, ferchrissakes, so dig into the nachos and laugh it up people. Entertainment is what it’s all about. "The Budweiser Clydesdale spot is exactly the kind of work that wouldn't get made the rest of the year. It's soppy, sappy, sentimental, regurgitating the best and worst bits of every stereotypical piece of ad creative hinging on nostalgic Americana. But for Superbowl? Bring on the schmaltz. Same goes for the Jeep ad – capitalising on national sweetheart Oprah along with the stirring Band of Brothers theme tune – it’s heartstring-tugging advertising paint by numbers. “As for VW's 'Get Happy' – in direct contrast to the engaging, fun and, let’s face it, nerdy executions of previous years, this offering is especially jarring. In 2013, is it plausible that anyone, anywhere would really find this funny? “Bonus points to Oreo for their quick off the mark Twitter gumption during the blackout, for being both on brand and nailing the social aspects which so many of the big spenders missed by miles in their planned placements riffing on Twitter themes.”