Q&A with Adam Kroft, Co-Founder & Account Director at Red Thread Creative
1.) What makes a Super Bowl ad successful?
Memorability. There are so many different emotions brands can create on this stage. If you can create something that leaves a lasting impression that gets people talking or thinking, you’ve got something.
2.) What has been the most controversial ad you’ve seen?
Nationwide and the “dead boy” commercial. Know your audience, it’s the freaking SuperBowl, a family event suitable for all ages, right?! Probably not the best time to feature a happy go lucky story about a young boy and then…. bam, just kidding, he’s dead. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=F77RBUBlZ80
3.) Best ad, in your opinion?
The cat-herder commercial from EDS is a personal favorite. It speaks to me and all the feline lovers watching the game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_MaJDK3VNE
4.) How much are companies likely to spend on creating a 30 second spot?
$5 million a 30-second spot. That should tell the whole story. Production fees should be a small percentage compared to the buy.
5.) Why is this event so important for marketers?
You have a captive audience who are as excited about the commercials as they are the game. I think Superbowl Sunday is an unofficial holiday for marketers to celebrate.
6.) Has there been an ad that made you want to go out and buy a product? How affective is this with target audiences?
This isn’t an opportunity to place a call to action and call it a day. This is an opportunity for brands to do some storytelling. The goal of Superbowl ads is to endear consumers to their product or service for the long run.
7.) Is there a company that you are looking forward to seeing on TV?
I love Bud Light’s work.
8.) What should viewers look into when watching these ads? (Messaging/story, product placement, etc.)
Find your favorite ad and shoot the company a message saying how much you loved it. Their agency will thank you later. I’ve also seen Superbowl ad bingo, a must try for those who are consuming adult beverages during the game.
Q&A with Michael LaBroad, Managing Director, Egan-Anderson
1.) What makes a Super Bowl ad successful?
To make a Super Bowl really successful it has to do three things really well…engage, entertain and educate us on something we might not have known. The Super Bowl is a great way to launch a much larger marketing platform and strategy. With 30 seconds costing between $5-6 million, it is not a place for companies without a solid plan, smart execution and a way to grow their business or brands in the days, weeks and months following.
2.) What has been the most controversial ad you’ve seen?
The most controversial ad was one from Apple in 1984 that launched the company’s new computer. What made it so controversial was that it was an ad positioned for viewers that were under the age of 25 in an event when everyone did ads that appealed to a much broader audience. The theme was also very challenging for the established viewers to understand and appreciate.
3.) Best ad, in your opinion?
There are many great ads over the years so I don’t have one favorite. Any well executed, humorous and surprising ad is a favorite of mine. Many great ads that consumers love usually are not easily identified with their product sponsor. Melissa McCarthy’s ad last year was one of those…everyone loved the ad and less than 10% of the viewers could correctly name the car company!
4.) How much are companies likely to spend on creating a 30 second spot?
With the 30 seconds costing $5-6 million this year, creating a low budget ad to play on it is a foolish mistake. The average ad costs $500,000 and easily drifts towards a $million or more on the celebrity ones.
5.) Why is this event so important for marketers?
The Super Bowl is so important for two reasons: first the audience is the largest by far for any TV event throughout the year. You can reach 120 million adults in all demographic categories. The second reason is the viewer engagement is the highest. In a world where people are skipping ads this is an event where the ads are as important as the game and in some cases even more important.
6.) Has there been an ad that made you want to go out and buy a product? How affective is this with target audiences?
The Super Bowl is all about awareness as it is a great place to launch a new brand, service, product or flavor. No one sees a huge lift in sales on the Monday following the game unless they were a small marketer before the game. That’s why it must be a larger and more consistent strategy going forward. Since the game is early in the calendar year, it can set-up a product or brand for a successful year.
7.) Is there a company that you are looking forward to seeing on TV?
I have done many Super Bowl ads for Budweiser and still am involved at times so I am always interested in their ads. Large, established and well-funded companies usually have the potential to do something fun, engaging and surprising.
8.) What should viewers look into when watching these ads? (Messaging/story, product placement, etc.)
Viewers shouldn’t look for too much in these ads as this isn’t the time or place to do anything too complicated, serious or have too much product info on. They should look to be engaged and entertained. They should ask themselves does the ad have anything to do with how I feel about the brand. The Budweiser Clydesdales always do really well because they are associated with the brand of Budweiser in everyone’s mind and therefore can be entertaining, fun and emotional and have it provide some strong brand rub for Budweiser. The best ads are usually positioned in the first quarter and the first commercial break after the kick-off. Watch this and you will get a feel for the ads that are yet to come.
Q&A with Jeff Maciejewski; Associate Professor at Creighton
1.) What makes a Super Bowl ad successful?
Unlike everyday TV watching, most people are anticipating TV ads during the Super Bowl. Successful Super Bowl ads must therefore not disappoint. They need to get the viewer’s attention, keep their attention and reward them. Story telling is oftentimes the best approach. Tell a good story about your brand, your product.
2.) What has been the most controversial ad you’ve seen?
Some of the ads by GoDaddy have been controversial. They’ve succeeded in getting a lot of pre-game hype, but I’m not sure they were ultimately that successful. I’m not sure who their audience was (20-something computer nerds?); maybe they liked the ads. But whether or not that translated into sales or positive awareness is another matter.
3.) Best ad, in your opinion?
The Star Wars VW ad from a few years back. The writing, acting, directing, and editing were sublime. Too bad VW squandered all that goodwill with “Dieselgate.”
4.) How much are companies likely to spend on creating a 30 second spot?
I’d guess $5 million, maybe more. The airtime will account for the bulk of that price, but production costs will be significant, too. At least they should be significant. In some cases, advertisers plunk down big money for the airtime only to run mediocre ads.
5.) Why is this event so important for marketers?
The audience. Period. Few media events get the dedicated eyeballs that the Super Bowl gets. You have a chance to communicate to millions of people. If you’re a national brand, that’s an amazing opportunity.
6.) Has there been an ad that made you want to go out and buy a product? How affective is this with target audiences?
No. Super Bowl advertising, like most advertising, requires a huge leap of faith. No one really knows what it will do for the company; will it translate to sales? Will it positively effect attitudes toward the brand? If so, by how much? Unless you’re Taco Bell Super Bowl ads won’t get people to go out and buy your product; Super Bowl advertising is a part of a long term investment in your brand.
7.) Is there a company that you are looking forward to seeing on TV?
No. I just want to see some good advertising, some amazing storytelling. I want advertisers to reward us for bothering to pay attention to them. I want to see something new.
8.) What should viewers look into when watching these ads? (Messaging/story, product placement, etc.)
Look for compelling stories. I’m big on storytelling. Hal Riney was an amazing storyteller. Watch for ads that tell stories that revolve around their brands, stories that reveal important truisms, promises about brands.
Q&A with Hugh Reilly, Professor and Director of UNO School of Communication
1.) What makes a Super Bowl ad successful?
As with most ads it’s timing, clarity, memorability and effectiveness. You need to have a message that resonates with the target audience and that people remember. The term “breaking through the clutter” is often used.
2.) What has been the most controversial ad you’ve seen?
There are so many to choose from here. The “Go Daddy” ads that flaunt voluptuous women in the courtroom, the racist Groupon ad in 2011, the ad at the height of the Dot.Com craze that featured a monkey bouncing around a garage just to name a few.
3.) Best ad, in your opinion?
This is highly subjective and changes from year to year. SO many wonderful miller light ads from decades ago, a couple of the patriotic ads from Budweiser were very memorable. I loved the snickers ad with Betty White, some of the Doritos ads and the list goes on…
4.) How much are companies likely to spend on creating a 30 second spot?
:30 spot in 2017 Super Bowl was around $5 million
5.) Why is this event so important for marketers?
Really for two main reasons, first it is one of the few times a year that people actually look forward to viewing commercials with all kinds of pre and post-Super Bowl coverage. Secondly, the sheer number of people watching; no other televised event can come close to matching the number of people viewing the Super Bowl ads.
6.) Has there been an ad that made you want to go out and buy a product? How affective is this with target audiences?
I can’t think of any that made me want to rush out and buy the product. I’m sure some had a residual effect where I remembered the product when I was in the grocery store and it prompted a purchase.
7.) Is there a company that you are looking forward to seeing on TV?
I don’t know for certain who plans to advertise in the 2018 Super Bowl, but I always enjoy the Beer Ads and the Doritos ads.
8.) What should viewers look into when watching these ads? (Messaging/story, product placement, etc.)
I always look for how effectively the ad accomplished its central purpose. Is it trying to create awareness, reinforce an existing brand, introduce a new product/service, change a long-standing perception etc. Once you know the goal of the ad, how well did it work? Is this one of the ads everyone is talking about after the Super Bowl? Is the talk flattering or critical. However, even if it is being mocked, at least it was remembered.