According to AP News, Super Bowl LVIII was the “most-watched program in U.S. television history” averaging to 123.7 million viewers. All eyes were on the 49ers and the Chiefs, as they gave their all in a final attempt to win the title of Super Bowl Champions. However, all eyes were also on something else; no, not Usher (well, maybe), but largely the advertisements that accumulate to almost an hour watch-time during the broadcast. Every year, advertisers aim to capture viewers’ attentions with emotional, hilarious, nostalgic, and innovative promotions. So much time, money ($7 million for 30 seconds to be exact), and effort are put into these advertisements just to appeal to us, the viewer. Some ads land and are remembered for years after, whereas others fall short. So, let’s take a deep dive into the standout Super Bowl commercials that really hit the mark.
“Javier in Frame” – Google Pixel
Google Pixel effectively appealed to human empathy and emotion through their “Javier in Frame” ad. The short film centered around Javier, a man with partial loss of sight. He goes about daily activities, taking selfies of himself with his Google Pixel. Every time he holds the camera to take his picture, the new Pixel feature notifies the user vocally “one face in frame”. Then, he knows to take the picture. Along the course of the ad, Javier meets a woman who he travels with and takes pictures of them together, all the while using the feature that tells him, “two faces in frame.” In the end, the viewer is shown a hospital bed, “three faces in frame” as Javier takes a selfie with his wife and his newborn. What is so effective about this ad is that it pulls on viewers’ heart-strings, pulling them to the emotional appeal of this feature. Similarly, the ad was directed by Adam Morse, a blind director, and the entire ad was filmed from the point of view of a blind man, so the screen was partially blurry. Google intentionally put the viewer in the shoes of a person with low vision to see how this feature could help them live their life.
“Can’t B Broken” – Verizon
An ad about Beyoncé attempting to “break the internet”, literally broke the internet. This ad was a surprise to many viewers who didn’t expect her to be part of any Super Bowl promotions. The ad followed Beyoncé, partnered with Verizon, on her journey to do everything in her power to “break” Verizon’s 5G internet speed, including releasing a spoof saxophone album, introducing an AI version of herself, and even launching a rocket for the “first performance in space.” Internet company promotion aside, fans were listening closely for any word on new music from the singer. At the end of the commercial, Beyoncé hints at new music by saying, “Ok, they ready. Drop the new music.” Moments after this advertisement aired, two new country-themed singles dropped on streaming platforms.
“DoorDash All the Ads” – Doordash
DoorDash had a fun and interactive ad, in which they recited a 30-second long promo-code for a chance to win advertised items from each of the Super Bowl ads. The promo-code goes on for 30 second, weaving in and out of houses full of DoorDash items and bags. Following the release of the ad, viewers took the time to go through and decipher the prize-winning code. What a unique way to have viewers interact with your app and gain traction for your business.