5 Things All Marketers Could Learn From The 2021 Super Bowl Commercials

The commercials during the Super Bowl are like the support act on The Pyramid Stage, on a Saturday night, at Glastonbury - a pretty big deal! Perhaps the only time when people actually tune in specifically for the adverts…

However this year, there was some concern around how brands might utilise their 5.5mil 30 seconds slot. At a time when people are struggling, divided and just trying to get through each day, how do you get the message “right”?

Given this, a few brands opted out this year, including Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Hyundai and even Budweiser, who instead are spending a percentage of their usual Super Bowl budget on supporting the COVID-19 vaccine. 

Now with Super Bowl 2021 been and gone, as predicted, a lot of the brands who stuck around played it safe, going down the humour path. Understandably too. Humour is just the way. 

Still, not everyone went for funny. There was quite a mixture and with each of them, came a lesson to be learnt. 

So, we have compiled a list of our top 5 favourite commercials from this year and then our top 5 takeaways that marketers and businesses can get from the big brands' decisions and use going forward.

1.Oatly

I just want to point out that I specifically said our favourite and not the best. Ok wait, if you haven’t seen it, go and do that now. Seriously, we’ll wait. 

How bizarre. But, they know what they're doing. It might just be the smartest marketing strategy of them all, even if it does go down as one of the worst ads in Super Bowl history...

Watch here.

2.Michelob Ultra

Short, uplifting with a good message. Plus, very aesthetically pleasing to watch. This commercial had a really nice feel about it, it gets my number 2 because it made me go away and Google the brand. So, they win. It's just not quite the CEO standing in a field singing...

 Watch here.

3.Cheetos

A star-studded lineup of Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher and Shaggy. A great song. A relatable theme. Cheetos got humour, on point. 

Who do you think wanted this commercial at number 1?

It wasn't me. 

Watch here.

 4. Reddit

These guys deserve a mention. Not for a great ad. Because the ad itself wasn’t great. It only lasted 5 seconds. But did you know that 30 seconds cost 5.5 million? So, fair play, Reddit. 

Apparently, they spent their entire marketing budget on that 5-second ad. Goes to show that sometimes even just 5 seconds can do the trick, if you use it well. 

Watch here.

5. General Motors

This was on my list already for being enjoyable, funny and having Will Ferrell in. But, I'll tell you what made it for me. He's going after Norway in the ad. And, Norway replied.

Watch here.

There are so many more that deserve a mention but then we'll be here all day. Although one that specifically deserves a mention is the Doritos 3D one featuring a Paper Mario style Matthew McConaughey. Just brilliant. 

Considering everything from the actual commercial, the aftermath and the general thought behind it, there are many things you can take from each and every commercial this year. 

And so, 

5 Trends Businesses and Marketers Can Take Away From This Year's Ads...

1.Humour

The standard theme throughout the commercials this year was humour. Because in tough times, laughter often wins. Laughter is the thing that brings us all together, no matter what is going on in the world. This past year has shown us that tenfold. 

Adding humour into your marketing strategy is a great way to get engagement, people are much more likely to interact with something that makes them laugh. 

2.Cross Media

Utilise your content across media platforms. Take Oatly for example, after their ad aired, they instantly changed their website acknowledging the strange ad, they shared t-shirts stating “I really hated that Oatly commercial” and you can now find “Wow No Cow” on most music streaming platforms. Talk about making the most of your content. *downloads immediately

3. Be Relatable

Creating content that connects with your audience is key. You want people to relate to what you are saying, you want them to know that you understand because, at the end of the day, you are human too!

4. The Bigger Picture 

It is important to look at the bigger picture. What are you trying to achieve? What is your brand personality? How do you want to make your audience feel? These are all key points to consider to make sure you don't miss the mark with your marketing!

5. Get Involved

When we talk about the Super Bowl, a lot of brands decided to not say anything rather than say something wrong. But remember, there was a 5.5mil price tag attached to that. When it comes to social media and other content creation, the stakes aren't quite as high so get involved. Be active online and go full force with your marketing strategy.

Trying to implement 5 things at once into your marketing strategy can seem daunting. So just choose one. Pick one that works for your business, one that suits you and get into that first. One step at a time, always.