Super Bowl Ads Take On More Serious Tone, While Many Spots Rely On Celebrities
Many national ads on NBC during yesterday's Super Bowl "sought to tug at viewers’ heart strings rather than make them burst out laughing," according to Emily Steel of the N.Y. TIMES. The offerings "were not devoid of the usual mix of celebrities, animals and slapstick comedy, but ads celebrating fatherhood, happiness over hatred and public proclamations of love dominated." Several marketing execs said that they "thought more carefully about their depiction of women in Super Bowl ads, given the controversies" surrounding the NFL (N.Y. TIMES, 2/2). The AP's Mae Anderson writes "serious was the name of the game" this year, not "slapstick and sex." The serious tone "is an effort to win over Americans who have a lower tolerance for crass ads with an overuse of sexually explicit themes and sophomoric humor" (AP, 2/2). In Cleveland, Marc Bona writes there was a "gentleness that the commercials took on, with few laugh-aloud moments or physical comedy" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 2/2). In Pittsburgh, Rob Owen writes if there was a "secondary theme to this year’s Super Bowl ads, it was advocacy on behalf of women." From a domestic violence PSA to P&G's spot for its Always feminine hygiene brand, ads "were not limited to guy-targeted beer, chips and trucks" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 2/2).
PLAYING IT SAFE: USA TODAY's Bruce Horovitz writes Super Bowl ads on the whole last night "came up a bit short on energy and on the entertainment that viewers have come to expect from brands spending the big bucks to appear on the biggest live stage in advertising." It was, "first and foremost, the Nostalgia Bowl." Horovitz: "There's Snickers paying homage to 'The Brady Bunch.'" And Bud Light "literally bringing Pac Man to life." It also was the "Super Bowl of commercial kumbaya," as many of the spots "were the equivalent of [a] hug." Horovitz: "This was a PG-rated Super Bowl. Arguably, there wasn't a national ad too racy for kids' eyes or too tasteless for grandma's ears." Meanwhile, just months after the NFL's "image was severely tarnished by domestic abuse incidents involving players, several advertisers opted to show Dad in a good light," including Nissan's 90-second spot on the race car driver and his son. (USA TODAY, 2/2)
THEMES ON TARGET? MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski said of the dad-themed ads during the Super Bowl, “It was all too much.” MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough said the ads “are an indicator where, at least Madison Avenue thinks, America is going and everything about family.” Scarborough: “I’ve seen so many commercials down in the gutter. I was really, really pleased that this is what Madison Avenue and the largest corporations in the world finally figured out what America wants” (“Morning Joe,” MSNBC, 2/2).
CELEBRITY APPRENTICES: In N.Y., David Li writes celebs last night were a "valued commodity" -- even the "over-exposed ones such as T-Mobile pitch woman Kim Kardashian" (N.Y. POST, 2/2). AD AGE's Ashley Rodriguez noted Esurance last night "kicked off a new brand campaign" with two spots -- one starring actress Lindsay Lohan and a surprise appearance by actor Bryan Cranston as his "Breaking Bad" character Walter White (ADAGE.com, 2/1). In Chicago, Lori Rackl writes a "sure-fire way to get your Super Bowl ad noticed" is to "build it around a surprise cameo by one of the most iconic television characters of all time" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 2/2). In Detroit, Susan Whitall writes Cranston's Walter White character "worked perfectly as a pop-cultural gem," but the Lohan spot "wasn't as effective" (DETROIT NEWS, 2/2). The AP's Anderson & Choi wrote voiceovers "were big." Toyota's first ad "starred Paralympic medalist Amy Purdy snowboarding and dancing, set to a speech by Muhammad Ali," a Microsoft ad included a voiceover by rapper Common, and "there was Carnival's audio clip of JFK" as well (AP, 2/1).
