What Makes A Great Super Bowl Ad?

Why does the Super Bowl – and not the Academy Awards or any other televised event-– draw as many top advertisers and the highest-priced spots?

According to Professor Derek Rucker, a marketing professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, a number of factors have turned the Super Bowl into an unparalleled advertising platform, reports Jeff Schmitt for PoetsandQuants.com.

For starters, Americans have associated the Super Bowl as a big gathering day. Even if the game wasn’t particularly memorable, the commercials give people something to talk about during the event or the next day. The spots have also become “self-reinforcing” according to Rucker. “Because we’ve watched the ads before and talked about them, that momentum has continued to build and increase over time.”

Second, Rucker emphasizes that viewers really do see the best spots during the Super Bowl. Why? Simple: The Super Bowl has, by far, the largest reach of any televised event. “If I’m going to show up as a brand, I’d better bring my A+ game. That’s just the reality of it.” This, in turn, forces brands to raise their production values to match competitors in the advertising world’s equivalent to an ‘arms race.’

Finally, the Super Bowl falls during the perfect moment in the marketing calendar according to Kellogg Professor Tim Calkins. “It’s early in the year,” which is “perfect positioned to get the year off to a fast start.” It also comes when marketing budgets have been fully reloaded, so advertisers have money to spend. Socially, the Super Bowl occurs when there isn’t much else happening. “People are home at this time…and they’re ready to listen.”

With the cost of a 30-second Super Bowl ad pegged at $4 million dollars, many brands must ask if the return on investment justifies the cost.

In Calkins’ view, the value depends on the brand. While the Super Bowl offers a high reward, it also represents a high risk. “The thing about a Super Bowl is that you might end up hurting your brand as much as you help it. There is so much scrutiny. There’s so much attention, that if you go on the Super Bowl and you put an ad on there that is dull or offensive or insulting, you do could some enormous damage to your brand.”

Still, it is hard for many brands to pass on the Super Bowl. For many, it is a money-maker. “A lot of people come back year-after-year to advertise,” according to Calkins. “The fact that Hyundai is back means that they think it’s a good investment. And that fact that Chevrolet is back after taking a year off means they clearly thought it was a mistake [not to advertise]… There’s a little bit of competitive pressure to be there to maintain place.”

Calkins adds that a Super Bowl spot is the perfect avenue to break big news, increase product awareness, or change how they think about a brand. “Certainly, if you want to get a big impact on a brand, there’s no place like the Super Bowl.”

So what was the greatest Super Bowl ad ever? That’s difficult to say, according to Rucker. He cites Apple’s "1984" Super Bowl ad as a breakthrough, since it raised production values, personified Apple’s brand, sparked discussions, and eventually became part of cultural lore.

While inventive creative can grab short-lived headlines, Calkins cautions brands to stick with the basics. And these basics are represented by a six-point ADPLAN framework (Attention, Distinction, Positioning, Linkage, Amplification, and Net Equity), which Kellogg students use to evaluate spots in their Super Bowl Advertising Review. “If an ad is going to succeed in the Super Bowl, it really has to deliver against all six elements.”

Specifically, Rucker cites distinction. He looks for “a creative strategy that hasn’t been seen in a long time or hasn’t been seen before” and “fundamentally changes what consumers expect.” Rucker considers Apple’s “1984” spot to epitomize distinction, with its thematic tie to George Orwell’s novel at a time when pundits were contrasting society against a totalitarian state. “No one had thought of that. It broke through. [It was] so different than what others were doing.”

Along with distinction, Rucker emphasizes that an ad must have a strategy behind it. Again, “1984” is a perfect example, with a woman (dressed in Apple red) acing down an aisle to challenge big brother and awaken the masses. “Talk about a branding statement!”

In addition, Rucker looks for spots that create a strong emotional connection, such as Ram Trucks’ "Farmer" spot, with Paul Harvey’s fatherly voiceover amplifying the rugged integrity of Ram’s rural customer base. While the best spots are enjoyable and memorable, Calkins adds that they must be well-braded, where viewers quickly understand who’s advertising and why they should buy.

But advertising at a Super Bowl isn’t for every brand. Calkins believes brands must ask if they’re ready for the exposure and growth that a spot might bring. Rucker also cautions that it’s very difficult for brands to produce at the high quality level established by other Super Bowl advertisers.

“The creative process is not an easy one. To have this level of scrutiny on you, to deliver constantly throughout the year – there’s only few brands that have been able to do that.”

To read about how Kellogg teaches MBA students how to evaluate effective advertising, check out PoetsandQuants.com:

The Kellogg Super Bowl: Where The Ads Are More Riveting Than The Game