The Dirty Secret Behind Super Bowl Ads
Confession: I don't watch football. And living in Wisconsin, it's down-right blasphemy to not own a Packer's jersey. Or foam cheesehead hat. And I intentionally choose the regular nacho chips vs. the green and gold ones. In short, I am probably going to hell. But Super Bowl Sunday piques my interest. Because, in the world of advertising, the Super Bowl is, well, the Super Bowl of advertising.
And while we can all have our own opinions about what ads are the most effective, elicit the most reactions from share holders, or are simply the most memorable, there's one tiny secret that no one is talking about.
Super Bowl ads are far more about the agency creating it than the company commissioning it.
Imagine being paid millions to produce an ad, have months to deliver, and have someone else pay the $5M to run a 30 second spot to showcase your work. And if consumers think your ad is a winner? The agency can laugh all the way to the bank - while picking up clients along the way.
It's why we see ridiculous things during the Super Bowl ads we don't see the rest of the year. The rest of the year, in all honesty, the ads have to work. You know, selling stuff. To think that Super Bowl ads mostly create buzz for the creativity behind it is counter productive to actual business goals.
But that's what happens. It becomes a "who's ad is better?" But what does that mean? Does anyone think about the situations of each company? Nope. It's all about which is funniest or most emotional or has the best inclusion of puppies. Who's ad is better is a direct comparison of ads against each other, when each company has a different situation and thus requires a different approach. To be on brand. To be on strategy. To be relevant to the problem they are trying to solve. But - enter Super Bowl when the real task is about out doing the other companies, no matter who they are.
Despite all of this, I look forward to the commercials. They make us think. They make us laugh. Cry. Hurl.
It does make me think back to a saying from my agency days. "Just because it wins an award, doesn't make it bad."
Because more times than not, the spots that win awards are the least effective in the actual market place. But for one day of the year, it's fun. Just as long as you realize what's really going on.
And, for grins, here's my favorite Super Bowl ad. And it probably has to do with the fact that I grew up a farmer's daughter. It's Paul Harvey. It's personal. It's emotional. And it's perfect. And it almost makes me want to buy a Ram Truck. Almost.
What do you think? And what is your favorite?