At Foxtrot Papa producing world-class creative is not just our business goal, it’s also our passion and our hobby. As die-hard, automotive content specialists and keen lifetime learners, we can’t stop looking at what the sector is doing around us, with passionate interest rather than competitive jealousy. How could we then turn a blind eye to this year’s edition of the SuperBowl and its numerous ad breaks, one of the pinnacles of global advertising culture?
Even though the kind of football we get worked up about is a different one, we never miss it. The showdown of the NFL season has become, throughout its lengthy history, THE platform for reaching the American nation as one. The privilege, however, comes at great cost: screen time during the game costs up to $175,000 per second. The strategic importance of this hefty investment can be questionable in today’s media landscape: one is left wondering if more people see the half-a-minute ads on the yearly ‘best SuperBowl ads of the year’ blog posts than on the channel they aired on. Regardless, the arms race these costly slots have fuelled has often brought us some of the best creative of the whole year or even decade, and we can’t complain.
While we’re not part of this race (yet), the language and tools showcased on this stage represent benchmarks we’re hungry to learn from. Find below some of the golden nuggets (and some blunders) we pulled out of the finger-lickin’, all-American mega-bucket that is the SuperBowl.
1. Toyota – The Longest Chase (2016)
Self-deprecating with well-delivered comedic lines. Features showcased in a smooth fashion that blends seamlessly with the narrative. A decade-defining car that sells just as well despite the meme status. What could go wrong? Ah yes, an OJ Simpson reference in a comedic SuperBowl ad, just as the conversation about domestic and gender-based violence is reheating.
2. Kia – Walken Closet (2016)
How to turn a pun into a world-class car commercial? Hire a Hollywood superstar with a Ph.D. in seriously comedic monologues. Even if they’re about socks.
3. Chevrolet – Happy Grad (2012)
Status update: ‘best advert of my life’. Okay, maybe not. But the enthusiasm in this independently produced is surely contagious. The hilariously simple but well-acted commercial was the winner of a Chevrolet contest for a customer-sourced SuperBowl ad. Its 26-year-old amateur director probably had the same reaction when he was told he’d made it.
4. Jeep – Anti-Manifesto (2018)
We won’t say anything further about this one, lest Jeep accuse us of philosophising over a commercial against unnecessary philosophising.
5. Pontiac – The Humbler (1970)
Advertising has changed a lot since the 1970s, so it is no wonder that the oldest advert on this list would be a bit out there. For example, gender equality watchdogs of today would have a few words to say about its depiction of women. What made this weird even back at the time of airing, however, is the fact that it is backed by a song that narrates the Humbler’s features, in a musical fashion. Not quite ‘the way it’s gonna be’, Pontiac.
The Morgan Dorr song that backs this inspiring celebration of Jeep’s 75th birthday and American values is so catchy and poignant that it almost sounds like it was written for an off-road vehicle ad. Or was it? Thousands of people wondered the same when the commercial aired, making it the most Shazammed song of that SuperBowl.
7. Bridgestone – Reply All (2011)
Pure slapstick, over-the-top humour of the kind that Bridgestone adverts never fail to deliver. And apparently, based on a true story that unfolded during the production of this very commercial’s predecessor. Which also happens to be every creative’s worst nightmare.
8. Hyundai – The Elevator (2019)
A simple metaphor, another monumental actor and a clever take on first world problems. The most recent ad in our list would have been an undisputed success, had they not dared to test the vegans of Twitter with their ‘Beetloaf’ jab. We still found it hilarious… sorry, Sergio!
9. Chevrolet – Soap (2004)
Corporal punishment and children swearing. Not the greatest pitch, but one of the greatest executions. Ah, the early 2000s.
10. Audi – Green Police (2010)
Yeah… this is an awkward one. It also goes to show how dramatically things changed in the automotive world since the beginning of the past decade. A commercial that makes fun of environmental concerns, produced by a company which would make headlines for cheating on its emissions tests. It doesn’t help that the next generation of car buyers would be more than happy to see some of the ‘exaggerated’ laws of this absurdist commercial enforced. As someone once said, ‘He who marries the spirit of the era will be a widower in the next’.