Context

As the world reopened its doors from a year-long lockdown and started running in the race to get vaccinated – 2021 indeed became an eventful twelve months.

We watched the drama unfold in the marketing industry as the advertising trends, packaging designs, video gimmicks, and more adapted to the “new normal.” Brands were forced to rethink their marketing strategies, audience, and intent.

While marketers and advertisers are continually channeling their efforts aligning with the evolving consumer behavior, 2021 still left many scratching their heads. Here’s a look at the research insights Entropik unveiled by digging into the consumers’ subconscious in this 2021 wrap-up.

It’s That Time of The Year: SuperBowl!

This Super Bowl was remarkable for many reasons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers brought it home in their hometown, Tom Brady hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, and debutant brands lined up to advertise. Akin to the previous years’ events, the 15-30 seconds spots struck a chord with the millions of viewers of the Big Game. Besides, this championship night of advertising sold each 30-second spot for over $5.5 million. Do you know what that means? The right advert here can win your brand audiences aplenty.

This time for SuperBowl 2021 – Fiverr, DraftKings, Vroom, and Logitech made their Super Bowl commercial debut, whereas Robinhood delivered a flop show in the middle of the infamous GameStop controversy. You may like to read Entropik’s in-depth emotion report into the top 5 debutante ads for the Super Bowl.

Remember when in Super Bowl XLV, the Green Bay Packers beat the Pittsburg Steelers?  The match logged at least 111 million viewers, and the numbers have since then risen incredibly. In a pandemic-struck 2020, six automaker brands with a total airtime of 7 minutes and 30 seconds spent nearly $77 billion on media buys.

Moreover, today, when ad spots are being bought for more than $5M and brands are ready to pull out all stops to engage audiences, it’s more than just marketing; it’s about striking an emotional connect with the viewers. Here is the deep-dive report of the most talked-about ads in Super Bowl 2021.

WhatsApp Print & Media Ads

We all remember when WhatsApp dropped its newest privacy regulations and the public panicked. Besides the backlash on Twitter with trending hashtags, Facebook and Instagram also recorded recoil from users.

Signal and Telegram recorded a rise in the number of downloads by nearly 4 million users at the time! That’s when WhatsApp took to print and digital media to launch ads for damage control post the privacy notification. It turned to print media and floated full-page commercials on India’s leading print newspapers. The commercials packed heavy promises, including, “WhatsApp respects and protects your privacy” and “Respect for your privacy is coded into our DNA.” Here is the full emotion report on how WhatsApp users reacted and responded to their Data Privacy Ads.

Best of ‘Egg-citing’ Ads of 2021

Packing an ‘eggnormous’ amount of Easter puns, bunny-themed commercials, and vibrant colors, brands advertised without any holds barred this Easter season. Be it chocolate bunnies hopping around, Cadbury’s Creme Egg Golden Goobilee, or Target’s New Twist on Traditions, brands tapped into Easter’s joyful traditions. You may like to read our in-depth best of ‘Egglicious’ Easter ads emotion report and find out whether your favorite commercial made the cut.

Most Impactful Women’s Day Ads

Entropik reviews the trending women-centric ads launched during International Women’s Day 2021. The emotion analysis discovered that the commercials were primarily emotional, fun, soft, and packed an offbeat theme while raising the bar for women-centric commercials. Read our exhaustive report on the most impactful women’s day ads- to understand what worked for brands and what missed the shot.

Whether it was #StopTheBeautyTest from Dove, gorgeous Deepika Padukone grooving to the popular beats of ‘Auwa Auwa,’ or Mona Singh’s thought-provoking #SheIsCompleteInHerself, Entropik decoded top Women’s Day commercials that grabbed viewers’ attention.

Ahead of the IWD, #SheIsCompleteInHerself and Dove’s #StopTheBeautyTest went viral and trended for all the right reasons. This Women’s Day, it becomes evident that when women’s representation across platforms is recording a paradigm shift, emotions are crucial to reaching them.

In its path-breaking commercial, Dove aired a powerful hashtag #StopTheBeautyTest aiming to change the scenarios of India’s stereotypes, war on marriage and looks of Indian women to be eligible to be married.

Dove’s message was gentle but firm, ‘when you look for beauty, you’ll find beauty. When you look for flaws, you’ll find flaws.’ Read Entropik’s Emotion Report on print ads – StopBeautyContest ads – by Dove

Friends Reunion: The one where they got back together

One of the most-awaited OTT reunions of the show FRIENDS, which holds an insanely large fan base, finally graced viewers’ screens. From Lisa Kudrow’s ever-beaming ‘My eyes, my eyes!’, usurping chemistry of Ross and Rachel, to the fan favorites Matt Le Blanc, Matthew Perry, and Courteney Cox, the reunion special had everything for the die-hard Friends lovers.

Entropik’s report revealed surprising emotion insights, such as – Joey’s character was a viewers’ favorite even in scenes when he wasn’t the lead. Read our deep dive into reunion on the OTT platform in 2020- FRIENDS to find out more of such insights.

Tokyo 2020 Olympics

The much-awaited Tokyo Olympics 2020 finally kickstarted and concluded as players from around the globe clinched medals in the miscellany of competitive sports.

This sporting event has signified the emotions of vision, dignity, faith, courage, and patriotism while recording high viewership and strong viewer engagement. That’s why every brand, from Volkswagen to Coca-Cola to Ralph Lauren to many other big names, pine for customer attention with their ad campaigns. To know more about how the audiences’ attention and engagement levels peaked while watching the Olympics ads, read our comprehensive Tokyo 2020 Olympics emotion report.

Money Heist’s Trailer

Over The Top (OTT) content providers are right in the middle of a content war to grab viewers’ attention and get as many subscribers as possible on board. Today, every content piece helps add millions of new followers, and OTT platforms know this. That’s why be it a social media post or a teaser or a trailer; they go all out in making it the most captivating piece for their viewers.

Latest OTT sensation Money Heist has become a cultural phenomenon across the globe. Entropik aims to decipher unstated, raw emotions of viewers as they watch the Money Heist Season trailer packing the essence of the series finale, which has left viewers wanting more.

Entropik’s Emotion AI Technologies – Facial Coding and Eye Tracking unpacks every bit of the trailer, including frame-to-frame emotions with emotion spread, affective metrics distribution, sequence-by-sequence analysis, character analysis, etc. Entropik’s Emotion report captures it all. Tap to read our deep dive into OTT’s latest sensation, Money Heist’s season 5 trailer.

Most Innovative Pack Designs of 2021

In 2021, we witnessed several packaging trends, from being bold and vibrant to minimalistic pack designs to intricate detailing on packs, helping brands break through the shelf clutter against competitor brands. That’s why Entropik is now breaking down various elements of packing design to understand what works for a day-to-day shopper and what does not.

Best of 2021 Halloween Candy Packs

Halloween, the festival of spooky decorations, costume parties, and the best candies, brings out the festive spirit from brands as well. Moreover, brands floor exciting, extra-splurged, colorful, Halloween-themed candies for customers to pick one. As the retail industry stiffens with the competition, brands bet big on exuberant, extraordinary designs to bring customers to the aisle.

From the zombie-themed candies, chocolate bars, and classic sweet snacks to iconic KitKat bars and tangy gummy treats, Entropik dives into the top ten Halloween-inspired candy packs and unlocks the consumer’s emotions.

Pepsi collabs Limited-Edition Cans

72% of consumers say that the packaging designs influence their purchasing decisions. And Pepsi understands how to strike the right chord with its innovative product pack initiatives! Pepsi invests heavily in product packaging and designing to stay top of mind with existing and potential customers.

Entropik deep dives into the four sets of limited-edition cans inspired by the much-celebrated Spanish drama Money Heist, UEFA Champions League, National Football League (NFL), and Peeps. The report brings forth consumers’ unstated emotional responses and identifies brand loyalty across limited-edition Pepsi Cans. Entropik understands consumer preferences for Pepsi cans with and without collabs, with and without celebrity/character presence, and against the top 3 brand competitors.

Read Entropik’s full Emotion Report on Pepsi Special Edition Cans 2021 to determine which Pepsi Collab is the most likable, noticeable, and attention-gripping.

Harry Potter Return to Hogwarts: An Entropik Study

As HBO Max launched the official teaser for the reunion special Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, the 38-second trailer opens on a shot of the fictional newspaper Daily Prophet, which reads: “Special edition. Hogwarts welcomes back alumni,” as Helena Bonham Carter, who played death eater Bellatrix Lestrange, looks over the page.

As viewers lay their eyes on the Harry Potter’s Reunion Special trailer, Entropik unveils in-depth and actionable insights into viewers’ stated as well as unstated responses, reactions, and emotions.

Around 4.9 million people watched the video around the world, but which moments truly captured the emotions of the people? Analytics India magazine writes about how Entropik’s Affect Lab platform analyzes the teaser, revealing viewers’ unstated emotions while watching the trailer.

If you enjoyed reading our deep-dive emotion analysis about how consumers react and respond towards Media/product stimuli, stay tuned to our upcoming Research Insights in 2022. We promise to explore more exciting and revealing Research Insights for print and media advertising, OTT trailers, and product packaging designs.