What to Steal from this Year's SuperBowl Spots
It's important to hold B2B work to a B2C Standard
Why isn’t every SuperBowl spot great? Advertisers have all of the money, all of the talent and all of the eyeballs. There are no excuses to do something boring, dull or uninspiring — especially when it costs $7,000,000 just to run a :30 spot.
Yet each year, most of them aren’t very good. Here’s a rundown of some of this year’s notable spots, with a few thoughts on what you can steal to make your own communications better.
In no particular order:
PopCorners
This is what they call borrowed interest. Breaking Bad has nothing to do with snacks. We’re borrowing the viewer’s interest in the original show to sell the product. Usually, that makes for bad marketing, but not here. It’s really fun. And way better than the Doritos spot. Sometimes fun is its own justification.
T-Mobile - Bradley Cooper and His Mom
Human and funny. A great setup, let it roll and get the most out of the outtakes. Perfection isn’t human, it’s downright creepy. And this is charming in all the best ways. And in all the ways that the John Travolta one isn’t.
T-Mobile - John Travolta
Meh, it’s a fun idea, but it’s dumb. I hate to rage against silliness, but the MIND-BOGGLING AMOUNT OF MONEY THEY BURNED THROUGH! It just doesn’t seem worth it to me.
And the lyric, “T-Mobile home internet seems too good to be true” is brutal. They seem ashamed to sing it. And I feel awkward for them while watching it.
At least they didn’t reanimate Olivia Newton-John. Probably saving that for the follow-up spot. Advertising can be the worst.
The Roast of Mr. Peanut
They fell in love with the idea but didn’t execute it very well. The concept is fun, but the spot just isn’t. I feel brutalized by the laugh track. Most of the jokes aren’t funny. I want this to be great. But it’s not. Maybe this was just difficult to pull off.
For sure, there was a better way to use Mr. Peanut. I mean, it’s nuts for crying out loud. Compare it with this spot. Way simpler. Way more human. Way more fun.
Pepsi Zero
Great idea. Beautiful execution for the individual spots. I mean, I’m still not going to drink soda but I appreciate the spots. But for me, the teaser spots are where the real lessons are.
The first one isn’t very good. The second one is better. I suspect it’s because they forced them to stick to a script in the first one. The lesson here is if you have two guys who are comedic geniuses, you don’t tell them what to say. You give them the setup and get out of their way.
I want 20 of these spots. I think I like them because, in the world of bubble-wrapped niceness we live in, this kind of rivalry is fresh and feels honest, even when it isn’t,
Dunkin Donuts
What’s not to love? I mean, maybe if you hate Ben Affleck and fair enough. But watch the outtakes. This is how you use great talent. Give them a great setup and let them run. Skim the cream off the top.
If you’re going to pay the money for a celebrity endorsement, get everything out of them that you can.
Workday
Everything you want out of a superbowl spot. Funny idea, pop culture kitsch, great execution. Ozzy steals the show.
Until next week,
Patrick