The Super Bowl is the biggest, costliest, most anticipated advertising event of the year and for some brands it is the biggest bet they make to reach their intended audience. So, the ads should reflect who we are and what’s happening in the culture, right? Here’s a few categories to watch out for during the game to see if they hit the mark.
1. Humor. It’s what we all want so let’s start there. A Harris Poll said that “when asked what tone this year’s ad viewers want to see more of in next year’s ads, funny (56%) was the top response.” Some brands really deliver.
– Pop Corners reunites us with Mr. White, Jesse, and TV’s favorite psycho, Tuco.
– Jennifer Coolidge squeaks like a dolphin in this piece for e.l.f. Who doesn’t want to hear that.
– Do Steve Martin and Ben Stiller like Pepsi Zero or are they acting?
– The E*TRADE babies are back and reflecting on the big questions of life.
– Kia: Binky Dad goes viral rescuing the favorite binky in his Telluride X-Pro SUV
2. Gambling. Sports Betting is now legal in 33 states and Arizona, the host of this year’s game, is one of those states. Axios also reports “that 34% of fans say the expansion of legal sports betting has made games more exciting.”
– DraftKings and Kevin Hart, with cameos by other sports celebs, are offering free bets
– Rob Grondowski and Fan Duel will stage The Kick of Destiny live, with $10,000,000 in free bets
3. Celebrities. Whether you’re exhausted by our celebrity obsessed culture or energized by it this year’s Super Bowl is packing the commercials with as many celebs that fit in 30 or 60 second spots. See if you can count them all, real or animated.
– Doritos, Jack’s New Angle
– Paramount+ A Mountain of Entertainment
– Workday Rockstars tell the rest of us that THEY are the rockstars! Thinking of Ozzy Ozbourne as a co-worker would certainly make the days more interesting.
4. Nostalgia. An evergreen category brings it all home with humor, celebrities, and familiarity. Feels so good.
– Turbo Tax. Safety Dance by Men Without Hats will turn heads back to the TV with “Don’t Do Your Taxes. So You Can Do Anything Else.”
– Michelob features Serena Williams and Brian Cox are the New Members at Bushwood in a Caddyshack spoof complete with Kenny Loggins’ 1980 “I’m Alright.” Try not to sing along.
5. Collaborations. We’re all team players on Super Bowl Sunday
– GM and Netflix Put Will Ferrell in now famous scenes that could benefit from an EV
6. Christianity. This is a new category for everyone watching an event celebrating excess of everything— beer, chips and dip, betting, screaming at the TV, brawn, and winning and this campaign is getting lots of attention. According to AP He Gets Us is spending $20 million in the “hopes to counter the notion that religion is used to divide us.
– One spot below, Family Matters, looks at how we grow apart.
7. Menopause. Yes, Menopause. It’s coming out of the closet for real this time from Astellas.
8. Sobriety. Sober Curious and Dry January have morphed a category. According to Nielsen IQ “Between August 2021 and August 2022, total dollar sales of non-alcoholic drinks in the US stood at $395 million, showing a year-on-year growth of +20.6%.”
Heineken presents their NA beer with Ant Man, Paul Rudd and “Now You Can Before Saving The Day”
9. Crypto. After last year’s pundits crowned the game “the crypto bowl” there are zero crypto ads following the recent implosion.