These commercials understand audience mapping
I haven't been impressed by the Super Bowl ads for a few years. Every year, I hope that there will be one or two that stand out and I'll write about them, but the big game rolls around and I'm left thinking these are ridiculous and not worth mentioning. This year was different--I found several ads that I thought were fantastic, spanning various categories of success. Below are the top Super Bowl ads along with my reasons for choosing them.
Country Roads Take me Home - Rocket Mortgage
This was probably my favorite ad of the entire night. Maybe it's the nostalgia of Appalachia and my frequent trips to neighboring state West Virginia, but "Country Roads" just makes you feel like you're home--no matter where you live. The commercial hit relevance with the audience because home prices do feel out of reach for many people--and the ad captured all of the different types of people looking for home. The scenarios made it feel like everyone should own the dream. To top it off, the advertiser blared "Country Roads" throughout the stadium and panned with different people, cheering for different teams, coming together to sing and bond. Truly the best.
“From the start, this was more than a commercial. We set out to create a moment that captures the raw, emotional journey of chasing a dream that once felt out of reach. For many Americans, that is homeownership – the foundation for financial security, prosperity and a better future. Tonight, we reminded America that home is something to believe in, fight for and make a reality for everyone.” --Jonathan Mildenhall, Chief Marketing Officer of Rocket
Real Potatoes, Real Farmers - Lays
This ad is a little more personal for me since I have a friend whose family grows potatoes. I loved seeing the appreciation for farmers and telling the story of how we get our food. Farming includes generations of love and hard work, a concept that I think many want to believe in again with the American Dream. If you take a look at Lays Instagram account, they go one step further to show you the names and faces of the farmers--many who have been partners and providing us potatoes for decades!
Huddle Up - Opening Scene with Brad Pitt
I'm not sure that this technically counts as an ad, but it was the opening concept that set the tone for the Super Bowl. It paid respect and showed honor to the first responders that keep us safe--now and throughout American history. It captured the hearts from recent tragedies in New Orleans to the hurricanes in North Carolina to the fires in California to the plane crashes in Philadelphia and DC. It drew the concept of huddles in sports to how we huddle up in life and displayed true patriotism.
The above ads all focused on the American spirit--giving hope to souls desperate for care and the feeling of security. The next group of ads captured more nostalgia and had very creative marketing campaigns that were multi-channel and beyond just the Super Bowl. These commercials brought back clever campaigns to Super Bowl ads earning them top brand awareness points.
When Harry Met Sally - Hellman's
One of the best romantic comedies of all time is When Harry Met Sally. The banter, the years of back and forth, the wrong place wrong time, the ups and downs, the humor, the realness--the classic "I'll have what she's having" line. Not sure what took us so long to get this remake or why a salad dressing brand didn't jump at it, but as a mayo lover, I was here for it and this was one of the commercials I was waiting for. Not only was it clever, but it got other brands talking. Hellmans biggest competitor in Duke's even had the Duke's Mayo Bowl tweeting that "with Duke's you don't have to fake it..." When you get your competitors talking, you know you've done well.
Case of the Mondays - Coors Light
This was my first favorite commercial of the night. It's so relatable to many people and brings back the nostalgia of Office Space. This was more than a one-off campaign. The play on words of "case" for beer but also for Monday, "light" not just for the beer but also for taking it easy. While you may have a case of the Mondays after the big game, I think this parallels the popular "sunday scaries" where any Monday can be rough. The brand went one step further in leading up to the Super Bowl to showcase common feelings about Monday: a typo in advertisement or an actor not wanting to work full-out and getting replaced by sloths. These adorable animals that go slow like you may on a Monday.
The commercial included a link to a landing page where you could win a case of Monday Light and shop merchandise. I think this is way more relatable than "choose chill" and love the whole campaign. Peloton even chimed in since a sloth was struggling to workout on Monday. Pure genius.
So we've had empathy, hope, nostalgia, and fun. All quality traits of a great commercial. With the rise of AI and tech, while I didn't think these ads stood out as much, I do believe they talked to an audience--to solve problems in relatable ways.
Super Bowl Ads for AI
T-Mobile and Starlink joining forces to provide connection to people. We already saw this when disasters like hurricanes hit areas. But the commercial is relatable for anyone who feels like they aren't able to communicate when they want to most.
Google Gemini making it easy to balance work/life. While preparing for an interview, but answering questions that could be for work or for parenting, shows the ways AI can help you balance your time for what matters most.
Nerd Wallet shows off it's new Genius Beluga that helps you find the right credit card. Again, it shows how tech can help make your life easier, limit your time on research, and present you with options that are right for you.
Go Daddy's "act like you know" ad empowers people to put their business front and center even if they aren't sure. As a small business owner, I appreciated how it relates to not knowing what you are doing some days. There's so much to consider when building a brand, and AI and tech can help those who feel overwhelmed.
Finally, I have to give a special shout out to the most practical ad of the night -- Angel Soft's Potty-tunity. As a marketer and someone who actually watches football during the regular season, finding time for a bathroom break is hard while I'm looking out for ads--especially this year with so many great ones, their timing was perfect.
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