Context

From Tom Brady hoisting the Lombardi Trophy to Tampa Bay Buccaneers bringing it home in their hometown, this Super Bowl turned out to be a blowout. But the 15-30-second spots once again hogged the spotlight, hitting varying emotional notes right from somber to the silly.
As DraftKings, Fiverr, Logitech, and Vroom make their Super Bowl commercial debut, and Robinhood delivers a misfire amidst the GameStop controversy, let us see how the spots faired with viewers this season. Entropik Tech deployed its proprietary Emotion-AI platform, Affect Lab, to decode the unstated response and real-time reactions from #SuperBowl viewers. Have a look.

DraftKings

Fantasy sports operator DraftKings made its first foray into the Big Game with two 15-second spots. Advertising pundits consider it a breakthrough after the pandemic halted the sports betting platform’s entire operation.

The short commercial provides NFL viewers with an opportunity to make free predictions during the third quarter for the fourth-quarter action live. The ad, starring DraftKings host Jessie Coffield, aimed to capitalize on the sprouting post-pandemic demand for sports betting and sports fantasy.
As per Affect Lab, the commercial received a solid attention score of 64.21, and a peak in positive emotion score was witnessed when the brand name “Draft Kings” graced the screen. Affect Lab deployed their proprietary Emotion AI technologies – Eye Tracking and Facial Coding technologies to decipher unbiased viewers emotion.

Vroom

With just 22,000 fans in the Raymond James Stadium and many of the big names in advertising sitting the season out, Vroom floored its new ‘torture-less’ commercial. Vroom, a digital used car retailer, highlights its ability to eliminate your visit to a car dealership and swap an imposing unpleasant trip with an easy online shopping experience.

Vroom Super Bowl Commercial

The 30-second-long spot goes all out in displaying the offline salesperson as a torture-loving sociopath who kidnaps prospective customers and torments them via jumper cables.
The not-so-subtle commercial from the Super Bowl debutant has stirred memes and conversations across social media platforms.
Entropik’s Emotion AI insights indicate that the ad garnered a high attention score of 65.69 and an average engagement score of 35.33. Besides, the happy emotion peaks when the Vroom logo comes with the car.

Fiverr

If you thought the location from Fiverr’s Super Bowl spot looked familiar, you weren’t wrong. In a masterstroke from the online retailer for freelance services comes the infamous presidential press conference venue Four Seasons Total Landscaping and a commercial that is winning big worldwide.
The Philadelphia-based landscaping company found instant international fame when former US President’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani held a widely publicized press briefing in November 2020.

Featuring the company’s president and owner Marie Siravo, the commercial titled ‘Opportunity Knocks’ plays up Fiverr’s expertise in revamping, remodeling, and reigniting organizations owing to changing circumstances. Garnering more than six million views on YouTube itself, the spot brings a smile to viewers’ faces with quirky dialogues and tongue in cheek humor.
The ad, winning big worldwide, shows an attention and engagement score of 63.39 and 32.68. The excellent attention evaluation shows that viewers find the commercial visually appealing. Besides, the ad comprises various changing scenes that witness a fluctuation in emotion levels, reports Affect Lab.

Logitech

Making its way to the first quarter of the Big Game action, Logitech dropped its first-ever Super Bowl spot with Lil Nas X at its helm. The 60-second commercial, titled ‘Defy Logic,’ shows artists and creators using Logitech products to create art challenging expectations and pushing boundaries.

Backed by a powerful narration from the Grammy-award winning rapper, colors, and a theme that goes, “to create the future, we must defy the logic of the past; we must defy logic,” the ad has more than 200K views on YouTube.

Entropik’s emotion recognition technologies indicate the Attention Level and engagement score of 65.43 and 31.26, respectively. The commercial maintains momentum throughout as the happiness count spikes when “Defy Logic” appears. Affect Lab emotion metrics for attention highlight any creative’s visual appeal on a scale of 0-100.

Robinhood

Robinhood ran its first Super Bowl commercial titled ‘We Are All Investors’ in the middle of plenty of bad press. The 30-second-long spot, aimed at small and amateur investors, has a fairly optimistic messaging following the GameStop and AMC stocks controversy.

“You don’t need to become an investor,” hums the narration, continued by “you were born one.” The commercial is facing a lot of heat on social media platforms in the aftermath of the trading app restricting several users from buying stocks like GameStop. However, the ad featuring a dog and people doing everyday chores is expected to spruce up the brand image, at least with the message reflected in the Ad.

In the aftermath of the trading app restricting several users from buying stocks like GameStop, the commercial receives mixed responses globally. However, the ad, featuring a cute dog and people doing everyday chores, aims to spruce up the brand image.
The inclusive theme and the background score help the commercial garner a high attention score of 63.83. Affect Lab’s Emotion AI insights also display a peak in happiness score of 17.80 when the words “we are all investors” emerge on-screen.

Affect Lab Emotion Metrics

Summary

While millions eye the Big Game, the rest are only here for the exciting commercials. Super Bowl has become the biggest night for advertising, where a 30-second spot sells for $5.5 million or more. Platforms like these can make or break your brand image. Making sure that your creative resonates with billions of eyeballs is tricky, and emotion is the key.
Unlocking consumer responses and real-time reactions, testing your commercial before it goes live, and optimizing media budget is easier with Emotion AI platforms. Emotion recognition technologies enable companies to make necessary improvements in the ad based on real-time emotional insights from viewers.