What Makes a Good Super Bowl Ad?
What Makes Marketing on the Big Day So Fun!?
The Super Bowl isn’t only the championship game for football teams. Advertisers compete for more than 100 million captive consumers.
The people love the commercials.
In 2022 Advocado ran a study that showed 42% of viewers watch the Super Bowl for the Advertisements rather than the game itself.
But what makes the ads so good? Well, not all of them are good. Each year there are around 80 ads.
But only 5-10 of those ads stand out.
What if you flop?
How can you justify the expense?
A Super Bowl ad costs $8M this year - A $1M increase from 2024.
Making a Super Bowl ad is different than making any old ad.
How can you make a GOOD Super Bowl ad?
First, let’s revisit some of America’s favorite Super Bowl commercials:
1984 - Apple (1984)
“You’re Playing Like Betty White Out There” - Snickers (2010)
“Lost Dog” - Budweiser (2015)
“They Usually Go For 2” - Budweiser (1996)
Mean Joe Greene - Coke (1979)
And my personal favorite - The Force - Volkswagen (2011)
Each of these Ads keeps you watching; some without a word. But why?
Undeniably, the circumstances are to an advertiser’s advantage. Super Bowls are memorable moments. You’re likely with friends and there’s always the possibility for once in a lifetime sporting plays to happen; you can barely afford to look away.
There are 2 things you can do with this advantage. First, you can blend into your surroundings with ads like Coke’s Mean Joe Greene. Or, you can disrupt the experience with ads like Apple’s 1984.
With the privilege comes pressure. Viewers don’t want normal ads. They’re expecting you to step up.
Here are 5 things the best Super Bowl ads do better:
Easily immersive stories
The stories develop right in front of you. You’re thrown right into an easy to follow setting.
It takes 2 seconds to understand the predicament in the Mean Joe Greene ad. The kid wants the jersey.
Satisfying or Hilarious Conclusion
Each ad dangles a conclusion in front of the viewer like a carrot.
In Budweisers’ Lost Dog, everyone knows the dog will come home. But seeing the Clydesdales guide the puppy up the driveway could put a lump in anyone’s throat.
As for a hilarious conclusion, “They usually go for 2” is a great kicker.
Emotion, Humor, Heartstrings
Budweisers’ Lost Dog certainly had every room in America filled with “Awwww.”
Snickers introduces an easy-to-laugh-at concept with their Betty White cameo.
Humor can be a simple punchline as well - like in VW’s Force.
Constant Action and Dialogue
Similar to the action on the field, once you’re captivated by a story, it’s hard to look away.
Apple’s 1984 interrupts the normal cadence and creates a scenario that needs answering.
Easily Sharable & Group Palletable
Great Super Bowl ads are meant to be consumed by groups of people. This is why they get talked about first at the party, again at the water cooler, and again on top 10 lists.
Make your ad easier to recall with movie stars or salient mascots. “The one with Betty White” is easier to remember than a brand name.
You probably noticed that most of these ads use more than one of the five keys to success; the more the merrier.
Once you have a good ad - Don’t forget why you bought the spot
Each of these ads undeniably showcases the product. If you’re going to fork over millions of dollars for an ad spot, don’t be scared to flaunt what you got.
Apple and VW both do a great job announcing or introducing new products and features - while the rest of the ads do a great job of incorporating their products into notable situations.
Eyes will be peeled to see how advertisers outdo each other again this year.
I look forward to seeing the usual heavy hitters like Coke, Doritos, Burger King, etc.
I’m also excited to see if there are any new advertisers on the block.
A great Super Bowl ad can be the reason a Unicorn grows its horn.
In 2005 Go Daddy’s first Super Bowl commercial aired to mass controversy. It was banned from running a second time.
Experts estimate that the controversy earned GoDaddy another $11.7M in free publicity on top of their paid spot.
The growth of the company skyrocketed after the publicity. They initiated a 700% hiring increase over 7 years, their active site rate grew by 136% the year following the ad, and you can see their revenue growth explode on the graph below:
In 2011 Go Daddy sold for 2.5B
They are now publically traded with a market cap near $30B.
We could tell the same story about Apple
Their market cap was hovering around $1B in 1984 and 1985 when their iconic Super Bowl ad aired.
Great Super Bowl ads aren’t the only reason these companies became household names.
You still need a great business with differentiating factors.
Both of these businesses took advantage of a strong industry.
A great Super Bowl ad brings national awareness concurrently.
Every national brand needs national awareness. However, some brands allow themselves to scale slowly, and some brands never need to run a Super Bowl ad.
As we showed above, the return on investment can be dramatic. It’s a high-risk ad spot. You have to be in the right position as a company to take advantage of the high reward. Your brand must demand national awareness and possess the infrastructure to serve an influx. Then, you better deliver on promises.
PS: Super Bowl Ads are a mainstay in modern America. Immerse groups of people with emotional stories if you want to make a great Super Bowl Ad.
I must admit I am not a football fan, but I will watch the Super Bowl only for the ads.
It’s a cultural moment. The best ones are selling an experience, a feeling, a story that sticks.
I loved “The Force” (Volkswagen, 2011) because I am a Star Wars fan lol
What’s your favorite Super Bowl ad of all time?