The Super Bowl isn’t only the biggest football game of the year. It’s also the most prominent advertising event of the year. A Super Bowl spot is the most expensive time slot in U.S. television for a good reason: there are a lot of people watching.
A short thirty-second ad can cost more than 5 million dollars, so brands have to make their ads resonate with the people. Congratulations to Tom Brady (for the seventh time) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a stellar game, but it’s time to talk shop. Here are our picks for the top 5 best Super Bowl ads of 2021.
1. Pringles
I love this commercial because the humor is, well, actually funny. The joke glorifies the product. It has a purpose. The campaign is built on promoting multiple Pringles flavors and enticing viewers to try their own flavor combinations, in doing, purchasing multiple pringles cans. They are enticing people to buy in bulk. Brilliant. Next time you are in the supermarket and waltz into the snack aisle, the Pringles cans will pop out with a plethora of colorful packages, and your imagination will start humming.
I also love the tagline. “Endless flavors to stack. Enjoy carefully.” It is a perfect summation of the campaign’s goal, and I like the additional warning to “enjoy carefully.” It is a similar phrase used in alcohol commercials but makes sense in the context of the commercial in a comical way. Instead of playing the angle not to drink or drive, etc., it refers to how you could become distracted due to the product’s deliciousness.
Overall, I think this spot is the epitome of what a Super Bowl commercial should be. It’s funny, cleverly features the product, introduces viewers to a new way to experience Pringles, and the campaign is built around viewers buying more of their product. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOeKaV_IJVc
Overall Score: 8.7
2. Reddit
What a clever ad. Reddit capitalized on its recent trending buzz from the AMC and Gamestop short squeeze. The controversial moment has been the topic of conversation leading up to the Super Bowl, and Reddit brilliantly capitalized on their recent momentum.
The 5-second spot begins with a brief clip of a fake car commercial and quickly mirrors an old-school interruption broadcast to present a brilliant piece of copy. The ad mimics a Reddit-style post and includes brand colors, logo, and UI from the site.
The campaign is a proclamation of hope and a testament to the underdog. They give into specifying that they spent their whole advertising budget on a 5-second ad. Although this is most certainly false, it sets up the elegy of the little guy. The copy reflects Reddit’s revolutionary moment and how it is a playground for endless possibilities.
It’s a salute to their community and an enticing invitation to join. Based on Reddit’s influence on the recent events in the stock market, it’s no bluff. People can believe in the message they are selling. I do.
The thing I find most brilliant about this ad is that they not only spent significantly less than their competitors on ad spend with a 5-second but with our modern TV applications, viewers can pause the ad to actually read the copy. Best of all, they are compelled to! Since the viewers have no time to read it in real-time, they are more curious and invested in what the copy has to say, which leaves a more significant impression. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImgMfJ2Lt2E
Overall score: 8.6
3. Indeed
I’m not usually a fan of sappy commercials, but I think during the current state of the Covid pandemic, this ad has a powerful message. We’ve all been on the job hunt. Whether you are a high schooler trying to land their first mark on their resume or an experienced employee recently laid off, job searching can be frustrating, sad, and sometimes feel hopeless.
Millions of Americans lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and the Indeed ad gives us hope and speaks to a diverse audience. Indeed summarizes their platform in a very simple, straightforward way: we help people get jobs. They brilliantly use that simple proclamation and highlight the sub-categories that exist under that umbrella slogan. They help the ones starting out get jobs. They help the ones starting over get jobs. They help the ones thinking about today and tomorrow get jobs, etc.
For anyone searching for a job, the ad connects on a deep, emotional level and gives the viewer hope. The ad pulls on our heartstrings and showcases the app’s features throughout the spot to show how easy it is to use. I also love the cadence of the ad with a woman overwhelmed with joy that she got a job offer, giving the user a perfect cadence to the ad’s goal. Indeed helps people get jobs. https://youtube.com/watch?v=pZodu9AgwZE
Overall Score: 8.4
4. Rocket Mortgage
The Rocket Mortgage ad featuring Tracy Morgan and Dave Batista is an instant classic. The structure of the ad is perfect. The first clip introduces the brand logo followed by a typical home buying premise: a family contemplating whether or not they can afford a particular home. Since a house is quite possibly the biggest purchase a couple can make, the uncertainty of whether or not a specific home fits within budget is a consistent concern for home buyers.
The ad’s premise is built off the uncertain rationale of a person being “pretty sure” they can afford a house. Enter Tracy Morgan with a fast, elevator pitch of the Rocket Mortgage solution. He states, “with Rocket Mortgage, you can be certain, not pretty sure.” It is an excellent summation of the service and instantly resonates with potential home buyers.
The commercial continues with hilarious examples illustrating the difference between certain and pretty sure, emphasizes that a “pretty sure” mentality can lead to trouble. The different skits lead to the cadence of the pitch: certain is better, validating the service’s value. The commercial ends with a brief demo of the Rocket Mortgage app and a voice-over summarizing the app’s main pitch. All in all, a great campaign and a funny ad. https://youtube.com/watch?v=EMgA-y2nRWE
Overall Score: 8.1
5. Anheuser-Busch
My last pick is the brilliant Anheuser-Busch ad that is a brilliant spot during the Covid pandemic. The campaign’s message illustrates the meaning behind grabbing a beer. It doesn’t glorify its products. Instead, it demonstrates how drinking some cold ones with close friends and colleagues is about community.
The ad jumps from different scenarios, good and bad, and shows how sometimes a simple beer is the answer to our problems and a reason to celebrate. It’s a tool to bring us together and a catalyst for us to connect. Anheuser-Busch really knocked it out of the park with this one. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Gq7QhjTJAFo
Overall Score: 8.0
What Was Your Favorite Ad in 2021?
Let us know in the comments section below. Also, why not give us your all-time favorite Super Bowl ad. We’d love to hear it! Also, a quick shameless plug, but if you need the ultimate wholesale ecommerce platform and most advanced enterprise ecommerce solutions, fill out the contact form below, and we can chat about how we can transform your business with intelligent commerce and the best ecommerce software. Learn more great tips to improve your ecommerce operations and check out our new content:
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