Why Many Super Bowl LIX Ads Fumbled >$8 Million and Failed Their Brands

30-second airtime for Super Bowl LIX advertainment cost a record $7 - 8 million. Some brands doubled down, purchasing 60-second spots.

The real cost is much higher, totaling $20+ million per commercial when you include celebrity talent and production.

With 127.7 million viewers tuning in, even the astronomical purchase price seems like a bargain for those brands that can afford it—just 6.3 cents per viewer.

Right?

Not exactly. While reach is important, it doesn't necessarily translate to effectiveness.

Many of these commercials represent "advertainment"—high-budget spectacles that entertain but leave their brands on the sidelines.

As a veteran brand marketer and advertiser, one of the tools I employ to assess ads is AIDA.

No, not the Opera (though some ads were equally dramatic), but the acronym for developing advertising that scores with customers.

“A” is for Attention:

Many ads certainly captured viewers' attention, like toddlers throwing tantrums at the grocery store.

They deployed an arsenal of attention-grabbing devices: (multiple) celebrities (past and present), humor, special effects, and situations that left viewers wondering, "What am I watching?"

Take the Coffee-mate "Cold Foam" spot with its grotesque tongue choreography. While I recognize the attempt to dramatize cravenous flavor, it ventured into territory that made this viewer lose his appetite.

The hard truth? Most Super Bowl LIX advertisers confused attention with effectiveness. They created spectacles when they needed to create customers.

“I” is for Interest:

Here’s where many commercials ran the ball in the wrong direction.

Instead of directing interest toward their brands and how they could better serve customers, they focused on entertaining narrative diversions.

Consider the Dunkin' DunKings 60-second spectacle that spawned a 7-minute online saga. It paraded Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck, Bill Belichick, Jordan Hudson, Jeremy Strong, Druski, and Donnie Wahlberg.

Did it make you run out to grab anything Dunkin', or just marvel at the celebrity circus?

Worse yet, without integrating the story with the brand, brand linkage suffers. You might remember the performance, but the brand becomes a mere footnote.

Think about it: there’s that odd commercial about a boy born with a cowboy hathead. Can you name the brand?

If not, that's millions in the ad budget that failed to link consumers to the brand.

Without strategic brand connection, these ads fail to generate genuine desire. Without desire, there's no action, and without action, there's no ROI—just expensive entertainment.

“D” is for Desire:

Even with attention grabbed and interest piqued, desire requires something more fundamental—a clear, relevant, and meaningfully differentiated brand promise.

Without this strategic foundation, ads become entertaining short films that fail to create a genuine desire for the brand.

It's not enough for viewers to desire to see the ad again—they need to desire what the brand uniquely offers.

Without desire, there is no "I have to have or do it." There is no "action."

And, if there's no action, nothing happens. The cash register doesn't ring. The commercial is a bust.

Did the storyline of David Beckham’s discovery of his twin (Matt Damon) create desire for Stella Artois over your brewski?

The Duracell ad following halftime featuring Tom Brady running down from lack of energy was clever media placement, but its reason-why support, "With Power Boost Ingredients," did not energize me. It's a far cry from the powerful "Trusted Everywhere" campaign.

“A” is for Action:

Here’s where advertisers meet their ROI.

Without creating desire for the brand's promise, there's no compelling reason for action.

You might remember the ad and even share it on social media, but will you purchase the brand?

Did you return to drinking Bud Light and ring the cash register following the Dulan Mulvaney social media disaster of 2024 after viewing the Bud Light 60-second spot featuring a rapper, comedian, and former NFL star?

No? I didn’t think so.

Without that crucial step, we're left with expensive entertainment that fails to generate a favorable ROI.

THINK ABOUT IT

The hard truth? Many Super Bowl LIX advertisers mastered the art of creating spectacles when they needed to create customers.

They gained yardage on attention but failed to cross the goal line, that is, create customers and generate a favorable ROI.

Marketing isn't about generating the most “likes” or being the most talked about at the office water cooler – it's about winning customers. And on that scoreboard, many Super Bowl LIX ads fumbled the ball and squandered precious brand-building resources.

MAKING MARKETING MATTER (EVEN) MORE

1.???? Use AIDA to assess your advertising.

2.???? Invite a non-marketing colleague to employ AIDA to assess your brand’s advertising.

3.???? Take immediate action as needed to make your advertising score and build your brand.

Follow me on LinkedIn for more insights on marketing that builds brands. I've spent 50+ years working for Fortune Top 100 Companies in 40 countries and 100 international markets, helping to build iconic brands. From breakthroughs to failures, I share what really works and what doesn't. Follow me here: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/richarddczerniawski/

Commit fewer turnovers with your marketing: The team that commits fewer turnovers tends to win the big games. Please purchase, gift, and read my most recent book, AVOIDING CRITICAL MARKETING ERRORS: How to Go from Dumb to Smart Marketing. You'll make fewer turnovers and more winning plays with your advertising and marketing.

Peace and best wishes in making your marketing matter (even) more in 2025,

Richard D. Czerniawski