It’s time for another edition of The Agency’s favourite Super Bowl ads! It’s the biggest event of the year for marketers and it’s always interesting to see the end result of all that hard work.
Mel’s Pick
My
Heidi’s Pick
As much as I enjoyed the NFL’s own commercial for its 100th season, I have to say that my favourite Super Bowl ad of 2019 was Bumble’s Serena Williams #InHerCourt ad:
In a traditionally ‘macho’/machismo-focused advertising event, I found it very refreshing to see an ad that features Serena Williams (herself also being the GOAT), that is not only aimed towards women, but actually empowers women. While Super Bowl ads have historically objectified women, I loved that this ad featured a strong woman using a product to take various aspects of her life: in love, business, and friendship. The ad also wasn’t a typical Super Bowl ad that just tries to get your attention without actually talking about the product, they skillfully wove the product within the ad.
Jenna’s Pick
With many “Big Game” advertisers buying 60+ second ads this year (30-second spots cost between $5.1-5.3M in 2019) these commercials had BETTER be entertaining. Bud Light’s choice to blatantly call out its competitors for brewing with corn syrup was funny and shameless – which is exactly what made it stand out. Also bold about this ad: it probably wouldn’t fly in Canada. Displaying competitors’ registered trademarks in an ad could amount to trademark infringement, as per the Canadian Marketing Association. Worth the potential comparative advertising blowback, not including the fight with #BigCorn? To be determined.
Meghan’s Pick
Every year someone goes after the nostalgia play with their Super Bowl ad – sometimes it falls flat, sometimes they knock it out of the park, and every once in a while they win big. Doritos did that this year by combining the Backstreet Boys and Chance the Rapper. The commercial takes the original 90s classic “I Want It That Way” music video and makes it hot by 2019 standards with a new rap track laid over the BSB song, pop colours, fast cars, and Chance dancing with the boys. Part of Chance’s charm/brand is that he doesn’t take himself too seriously and that is brought across well in this commercial as well. Anyways – BRB, gotta go buy some Doritos.
(I put Cool Ranch third in the poll to options
to not telegraph that it’s my favourite flavour.)
Arleigh’s Pick
I didn’t actually like any of this year’s commercials, so here are my picks from 2017, 2016, and 2015 (we missed 2018 unfortunately!).
What was your favourite commercial from the 2019 Super Bowl ads? Share it with us in the comments below or on Twitter at @PRTheAgency!
