10 Best Super Bowl Ads of 2020
Our favourite event of the year happened this week, The Super Bowl, where we all sit down to enjoy the Halftime show and the million-dollar ad spots. It’s become a tradition for many of us in advertising to watch all the ads each year, applaud the great ideas, criticise the space wasters, and get inspired.
So here are our Top 10 Super Bowl ads of 2020:
10. Olay - Make Space For Women
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-0Ll60FkLg&feature=youtu.be
We love that female empowerment and gender equality has become a common theme in Super Bowl ads. There’s no better time than during a stereotypically masculine event to amplify these messages.
It’s on-brand for Olay to associate with female empowerment so it doesn’t feel like a stretch for the brand or ‘trendy’, we see a few familiar faces, and it also sends young girls a wonderful message about career prospects. There are no mentions of the actual product or product benefits, but the branding is everywhere, so we’d consider it a great exercise in brand association.
9. Walmart - Famous Visitors
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZqD-gSbUGY&feature=youtu.be
Walmart has created a sequel to their 2019 Super Bowl ad which had iconic cars from famous movies, showing up at Walmart to pick up their groceries.
In this year’s spot, they had iconic ‘visitors’ who either teleported in or travelled from other worlds. The beauty of these spots is that they are so simple, the selling point is so clear, and it’s filled with characters from some of our favourite movies in an unlikely place, so people want to watch it.
8. Michelob ULTRA - 6 for 6-Pack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANarZ_113Xc&feature=youtu.be
In 2016, American beer brand ‘DB Export’ released an ad about ‘Brewtroleum’ which went viral because of its innovative approach to selling beer, in a way that ‘saves the world’.
Michelob has mimicked the same feel by promising that if you buy a 6-pack of Michelob beer they will change 6 square feet of farmland to organic. Also, the way they show scenes of people in groups changing to represent how much land would be affected makes the impact seem giant. By linking drinking beer to helping the environment they create a greater purpose for something people already do, making it easier for people to switch brands and feel great about themselves.
7. Porsche - The Heist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92sXWVxRr0g&feature=youtu.be
The Porsche Super Bowl spot appeals to every part of us that loves a good spy movie. What a great way to associate quiet, precision and speed with Porsche. They build the stakes in the ad to keep you interested and show off the gorgeous cars. Additionally, they add a level of humour, playfulness and a love of driving without sacrificing their upmarket brand image.
It is a really well-crafted ad that hits the right balance and doesn’t rest on the same boring format of many car ads. Nice job Porsche!
6. Dashlane - Password Paradise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5lslSPfhkg&feature=youtu.be
Dashlane is not a brand we are familiar with in Australia, but their ad definitely put them on the map for good advertising, and we now know what they do.
They set the mood of the ad immediately, drew us in with an interesting story from the first shot, and delivered a situation we are all familiar with… but this time it’s life or death. A very well done, simple idea, and one that we’ll remember.
5. Google - Loretta
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xSxXiHwMrg&feature=youtu.be
This ad made our heart hurt. We’re in two minds about it though. On one hand, the spot advertises the ‘remember’ feature of Google Home in a way that majority of people will not use it, particularly elderly people, so as a product ad it possibly wasn’t the most clear or effective. On the other hand, Google does such a great job of linking their brand with emotion, love, friendship, inspiration and more. Google feels like a part of your home because it’s comfortable, a friend and it helps.
This ad told a beautiful story that had our eyes watering, and made us remember why we love Google.
4. Cheetos - Can’t Touch This
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cdpf1Dl5b_4&feature=youtu.be
Cheetos got it right this year with their Super Bowl spot. The mood of the ad mimics the same tone of an Old Spice ad with a little bit of absurdity, but the main focus is the infamous ‘Cheeto fingers’.
Taking a single part of the Cheeto ‘experience’ and redefining it was smart because it is something we all have faced and it adds a little humour. Additionally, the brand just gave us all a great way to get out of things we don’t want to do, and we can see this being copied in households all around the world.
3. Budweiser - Typical American
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt-zXuAAD6Q&feature=youtu.be
Budweiser consistently does an incredible job at associating themselves with pride and friendship and positioning themselves as a top choice. Their ads are always built up of simple ideas and effective messaging.
By taking the idea of patriotism and pride in your country, but taking it up a notch by turning all of the negative things said about Americans into reasons Americans are great, it’s genius.
They created such a strong association with America and it appeals heavily to the American ego. Patriotism always breeds ‘we’re the best country in the world’ conversations, we reject any negative comments on our manner or behaviour, and it motivates people to make their pride everyone else’s business. Budweiser took all that energy and delivered it in a very tame, clear and simple message that resulted in an incredibly effective ad.
2. Pringles - Rick & Morty Competition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ffu_LU6KpQI&feature=youtu.be
This ad almost speaks for itself as to why it is such a good addition to the 2020 ad lineup. Pringles released an ad for the Super Bowl last year that introduced the idea of stacking your Pringles and creating flavour combinations. They are pushing this concept yet again, but this one is even better.
They decided to enlist the help of three of the most iconic adult cartoon characters; Rick, Morty and Summer. The story of the ad fits perfectly with the Rick & Morty world, and it very clearly got the selling point of Pringles across in a funny way. An incredible ad that will definitely have people talking.
1. Amazon Alexa - #BeforeAlexa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF9t2rFmTVE&feature=youtu.be
The best ad from this year’s Super Bowl was the Amazon Alexa ad that starred Ellen Degeneres and Portia De Rossi.
Amazon Alexa ads are developing a reputation for creating smart concepts that are funny, and clearly communicate the benefits of the product. These ads give Amazon Alexa a personality which helps make product perception more positive and welcoming, which will help the sceptics change their minds.
The simple idea of ‘what was life like before Amazon Alexa’ was turned into multiple hilarious and creative scenes from different time periods. In reality, a time before Alexa was not that long ago, nor was it too difficult. This ad feeds into that part of all of us that have become dependent on technology to some degree and presents us with a dramatised version.
Amazon killed it yet again.
The Super Bowl is our favourite time of the year for advertising and seeing smart ideas, innovative thinking and solid concepts. They get our creative juices flowing and remind us that while new ideas are hard to come by there are always great, new ways to communicate your message if you think outside of the box.
Let us know what your favourite Super Bowl spots were!
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