Reacting Super Bowl Ads LIVE
Super Bowl Sunday is here and, for me, it's all about the ads.
At any given moment, advertising reflects the current issues and challenges, values and morals, memes and themes in our popular culture and larger social fabric. Super Bowl Ads are all of that plus a King Size bag of chips…and on steroids.
Several advertisers were sent scrambling to make last-minute adjustments to their creative and their placements. Ad Age's senior editor Jeanine Poggi breaks it all down in her Super Bowl alert: game day edition.
Will the Tom Brady mystery finally be solved?
Keep your eyes open for the $6M ad spot David MacNeil took out to sing the praises of the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine after they saved the life of his 7-year-old golden retriever, Scout.
On that note, play Super Bowl Ad Bingo at your watch party! Use this card:
It prints to 8.5x11, or you can get two on one sheet by printing side by side.
Ready? Here we go!
DJ Khaled in the house - brilliant and highly relevant choice. He got alot of throwback press yesterday, late into the night and wee morning hours while Stormi World 2 was going off, primarily because he notoriously gifted Stormi with her first Chanel bag last year at Stormi’s first birthday (Stormi World 1). His participation makes this feel like a party weekend, which was probably unintentional but is one of those sweet snergies brands and marketers love.
Turkish Airlines sponsored the press room so I’m expecting another blockbuster ad. David Madrid, owned by Ogilvy, created their spot - and it’s the first Super Bowl ad created by a Spanish agency. Global CCO Pancho Cassis says it’s more like a film than an ad, so I’m excited!
The real face-off today might be The Puppy Bowl vs. The Kitten Bowl. Which one got to you?
Geico in the press room. Look for the gekko later! At least I hope so, because the Geico Sequence ad fell flat. Is this a new product? What does it do? I have no idea, based on that ad. That ad was like a rice cake - bland and forgettable.
5G vs. Verizon 5G, Bounty, Applebee’s - We’re still in pre-game ads but the cost of a spot is still astronomical. Why make a business-as-usual ad?
ZENNI’s Championship Vision - I am so excited there was an ad for glasses that equated the year 2020 and 2020 vision!
What a Wonderful World by Clean Harbors - sustainability in action, people. Loved this, and I expect at least 10 ads that are about envrionmental stewardship and climate action.
#RunningMates by Weight Watchers w Oprah and Dwayne. Proactive and concise.
Progressive Insurance at Portabella’s Restaurant - I hope they have more than one spot and keep telling this story. It feels like that’s the set up.
All Strength No Sweat - Secret Deodorant kicked ass with Let’s Kick Inequality. That said, they stayed inside the pre-defined roles of women and race. The white woman was young and pretty, the woman of color was a “real person” actor. Secret needs to kick inequality HARDER.
Movies - Maverick, Mulan, Marvel, meh.
All People Are Tax People by Intuit gets points for creativity and positivity. They managed to make the boring highly interesting, the sign of a great agency.
Here’s to the Next 100 - I’m misty. That was cute.
The Tide Pods narrative bleeding over into the Masked Singer ad was genius. I definitely relate to the trauma of getting food on your clothes and not being able to do a single thing about it.
Criminal Reform - the tag line was “Trump Got It Done,” but it’s not done yet.
Walmart Out Of This World Convenience was a stretch. I don’t completely understand why they went that direction and think it was i’ll-advises.
Rocket Mortgage with un-hunkified Jason Momoa is one of a multi-part series. At some point he returns in a bathtub. Yay!
ThenWorld Just Needs a Snickers? The timing was wrong - it would be perfect for 4/20.
Tom Brady mystery SOLVED. Hulu is going places, but Tom’s not going anywhere.
Hyundai Smat Pack - I hope this made the Boston viewers happy?
Cheetohs Popcorn gives you New Snack Food on the bingo card.
OlaySkin - This was a departure for Olay in the sense that it used famous actors in a simple linear narrative instead of real people overcoming complicated barriers. What made it an effective, purposeful ad was it’s support of GirlsWhoCode.
Avocados from Mexico are ready to join you on any experience you invite them to. Avocarrier, pool float, track suit, hard hat - check. I need to find out who their creative agency is.
Pringles is the third to use the “trapped in a commercial” joke. Will there be more?
Intuit brings us taxes again with a jiggy song. I appreciate this effort!
Porsche’s New Luxury baffled me. Chrissy Tiegen and John Legend are beloved by most of us. The writing in this commercial was one note, with the only clever part being “the magic word” (sexiest man alive). What a waste of great spokespeople.
I feel exactly the same way about the Coca Cola Energy spot with Jonah Hill and Martin Scorsese.
Kool-Aid Man at Mr. Peanut’s Funeral is a stroke of brilliance.
Google (Tech Titan square on bingo card) tugging the heart strings with a product that might not quite yet exist.
Sabra I-mmus, You-mmus, Hummus - catchy.
Walmart’s 2nd Spot was a snooze.
The Hint Water pie eating contestants tasting each other’s faces is probably right-on for the audience. Also, the placement is exactly at the point in the show where I definitely need to have some water, and fruity water sounds delicious!
Doritos #CoolRanchDance to Old Town Road is a smart way to inject a brand into cultural zeitgeist.
Tide Pods back for the win - and a never ending Groundhog’s Day stain scenario
Tech Titan ad for Facebook Groups. I like the creative but their truth in advertising policy for advertisers is so ethically out of sorts that I’m not feeling any love.