Super Bowl XLVII Pregame Ad Review

Super Bowl XLVII is finally upon us, and with this year’s game comes a new line-up of the year’s most anticipated commercials.  At SBC, successfully connecting brands with consumers is what we do, so we take very special interest as advertisers put their best foot forward to engage the viewers on one of the biggest stages of the year.

To prepare for the big game, we asked some our ad experts at SBC to provide insight on which commercials they’re most looking forward to, as well as the industry trends that shape the way we engage with brands today.

Be sure to check back for more pregame and postgame insights.  Don’t forget to post comments and follow the Super Bowl conversation on our Facebook and on Twitter with the hashtag #SBCsbads.

David Smith
Senior Interactive Strategist

What has been your favorite Super Bowl commercial of all time? Why was it so memorable?

It’s got to be Tobasco’s “Mosquito” spot from the 1998 Super Bowl. It does a lot in a very short amount of time – there’s an actual storyline, a use for the product that not everyone may have thought of, and it’s just edgy and entertaining enough that you found yourself talking about it the next day – and 15 years later.

Which advertisements are you most looking forward to this year and why?

Hands down it’s going to be the RIM/BlackBerry spot. RIM has had a tumultuous last couple of years and a Super Bowl spot feels like a ‘Hail Mary’ that could either save or finally break the company. They’ve supposedly got a great new product – let’s see how they decide to share it with the world, and if the world even cares.

A couple of brands have also been doing pre-Super Bowl ads promoting their Super Bowl ads – Coke and Mercedes-Benz in particular – kind of makes me feel like I’m living in Inception. It will be interesting to see if people respond any more positively or negatively once the “real” spot airs. 

An honorary mention also goes to the Paramount spot for the new Star Trek: Into the Darkness trailer. I’m a huge nerd, so this is going to be a lot of fun, especially since they’re supposedly building in “bonus content” through an accompanying app.

Companies such as Audi, Coca-Cola and Doritos are letting consumers choose which commercials they air through voting on their computer, smartphone or tablet before and during the game.  Are you on board with this trend?  Do you see it becoming more popular in the future?

More than anything, this feels like an acknowledgement of the increasingly popular crowdsourcing trend, as well as the rise of second-screening in the US. Kickstarter, IndieGoGo and other crowdfunding sites blew up this year, so it’s natural that major brands, especially highly socially engaged ones, are going to find a way to take advantage of similar behavior while rewarding its audience.  

What are you tired of seeing in Super Bowl advertisements?  Why doesn’t it work?  Do you expect to see it again this year?

I, along with the rest of the world, am pretty tired of spots that seem to be completely self-indulgent just to be self-indulgent, with absolutely no tie back to anything resembling a brand attribute (or a strategy for that matter). A recent example that comes to mind is the full-CGI spot Coke ran last year that felt like it could have had any brand’s logo slapped on the end and the viewer would have walked away with the same reaction – “Well, that was kind of cool, but I have no idea what it was for…”. Lazy.

Jim White
Vice President, Media

What has been your favorite Super Bowl commercial of all time? Why was it so memorable?

1996 Budweiser Clydesdales play ball.  From an advertising perspective (not consumer), the spot married the brand icon to the content of the event.

Which advertisements are you most looking forward to this year and why?

I’m interested in what Coke is doing with the CokeChase promotion.  Consumers are prompted to interact with the brand in the digital space before and during the game to dictate the outcome of the chase in a :60 commercial.

Companies such as Audi, Coca-Cola and Doritos are letting consumers choose which commercials they air through voting on their computer, smartphone or tablet before and during the game.  Are you on board with this trend?  Do you see it becoming more popular in the future?

I wish I would have read this before I answered the last question.  There’s no doubt that the convergence of screens is a powerful tool for driving brand engagement.  

Celebrity endorsement plays a significant role in Super Bowl advertising every year.  Which celebrities are you looking forward to seeing most? Least?

I feel like the Kate Upton thing has been worn out.  Toyota is using Kaley Cuoco; she’s probably an unknown to much of the audience.