The Super Bowl may be one of the biggest events in sport, but it also represents one of the most important nights of the year for both brands and advertisers.
Last year 103.4 million Americans watched the Philadelphia Eagles defeat the New England Patriots, and with that many eyeballs on screens, companies are given a unique opportunity to showcase their brands to a huge audience.
However, such an opportunity comes at a price. Sports Illustrated revealed that a 30-second slot during last year’s big game would have set back companies more than $5 million dollars. With so much money at stake, agencies are under enormous pressure to create a memorable advert that will provide an ROI for their clients.
This year was no different, littered with celebrity appearances and humour we look at five of our favourites from last night.
- Budweiser- ‘Wind Never Felt Better’
This year’s advert from the beer giant promotes Budweiser’s positioning as a sustainable business. Building on last year’s advert which focused on the company’s decision to provide clean water to hurricane victims, this year’s offering celebrates that it’s the first major beer brand to be brewed with 100% renewable energy from wind power.
- Stella Artois – ‘Change Up the Usual’
Stella Artois brings back some iconic characters in The Dude (Jeff Bridges) and Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker). Rather than order their respective signature drinks – White Russian for him, Cosmopolitan for her – they decide to ‘change up the usual’ and order a refreshing Stella Artois.
- Michelob – ‘The Pure Experience’
With the increasing popularity of ASMR, it was only a matter of time until brands jumped on this burgeoning trend. Fronted by Zoe Kravitz, Michelob claim “The commercial induces tingling sensations as it encourages drinkers to reconnect with nature through the enjoyment of beer in its organic form.” You be the judge.
- Olay – ‘#KillerSkin’
Sarah Michelle Gellar returns to her horror genre roots in Olay’s Super Bowl debut. With most of the highly-lucrative advertising spots being traditionally aimed at men (despite 45% of viewers being women), Olay is challenging the status quo.
- Pepsi – ‘More Than Ok’
Featuring Steve Carrell, Cardi B and some guy called Lil Jon, the advert reignites the Pepsi/Coca-Cola rivalry by cleverly playing on the genericised term ‘coke’ and applying it to a situation everyone can relate to – “is Pepsi ok?”
