During Super Bowl 2021, advertisers were challenged to offer escapism as well as comfort with their commercials. But this year, the brands bet big on sentimental/emotional storytelling, humor, celebrity appearances, and music. Super Bowl LVI witnessed brands were battling to capture viewers' attention with ads streamed in the uber-exclusive slots of the Game Night.
These Commercials and other TV spots are a significant part of the experience; ads before or during the first week of the Super Bowl season get a first-mover advantage by seeding narrative for following ads. These high-profile ads have a range of themes starting from funny, thought-provoking, emotional, or more.
First, let’s look at some stats powering by Super Bowl LVI commercials!
According to NBC- the Super Bowl's broadcaster this year —ad sales are at a record pace. In 2022, the 30-seconds' worth of screen time had been bought for $6.5 million. However, the stacking costs are not preventing brands like Lay's, Marvel, Cheetos, Toyota, Chevrolet, GM, and Pepsi from buying them. The slots have been sold at roughly $1 million more than that in 2021.
Last year, CBS sold Super Bowl slots worth 30 seconds for $5.6 million. These numbers have risen significantly from the first Super Bowl in 1967 when a 30-second slot cost only $37,500. But the prices seem justified when you realize that brands get access to a targeted audience of nearly 100 million people during the big game.
Music Plays A Compelling Role This Year
Be it the Pepsi's commercial where the players break into an impromptu sing-along on Olivia Rodrigo's 'good 4 u' or Marvel's Moon Knight trailer with a scintillating musical score, music remained a highlight amidst the commercials.
The Pepsi: Road to Super Bowl LVI ad performs better in the latter half, where the audience is elated to watch the stars enjoying the road trip by singing songs and eating snacks.
Music was key in both the ads- first to set the mood with foot-tapping tunes indicative of the half time celebrity show, second to do wonders by setting the screenplay.
Even the Cheetos ad where Megan Thee Stallion is checking into the studio backlot where a commercial featuring exotic animals being filmed is a build-up to the ultimate official song that goes with their campaign, "Flamin' Hottie.”
The audience was noticing the 'Flamin hot' theme and not the celebrity presence. This ad purely captured attention and engagement due to the flamin’ hot title - which was to be released on the Big Game Day.
Happiness, Surprise, Thrill Were the Dominant Emotions
53% of respondents admitted being happy while watching the Enfamil commercial that celebrates preemies. Besides, the dominant emotion from the Pepsi commercial was detected to be "Happiness". "Happiness" peaked during the latter half of the video as the viewers were elated to see the stars singing their hearts out in the bus and enjoying the road trip.
Entropik’s Emotion Report observes that the Positive emotions climbs during the 79th second and touches a new peak at 115th second, where the viewers watch football legend Terry Bradshaw enjoying the trip to LA with a handful of snacks sitting on the bus's roof.
Next, in the Cheetos commercial as well, the dominant emotions were happiness and surprise. That's primarily because the audience was curiously excited to hear the conversation between Megan and the crew member regarding the exotic animals.
Even the Cheetos ad where Megan Thee Stallion is checking into the studio backlot where a commercial featuring exotic animals being filmed is a build-up to the ultimate official song that goes with their campaign, "Flamin' Hottie.”
Star Power Makes the Cut This Super Bowl
This year's commercials featured major star power, including ex-NFL players Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, and Jerome Bettis; New York Jets player Mekhi Becton; Hollywood actor Oscar Isaac, superstar Megan Thee Stallion, and more. The price to advertise those stars was as high as the game's tempo.
Similarly, celebrity starrer ads stayed for the win this year as well. The Pepsi and Lay's collab campaign featured Super Bowl champions- Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Victor Cruz, Jerome Bettis, and Terry Bradshaw.
73% of the respondents admit that the characters/celebrity in the commercials were the most engaging element. Similarly, Enfamil celebrated preemies by featuring New York Jets player Mekhi Becton, a former preemie. The engagement rises once the plot is revealed and peaks when viewers see the legendary football player Mekhi Becton on screen.
At the same time, Moon Knight's trailer featured an action-packed performance from Oscar Isaac and a cameo from Ethan Hawke. The engagement levels remain poor despite celebrity appearance throughout the ad. However, engagement levels rise as the streaming date and platform show up on the screen.
Non-celebrity commercials like the Chevrolet ad bet big on the brand logo and the remarkable features of the car.
Brands kicking off the first time ever at #Super Bowl
There are nearly 30 advertisers who have never had Super Bowl spots. Here, advertisers like Crypto.com are debutant brands, joining long-time brands such as Budweiser, Pepsi, Toyota, Cheetos, and Doritos.
On the other hand, Enfamil's premature debut commercial garnered an excellent response from respondents. The attention level of the respondents while watching the ad was 64.25, which is tremendous and fares better than most of the ads/trailers. 69% of respondents rated Enfamil with a 5-star rating.
Recurring Brands in 2022
The Pepsi and Lay's collab campaign is the latest in a decades-old relationship with the Super Bowl and NFL. The brand messaging indicates that Super Bowl is one of the best times of the year to celebrate with a cool, refreshing PepsiCo beverage coupled with a savory, crunchy Frito-Lay snack.
Greg Lyons, SVP and Chief Marketing Officer, PepsiCo Beverages NA, acknowledged that PepsiCo is synonymous with the gameday viewing experience, and no other brand brings together a complete NFL package when it comes to snacks and beverages.
Rachel Ferdinando, SVP and Chief Marketing Officer, Frito-Lay North America, talks about the messaging and value behind the commercial. The aim was to bring forth a joyful narrative in a celebratory way, and that's why they starred iconic players and legendary brands in one fun-filled ad campaign.
Last year's debutant brand Vroom is making a comeback as well. While brands cannot control viewer attention to the game, they strive to manage how their spot captures attention.
In an independent study by Entropik Tech 30% of respondents were surprised, while 38% were happy watching the Vroom commercial. Whereas the long-term associated brand Pepsi delivered a showstopper again as 73% of respondents rated the commercial 5 out of 5.
Marvel is no stranger to viewers when it comes to dropping brilliantly executed trailers. Interestingly, it earned 52 million of the total digital views, while the social engagement for Moon Knight created 263,000 mentions.
The studio's newest successful foray on Disney+ harbingered new possibilities for the ever-expanding universe. And Moon Night welcomes chaos into the universe, just like that. He is one of the most enigmatic anti-heroes from Marvel's comic book arsenal. A whopping 62% of respondents gave the Marvel trailer a 5-star rating.
Summary
Like every Super Bowl tournament, advertisers' biggest challenge remained to be airing the right message that resonates with close to 100 million viewers. However, brands have a mammoth challenge to scale.
Why? While the price of ads has drastically risen, Super Bowl viewership has been dropping for the last five years. But big names slated to air ads and trailers during halftime have boosted viewership. That's why brands must woo the audience into bringing them to the aisle.
Especially because viewers expect the commercials and want to watch them, capitalizing on viewers' attention is pivotal. Creativity in storytelling, the right use of music, humor, and other tools, and a pinch of celebrity appearances can seal the deal!
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