Has Video Killed the Super Bowl Ad?
If ever there were a Super Bowl that needed a bunch of surprising, cool and smartly written commercials, it was Super Bowl LIX. As Philadelphia systematically destroyed Kansas City, Eagles fans were no doubt too… ebullient to pay much attention to the ads, while Chiefs supporters no doubt spent the commercial breaks bargaining with God or dousing themselves with Arthur Bryant BBQ sauce for luck.
A Dying Art?
For the rest of us, well, let’s just say it would have been nice to find some distraction from a really funny and/or powerful ad or two.
A Year of Disappointment
Alas, it was not to be. With a few notable exceptions — Nike’s “So Win” spot, which pushed back against the “no win” situation in which female athletes are often trapped, was terrific, as was Kieran Culkin’s sassy voice work as a beluga whale for Nerdwallet — this year’s Super Bowl commercials did not live up to the hype.
A Changing Landscape
In the last two decades, Super Bowl commercials have taken on a life of their own, competing for next-day water-cooler/internet anointment as fiercely as the two teams taking the field. Increasingly, however, it is not their debut. After the phenomenal success of Volkswagen’s 2011 “Star Wars” themed spot “The Force,” advertisers began dropping their Super Bowl ads before the big game.
The Hype May Be the Problem
Media outlets, which already offered “reviews” of the spots, began providing “sneak peaks” and early best/worst rankings or lists of who/what to watch for.
Nostalgia and Celebrities
This year, you didn’t have to watch Super Bowl LIX to see Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal revisit their famous deli scene from “When Harry Met Sally” for Hellman’s Mayonnaise, or watch Catherine O’Hara and Willem Dafoe emerge as pickle ball champions for Michelob Ultra or even catch the cross-over Matt Damon/Ben Affleck joke between Dunkin’ and Stella Artois.
The Problem with Nostalgia
But the advertisers, it seems, have begun to believe their own publicity. As if the fact that they had nabbed a Super Bowl spot (or two) and a few famous faces guaranteed success. Trapped by the uncertainties of an election year, many of the ads settled in the safe space of nostalgia.
A Lacking Connection
Watching the ads play out in their intended habitat — the Super Bowl — it was difficult not to wish that the advertisers had taken their own messaging to heart. That, as in the good old days, they had worried less about multi-platform promotion of the commercial and more about making the commercial good and memorable.
A Glaring Lack of Originality
Surprise certainly would have helped, particularly for the more unusual offerings — Barry Keoghan going full “Banshees of Inisherin” while pitching laptops at unsuspecting Irish folk for Squarespace, Jeremy Strong “getting into character” but submerging himself in a barrel full of wet coffee beans for Dunkin’ — but in the end most of the spots, which sold for an average of $8 million, relied on famous faces over clever conceits and sharp writing.
A Dying Art Form?
No doubt those who paid millions for Super Bowl spots will consider it money well-spent. With linear television at an all-time low, the Super Bowl, with its average annual viewership of 100 million, is literally the biggest game in town. And with the steady collapse of broadcast networks, the television commercial is, in many ways, a dying art.
The Future of Advertising
(Whether the streamers will revive it in any meaningful way remains to be seen.) So perhaps it is an issue of unrealistic expectations. As the digital multitudes, professional and amateur, turn social media into a never-ending carousel of promotion, advertising or at least the art form it became in the latter part of the 20th century, has become as splintered as the platforms on which it used to run.
Conclusion
Super Bowl LIX proved that the TV ad is a dying art. The reliance on nostalgia and celebrity power did not lead to memorable and impactful commercials. Instead, we are left with a sense of disappointment and a lingering question: can the TV ad be revived or is it doomed to fade into obscurity?
FAQs
Q: What was the most memorable ad of Super Bowl LIX?
A: While opinions may vary, Nike’s “So Win” spot was a standout for its powerful message and clever execution.
Q: Why did the ads at Super Bowl LIX rely so heavily on nostalgia?
A: The advertisers seemed to believe that nostalgia would guarantee success, but it ultimately fell flat.
Q: Can the TV ad be revived?
A: Perhaps, but it would require a shift in the way advertisers approach their messaging and a willingness to take risks.
