In the world of advertising, the Super Bowl ads are the event of the year.
An ad – and its placement during the game – can make or break it for a company. With the right ad, site traffic booms, and market sales increase. But what makes a good ad?
Here are the TwoTone team’s personal highlights for the Super Bowl 2022 ads.
The Call
Advertiser: Pepsi
This beautifully cinematic lineup features Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, and Kendrick Lamar.
Over the course of the ad (significantly longer than most — over 3 minutes), each artist is given an introduction with a small tribute to his or her music career, until they finally come together to promote a highly anticipated halftime show many expect to be the best in history.
Why it works: Pepsi pulls no punches with its star-studded commercial for the halftime show. These artists are not just heavyweight champions in their genre and industry — they’re pillars of pop culture for an entire generation.
That generation is now the vast majority of Pepsi’s target market, and this ad hits them with a potent dose of excitement and nostalgia.
What we can learn from this ad: The advertising world has long since discovered the incredible pull of celebrity, and Pepsi chooses its celebrities wisely. You don’t need a celebrity for successful advertising — but if your business is going to be represented by a “face,” you must be intentional and strategic in your choice.
This ad is also an excellent example of knowing one’s target audience — know what they like, and what stirs up that nostalgia or excitement for them, and you’re already halfway to making a sale.
Mind Reader
Advertiser: Amazon
Colin Jost and Scarlett Johansson play on the fears we all have that our Amazon Alexa is listening to everything we say and do — hitting a little too close to home.
Throughout this Super Bowl ad, Alexa exposes unfiltered thoughts between the two stars and has us all questioning if she really is able to read our minds.
Why it works: This is the seventh year Amazon Alexa has advertised during the Super Bowl, and it’s not the tech giant’s first time utilizing memorable A-list celebrities to promote its products and build up the Alexa brand.
Additionally, this ad explains and demonstrates Alexa’s vast capabilities, including turning on the TV and blender, ordering products on Amazon, and closing blinds by voice commands.
What we can learn from this ad: Alexa released a 90-second extended digital cut of the “Mind Reader” ad the week leading up to the official 60-second game day spot presentation, and used the power of earned media (including article mentions, reviews, and social media shares and reposts) to increase its ad-recall lift.
Advertisers big and small can learn a thing (or three!) from Amazon — consistency over the years, comedy, and celebrities are a recipe for success.
Robo Dog
Advertiser: Kia America
Kia America tugs on the heartstrings of viewers with the most adorable robot dog around, effectively endearing potential buyers to the new Kia EV6.
The commercial chronicles a short but sweet journey of a robot dog looking for a human to love it — and even those most skeptical of electric vehicles can’t help but find it heartwarming.
Why it works: This ad isn’t just relying on the cute factor — although it is definitely using cuteness to its advantage. For 2022, Kia America is teaming up with Petfinder to shine a light on thousands of real (and significantly fluffier) animals in need who are up for adoption.
The ad also shows the ease and accessibility with which an owner of a Kia EV6 can charge their vehicle. Kia knows that the charge vs. gasoline debate is the most likely thing stopping drivers from switching to an electric car, and in this ad, not only do they make it look easy — they make the Kia EV6’s charging feature the very hero that comes to the rescue of Robo Dog.
What we can learn from this ad: A surefire way to encourage customer conversion is by appealing to consumers’ innate human desire for a story that gives them something to root for.
Additionally, ads with real purpose (like helping animals in need of homes) typically find more favor with viewers.
A Clydesdale’s Journey
Advertiser: Budweiser
“The King of Beers” touches on themes of hope, positivity, and the continued resilience of Americans in this year’s Super Bowl commercial.
The ad begins when the iconic Budweiser Clydesdale suffers a leg injury, but as the commercial moves along, he begins to recover and emerges from the stables in a triumphant gallop. Of course, his BFF, a yellow lab, is perfectly in-stride with him.
Why it works: Last year marked the first time in 37 years that the American-beer brand stepped away from running Super Bowl ads and instead donated funds to vaccine awareness initiatives, so this ad really makes a splash.
Oscar-winner Chloe Zhao was asked to direct the ad and released two teasers leading up to the Super Bowl featuring the iconic Clydesdale and a simple “We’re Back” caption to really start the buzz.
What we can learn from this ad: The decision to focus efforts on the ever-present theme “In the Home of the Brave, Down Never Means Out,” allows Super Bowl speculators across the United States a moment to acknowledge and appreciate everything they have been through during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Work without limits
Advertiser: monday.com
The popular project management platform makes its debut into the world of Super Bowl advertisements with a simple concept and well-shot, intriguing imagery.
“Work without limits,” they say, as hundreds of professionals in a modern office work smoothly around each other – vertically, diagonally, sideways, and yes, upside-down – before eventually floating up into the sky. The sky’s the limit, after all.
Why it works: This ad is a part of monday.com’s new 360-degree campaign, their biggest marketing campaign thus far. With the Super Bowl’s audience of 30 million viewers, it spreads awareness to a much larger market than ever before, and in an interesting way.
Rather than introducing the platform to a new audience with the famous faces, heartwarming moments, or comedy we’ve come to expect from the Big Game’s commercial breaks, monday.com went in a different direction – it’s abstract, succinct, and visually interesting, and this makes it stand out.
What we can learn from this ad: It’s okay to break away from the advertising mold once in a while – we often forget that an ad that’s creative (and, well, just cool) can stick in the minds of consumers just as much as one with a celebrity couple or a cinematic clydesdale.
Want more insight into the marketing world? We can help. Book a discovery call today and partner with TwoTone for all of your future advertising needs.
With more than 10 years of agency experience, Jenny has had the privilege of working with a large variety of brands. She loves partnering with other business owners and entrepreneurs, and specializes in brand development. From digital marketing to online course creation, Jenny’s knowledge and skillset has prepared her to be a successful creative director.
