It’s the Mondayest Monday of the year – the day after “The Big Game.” More than 17 million people will call in sick to the boss today with a sudden case of Super Sick Monday. (Has anyone seen Steve?) For those brave souls who made it into the office, your calendar is booked solid through lunch with hot takes and debates, watching highlight reels and collecting your block pool winnings. In all, employers stand to lose roughly $4 billion in lost productivity.
How could you be expected to handle work on a day like today? You have a lot to focus on, such as:
- What did you think of Demi Lovato’s national anthem performance?
- Should the 49ers really have gone for it on fourth down?
- J.Lo and Shakira were totally lip-syncing!
- My buffalo chicken dip was the best thing at the game day party!
See, these are all critical topics of discussion, especially that last point. It’s fascinating if you think about it that in today’s DVR, streaming services world where you download and watch a show at a moments’ notice, that we all come together to watch the same thing at the same time. For all of us who eat, sleep and breathe marketing, today feels like Christmas morning. We come in bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and gather around the proverbial office water cooler, unwrapping the ads that brought us laughter, joy and even a few tears. And let’s not forget about those commercials that had us scratching our heads. (We’re looking at you, Reese’s.)
SUPER STATS*
- Super Bowl LIII TV Audience: 98.2 Million (lowest ratings in a decade)
- Cost of 30-Second Spot: $5.25 Million
- Top Ad by Total Views Online: 48 Million
*Data Source: MarketingCharts.
As you pampered yourself with pizza, wings and a whole lot of dip, did you have a sense of déjà vu, as if you had seen these commercials somewhere before? We promise they’re all new ads, but the overall sentiment promoting equity and social gain mixed with some Hollywood glamour that we witnessed in last year’s big game, were put on full display in Sunday’s game. So without further ado, let’s watch the 2020 big game ads that had us talking.
FOX – #SuperMonday
Let’s start with the network that hosted Sunday’s big game from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. Remember the millions of people who call off sick the Monday after? (It’s time to move the game to Saturday night.) Rather than taking an “L” for the day, why not ask for the day off in advance? FOX posed the question with its ad campaign encouraging people to take a vacation day.
Branded as #SuperMonday, FOX recruited a team of television and movie stars (Will Arnett, Rob Lowe, Jason Biggs, Bellamy Young, Liv Tyler and the guy who played Toby on The Office), together pitching the idea of taking the day off in order to catch up on all of your favorite TV shows (hint, hint: FOX programming). In fact, the network had begun running #SuperMonday ads in the weeks leading up to Sunday’s game. What made this campaign unique was that FOX didn’t tout a specific show and instead promoted the network’s brand and creativity.
Audi – Let It Go
What’s a surefire way to grab the attention of your audience? How about a catchy jingle? For that matter, one kids and adults all know by heart? Audi delivered with Let It Go. Starring Maisie Williams (you know her from Game of Thrones), this 30-second spot for Audi’s E-Tron Sportback electric car, promotes sustainable vehicles and the satisfying of driving clean energy. Plus, who doesn’t love to sing at the top of their lungs in the car?
Budweiser – Typical American
Ah, that ‘Merica feeling! This 60-second advertisement from Budweiser has all the feels and emotions of a heartfelt commercial. The typical American celebrates the American spirit and compares everyday acts of kindness and personal achievements with some of the most common labels placed on people.
Google – Loretta
Full Disclosure: You’ll want to grab a tissue or two for this one. Loretta features the voice of an elderly man who’s asking questions to his Google Assistant in hopes he can remember details about his late wife. The 90-second ad shows a series of photos of the couple over the course of their marriage, which brings back memories of trips to their favorite Alaskan town. This commercial was actually inspired by the story of a grandfather of a Google employee.
Amazon – What Did We Do Before Alexa?
It’s hard to imagine life without having Alexa there to play all of our favorite music, read us our messages, and answer the world’s most impossible questions all the while, making sure the thermostat is at 72 degrees. For real though, how did previous generations ever manage? Alexa takes us on a journey through history to show us how.
And while these ads gave us plenty of laughs and tears, they’re not the only ones that caught our attention. Check out the other game-day spots you may have missed or can’t get enough of:
Dashlane – Password Paradise
Pringles – Rick and Morty Commercial
Squarespace – Winona in Winona
Olay – #MakeSpaceForWomen
Doritos – The Cool Ranch
Hyundai – Smaht Pahk
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