Monday Morning Quarterbacking: Creatives Assess Super Bowl Commercials
Jennifer DaSilva, president of Berlin Cameron, tabbed as her favorite ads:
“Pepsi won big with the ‘Stay Golden’ Frito Lay spot. I also loved the Flamin’ Hot Doritos spots with Megan Thee Stallion, featuring the iconic, “Push It” by Salt-N-Pepa. They are simple, memorable, and make you laugh.
“The Amazon Alexa spot tapped into an insight that strikes a chord--We all keep things from our partners and leave things unsaid. Alexa knowing it all is an anxiety-producing concept and one that keeps viewers thinking.
“The electric craze took over this year, with great spots by BMW featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Salma Hayek, as well as the “Everybody In” GM commercial with Dr. Evil.
“The Pringles ad used Lionel Richie’s hit, “Stuck On You,” to convey a unique and well known challenge for Pringles--getting your hand stuck in the tube. The music choice perfectly poked fun at it and made me laugh. We’ve all done it before.
“I loved the Google Pixel ad by Director Joshua Kissi featuring Lizzo. This ad had a different tone from most of the ads this Super Bowl, but was so beautifully done. We all deserve to be seen.
“Mailchimp and Intuit’s ad serves as a reminder that there’s so much work that goes into running a small business, and they still need our support.
“Hologic and Mary J Blige’s spot on women’s health highlighted the importance of scheduling time for your health. I loved it even more when I learned that the spot was created by a diverse, all women team.”
As for ads that missed the mark, DaSilva cited:
“At first, I thought the Taco Bell spot was just not made for my Gen X self, but my almost pre-teen son also throught it missed the mark. It felt more like a random music video than a commercial. I missed their old campaign, where people left anything, even their own wedding, for a taco, because it spoke to why people actually love the brand.
“I wanted to love the Dolly and Miley T-Mobile ads (because who wouldn’t support Dolly?) but they just felt forced.
“I loved the insight behind the Expedia commercial, but felt it was too preachy. We all know we have too much stuff, but we don’t have to be hit over the head with the message.”
Relative to trends, DaSilva observed, “It’s a CRYPTO world—do you know what that means? There’s a lot to talk about in the crypto world, but is :30 seconds enough for people to really understand the lexicon? Brands that did it best were ones that intertwined the real world with the metaverse like the Miller Lite bar and the Metaquest spot’s play on nostalgia. Coinbase’s minimalist bouncing QR code commercial was so popular that it caused the site to briefly crash. The trend continued with FTX tapping Larry David to announce that it’s giving away bitcoin to viewers, as well as Salesforce telling us it’s not time to head into the metaverse; rather, it’s time to engage in the real world. Even Drake is getting in on the action, betting 1MM bitcoin on the Rams.”