Most brands today put social first. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that they are exclusively working with social.
In fact, social is quickly becoming a layer of technology that can reign over all advertising content. So as brands expand beyond social, with the Super Bowl as one example, we're seeing social expand as well.
This year, there were high expectations for the advertisements. Ad prices even increased by 16% for this year’s Super Bowl. Many of the ads from last year had a focus on health and safety since Covid's global impact was approaching the one-year mark.
So this year, the majority of the ads weren't focused on Covid, but instead on our connection with others with a sprinkle of humor and empathy. Here are some of the ads that stood out the most from the biggest day in advertising.
It goes without saying that the Coinbase ad was a huge hit. While the Super Bowl ads have historically centered on creative storytelling, all of those unwritten principles went out the window for this ad. The QR code was so different that it captured everyone's attention. The fact that the landing page received more than 20 million hits and the crypto app crashed from the enormous number of people trying to download Coinbase speaks to the future of advertising. QR codes will likely become more common within ads. And, you could hear the cheers across the country when the moving QR code made it into the corner of the screen.
While some critics think Amazon's "Mind Reader" ad wasn't successful, I'd argue otherwise. Consumers have expressed privacy concerns about Alexa's ability to listen to conversations. Some have gone as far as to say the device can read people's minds. But addressing those very objections is exactly what marketers should be doing to convince consumers that their products are right for them. As such, Amazon adds humor by showing what life would be like if Alexa actually could read our minds.
The Rocket Homes and Rocket Mortgage app advertisement with Anna Kendrick certainly was creative, but the Barbie storyline seemed a bit far fetched. Yes, it was clever to involve Barbie's "Dream Home" with the tagline "find your dream home." However, many viewers were confused about what the ad was about. As a result, the target audience lost interest rather quickly when the ad came across as something for children in the first few seconds.
The storyline and writing behind this Squarespace ad was genius. The play on words with the tongue-twister "Sally sells seashells by the seashore" works perfectly with the alliteration in Squarespace. Not only that, but the story was actually relevant to how Squarespace can help small businesses thrive. Also, having Zendaya star in the ad was authentic as she was already using Squarespace before being approached about the partnership.
The Super Bowl is always at the forefront of advertising. While some ads were a miss, others were a big hit. We can expect there to be more creative storytelling to come from advertisers, along with brands taking note of Coinbase's unconventional advertising method. We predict that next year will involve even more social experiences. Head to NBC to watch all the ads from this year's Super Bowl.
