By Chris Copacino, Senior Account Director, Copacino+Fujikado
This year’s Super Bowl (or “The Big Game,” to borrow a phrase from Steve Lawson) brought an entertaining game, a good end result (for most Seahawks fans) and some interesting advertising in our industry’s premier showcase event. There were many memorable commercials and, inevitably, some less stellar work. I thought the crop was generally admirable—with fewer pure clunkers than in recent years.
Here’s my breakdown of the good, the “meh” and the notable.
The Good:
Jeep (“Groundhog Day”)
This was my favorite spot—and the winner in the USA Today Ad Meter Poll. It combined nostalgia, faithfulness to the original movie and Bill Murray (who makes everything better). The result was pure delight. The backstory on the spot is almost as entertaining. The spot was born when the Jeep CMO realized the game was scheduled for Groundhog Day. He had to approach Bill Murray through friends, since the quirky comedian doesn’t have an agent or have a booking agency to handle inquiries. Also, the spot was spot was produced and edited in a mere three weeks before the game—requiring breakneck speed for a production of this magnitude.
Rocket Mortgage (“Comfortable”)
Great Super Bowl advertising often leverages the unexpected, uses riveting special effects and contains a dash of celebrity. This commercial combines all of these ingredients masterfully—with a great performance by Jason Mamoa in a fun ride that was laugh-out-loud funny. The button after the logo was the cherry on top of this comedic sundae.
Google (“Loretta”)
Pulling on heart strings is another proven technique for Super Bowl advertising success—and can stand out in a sea of comedy, celebrity and elaborate production. Based on the true story of a Google employee’s father, the spot told the story of how the company’s technology can help keep memories alive. The spot was spare, simple and poignant. For those who ripped the spot on Twitter, how black and jaded is your heart?
Hyundai (“Smaht Pahk”)
Why are Boston accents so funny? I’m not sure, but they worked perfectly in this wickedly funny spot that starred three Boston celebrities: John Krasinski, Rachel Dratch and Chris Evans—not to mention a surprising cameo by Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz. It was an effective way to promote the automaker’s innovative “smart park” feature—a textbook example of how to marry entertainment with useful consumer information.
The “Meh”
Tide Detergent (“#LaundryLater”)
This was a worthy attempt to communicate an idea early in the game, then reinforce it with subsequent spots throughout the broadcast. The problem was, the execution of the commercials’ premise (Tide can remove deep down stains), wasn’t very funny or well-written. It fell flat—again and again and again. It wasted the comedic talents of Charlie Day and, by the seventh attempt to reinforce the spot, viewers were hoping it would mercifully end.
Heinz (“Find the Goodness”)
This spot was a classic case of “Psst, your strategy is showing”—as well as an example of advertising getting too clever for its own good. In a televised Super Bowl environment, asking viewers to watch four commercials simultaneously (the screen was divided into four quadrants) is a hard ask. The idea that Heinz is ubiquitous and universally loved is a solid foundational strategy, but the overly ambitious execution was confusing and unsatisfying.
Coke Energy (“Show Up”)
Celebrity is not in itself a strategy, which is where this spot went wrong from the start. So many questions here: Why Martin Scorsese and Jonah Hill? Is there a backstory (beyond Scorsese’s having directed Hill in The Wolf of Wall Street)? Why a costume party? Why isn’t Scorsese in a costume? And why did anyone think this was a good idea to begin with? The spot comes off as a bloated mess, obscuring the product—which is a shame given the talent that it squandered.
Avocados of Mexico (“The Avocados from Mexico Shopping Network”)
Avocados of Mexico is an annual Super Bowl advertiser, whose past ads have been weirdly interesting and smartly creative. But this year fell short. It parodied the Home Shopping Network, which has become an advertising cliché—and this execution didn’t bring anything new or interesting to the trope. Then, Molly Ringwald shows up and adds nothing except the fact that Molly Ringwald showed up. While there weren’t a lot of dogs in this year’s Super Bowl pack of spots, if one was rather canine, this would be it.
The Notable
Doritos (“The Cool Ranch”)
The spot is a perfect example of the over-the-top goofiness that is appropriate for the Super Bowl. Lil Nas X puts an exclamation mark on 2019’s most popular song, while the iconic Sam Elliott gets to demonstrate his deadpan comedic chops, with help from a special-effects moustache. They meet for a dance-off at The Cool Ranch, reinforcing the Doritos flavor. Sam Elliott provides the product shot voice over. (Author’s Note: I think the FCC should subsidize any spot voiced by Elliott, Morgan Freeman, Whoopi Goldberg or James Earl Jones. Each of them could read a grocery list and mesmerize us.)
Snickers (“#SnickersFixTheWorld”)
I appreciated Snickers’ effort to continue its long-running “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” campaign. It begins by poking fun at the world’s problems—then attempts to make everything better by feeding the world a gigantic Snickers bar (all while admitting it’s a dumb idea). It’s a clever way to bring up the divisions in society through comedy, while still promoting a product. It stood in contrast to other “socially conscious” commercials—Walmart’s overt attempts to position itself as a model corporate citizen and President Trump’s dubious claim of being a criminal-justice reformer.
Procter & Gamble (“When We Come Together, an Interactive Super Bowl Party, America’s Choice”)
You’ve got to give P&G credit for trying to get the most bang for its Super Bowl buck—as it promoted seven different products in one spot—all taking place at a party-gone-wrong at Sofia Varga’s house. While widely panned, I thought the commercial had some fun moments. But the overall effect was dizzying. I admired P&G for selecting a local, independent Cincinnati agency to create the spot, continuing its approach of seeking creative talent from smaller indie shops. I’m all for that!
All in all, it was a pretty good year for Super Bowl advertising. As we look to next year, let’s hope we see an appearance by the Seahawks—and more great commercials.
Steve Lawson’s Spot During The Big Game
Pub. Note: Before you learn “the rest of the story” about Steve Lawson’s TV spot during The Big Game—from Steve himself—view the commercial in question above. And now…
The Rest of the Story…(and don’t miss Pat’s recollections at the end!)
It was a stunt whose origins go back to August, 1966, when I was 13. The Beatles had taken the world by storm. But radio stations across the U.S. were banning Beatles records because of John Lennon’s comment earlier that year claiming that “the Beatles were more popular than Jesus.”
Concert promoter and radio jock Pat O’Day scheduled the Beatles to play at the Seattle Coliseum on Aug. 25, 1966. So, we were stunned by the barrage of announcements by O’Day on KJR that the station was placing an immediate ban on the playing of ALL Beatles music. Listeners were instructed to tune in at a certain date and time to learn why.
How could that be? Everyone loved the Beatles. And KJR was playing the hell out of their records.
Oh, yes. We dutifully tuned in at the prescribed date and time to hear KJR’s rationale for banning our beloved Beatles. I’ll bet 90% of all Seattle-area radio listeners were tuned in for the important revelation. And it turned out to be one the most memorable promotional stunts I can ever recall.
KJR wasn’t banning The Beatles at all; it was announcing a contest! From that day forward, ’til a certain date, KJR might turn off any Beatles song it was playing for a half-second or so at some point in the song. But if they didn’t—and they played a Beatles song all the way through and you were the 9th caller (or 95th caller)—you won tickets to the Beatles concert.
Flash forward 54 years. I’m in the shower (the source of all inspiration) and, for some reason, that promo popped into my head, followed by my thoughts of all the great commercials that run during The Big Game. (We can’t mention the name of that game because “Super Bowl” is a registered trademark of the NFL).
Now, I’m a can-do kind of guy. So, rather than wait for an ad agency or production company to hire me to voice a spot during The Big Game, the thought suddenly struck me, “Hell, I’ll just do it myself!’ After all, besides being a voice-over actor, I also write and produce TV commercials. But I was short about $5 million to buy a :30 spot on FOX.
If KJR could place a faux ban on Beatles music, a commercial featuring my voice and face could, indeed, air “during” The Big Game. Just on other channels. Why not???
So, I bought four spots on Comcast’s Bellevue/Eastside zone that ran “during” The Big Game, and I then let people know on Facebook and Linked In that I would be voicing an ad, and to be watching and listening for it. Those who asked for advance info on what to look for were told that I had a non-disclosure clause in my contract that was in effect until the ad actually ran on Sunday.
The response was overwhelming. It was gratifying that people were so excited for me. It was easily the most reaction I’ve ever gotten from any Facebook promotion.
And. yes, the commercial ran during The Big Game. Just not on the FOX Network broadcast. In fact, the spot ran four times—on Animal Planet (great placement in The Puppy Bowl), TV Land, The Weather Channel and WE TV.
Total cost? $12.50, which also earned me 13 miles on my Alaska Airlines Visa.
Will this stunt generate work for me? Time will tell. My Facebook reach doesn’t match that of KJR in 1966—although neither does today’s KJR. But it sure was fun creating the promotion and the commercial that paid homage to Pat O’Day and the great team he assembled for the late Les Smith.
So, what’s the takeaway? When it comes to promotion, or in this case, blatant self-promotion, there are no new ideas. But, if you are going to recycle one, recycle the best!
P.S. Little did Steve know that both he and the legendary O’Day (who was considerably older than him in 1966) would one day both be members of the MARKETING IMMORTALS pantheon! —LC
…and Pat’s recollections…
After John Lennon announced that “the Beatles are more popular than Jesus Christ!” he naturally was condemned from countless American pulpits. In general, it was a shocking statement to every man, woman and child who heard it. I saw it as an opportunity to grab more than our current share of audience for KJR.
I informed GM Galen Blackford and Office Manager Homer Pope of my plan, but the rest of the staff was left in the dark. I just couldn’t take a chance on a leak from anyone as I wrote the announcement.
I expressed my appreciation to the Beatles for all the great music they provide, bringing happiness and sunshine to millions. However, I felt Lennon’s comment should have any broadcaster question his station’s relationship with the Beatles because it’s our airtime that made them so famous. So I stated that KJR had come to conclusion that our audience may find us banning the play of “all of the Beatles records.” I said we’ve consulted with other stations in the nation, but we feel we should take the lead.
I said a final meeting would be held Friday morning and that KJR would announce its intentions at 5pm the following Friday. Will we ban the playing of all the Beatles songs? Tune in Friday at 5pm and find out!
Oh did that create a stir! L.A. stations arranged for Seattle people to provide them a feed of the announcement over the phone. Channels 4 and 5 asked that their cameraman and news person be allowed to interview the staff. People in Yakima drove to the top of Snoqualmie Pass so they could hear KJR more clearly. And here in town, it was the topic of endless conversations. The consensus was that I disagreed with the idea, but that management would override me.
So at 5pm that Friday, I went on the air, First, I thanked the Beatles for their contributions to the world of music and entertainment. And I said that the following announcement had the approval of KJR’s management. “Boys and girls, ladies and gentleman. KJR and its management love the Beatles, but we’re not going to play all of their songs. Yes, you will hear them every hour on KJR, but each song will have a second or so missing. However, if you hear us play their entire song, with nothing removed from the recording, be the (varying number) to call KJR and win not only cash, but tickets to see the Beatles when they come to town. We love John Lennon and the Beatles, and this fun contest is our way of showing our love.”
Result: The concert was a smashing success and KJR pulled more than a 30% share among all daytime audiences in the following book.
Thanks, Steve and Larry, for waking up some pleasant memories deep in my aged brain. 😊 Pat