Another Super Bowl has come and gone, and with it a collection of commercials that share the spotlight with the big game. Here are our picks for top Super Bowl ads 2015.
Arleigh | Principal | @ArleighGV
My favourite ad this year was the one for SquareSpace starring Jeff Bridges. The quick advertisement features Bridges sitting next to the bed of a sleeping couple as he “OMs” them to sleep. Viewers are then directed to the built-by-SquareSpace website www.dreamingwithjeff.com.
I liked this one for two reasons. First, SquareSpace did an excellent job of leveraging their PR and CSR with their sub site for Jeff Bridges Sleeping Tapes. On this site you can download the sleeping tapes for free or for a donation with 100% going to a children’s charity.
I also liked this ad for the way it played with Jeff Bridges’ zany personality and his reputation as “The Dude.”
Meghan | Senior Account Manager | @TheAgencyMeghan
My favourite? Nationwide’s commercial with Mindy Kaling. Not only did it showcase someone that I believe is a great role model for women instead of the traditional blonde bombshell, but it also had a great social media angle (see Matt Damon’s face below for an example) with the #InvisibleMindy hashtag, and bonus content that includes Outtakes and Behind the Scenes footage. This bonus content also helped Nationwide get more bang for their buck while giving the audience what they wanted, generating some good will that will hopefully help balance the backlash from people not liking their second Superbowl spot ‘Make Safe Happen’.
Proof I’m not invisible. Just look at how into me he is! @Nationwide #InvisibleMindy #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/94IdS4PWdY
— Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) February 2, 2015
Heidi | Content & Editorial Manager | @TheAgencyHeidi
I was “taken” (pun shamelessly intended) this year by the Clash of Clans ad featuring Liam Neeson. Clash of Clans is one of several freemium mobile games from the Finnish company Supercell. In the last few months, the company has rolled out commercials for Clash of Clans as well as their other games Hay Day (featuring actor and comedian Craig Robinson) and Boom Beach – all of which have featured characters from the games. Not everyone plays freemium games such as Clash of Clans (admittedly, I don’t, either), but for the mainstream audience of Super Bowl viewers, I thought it was smart of Supercell to add in the well-known Liam Neeson and his much-parodied character from Taken to show that anyone could play their games. Just be careful who you’re up against.
Kelsey | Account Executive | @TheAgencyKelsey
As the dog-lover of The Agency team, naturally I was drawn to the Budweiser ad with the adorable puppy…
But from a public relations perspective, one advertisement from last night’s Super Bowl that I found particularly interesting was the NoMore.org ad for anti-domestic violence. This Super Bowl ad is the first of its kind and is especially interesting considering the domestic violence cases that NFL players have been accused of over the years. While most ads are comical and entertaining, this one takes a serious tone and highlights the importance of recognizing domestic situations. It also makes me wonder if the NFL used the ad as a way to mend some of the bridges burned over the last year with the way they have handled their athletes accused of domestic violence.
Bonus: The All-Time Favourite
4 out of 4 of us agree the Volkswagen’s ‘The Force’ ad from 2011 is still our favourite Superbowl commercial of all time.
What Superbowl commercials struck a chord with you? Let us know in the comments below or on twitter at @PRTheAgency. Haven’t seen all the ads yet? Check them out here.
