Nothing controversial in Super Bowl ads

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NEW YORK (AP) — What Super Bowl ads will people discuss over the water cooler a day after the big game?

There were no crude jokes. Sexual innuendo was kept to a minimum. And uncomfortable scenes were missing.

In short, there wasn’t much shock value
Sure,
RadioShack poked fun at its image by starring 80s icons like Teen Wolf
in its ad. And Coca-Cola struck an emotional chord by showcasing people
of different diversities in its spot. As did Chrysler, with its "Made in
America" message.
But with a 30-second Super Bowl commercial
fetching $4 million and more than 108 million viewers expected to tune
in to Sunday night’s game, advertisers tried to keep it family friendly
with socially conscious statements, patriotic messages and light humor.
After all, shocking ads in previous years have not always been well
received. (Think: GoDaddy.com’s ad that featured a long, up-close kiss
was at the bottom of the most popular ad lists last year.)
"A lot
of brands were going with the safety from the start," said David
Berkowitz, chief marketing officer for digital ad agency MRY.
Viewers
had a mixed reaction to the ads. Keith Harris, who was watching the
Super Bowl in Raleigh, N.C., said he appreciated the safer ads. "The ads
are less funny, but it’s easier to watch the Super Bowl with your
family," he said.
Conversely, Paul Capelli, who lives in West
Chester, Pa., found most
ads dull: "The best spots were like a Payton
Manning-to-Wes Welker pass play — they were there, but too few and those
that connected left you wanting something a bit more spectacular."
CONNECTING WITH A CAUSE
Many advertisers played it safe by promoting a cause or focusing on sentimental issues.
Chevrolet’s
ad showed a couple driving through the desert in remembrance of World
Cancer Day. And Bank of America turned its ad into a virtual video for
singing group U2’s new single "Invisible" to raise money for an AIDS
charity. The song will be a free download on iTunes for 24 hours
following the game and Bank of America will donate $1 each time it is
downloaded to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS.
Meanwhile, a
Microsoft ad focused on how its technology helps people in different
ways. The ad is narrated by Steve Gleason, a former prof football player
who is living with ALS, a disease of the nerve cells in the brain and
spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. He uses a Microsoft
Surface Pro tablet running eye gazer technology to speak.
And an
Anheuser-Busch "Hero’s Welcome" ad was an ode to U.S. soldiers. The spot
showed how Anheuser-Busch helped prepare big celebration that included a
parade with Clydesdales as a surprise for a soldier returning from
Afghanistan.
AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL
Many advertisers took the safe route by playing up their Americana roots.
Coca-Cola’s
ad showed scenes of natural beauty and families of different
diversities. The tune of "America the Beautiful" could be heard in
different languages in the spot.
Chrysler also went with a U.S.A
theme. It had a two-minute ad starring music legend Bob Dylan discussing
the virtues of having cars built in Detroit, a theme the car maker has
stuck with in previous ads with rapper Eminem and actor Clint Eastwood.
"Let Germany brew your beer.
Let Asia assemble your phone. We will
build your car," Dylan said in the ad.
Barbara Lippert, ad critic
and Mediapost.com, said the ads were an attempt to connect with viewers
on a more personal level. "We want to be able to feel through all these
screens and through all the hype there’s a human element and in the end
were all human," said Barbara Lippert, ad critic and Mediapost.com.
Not
everyone was a fan. "I didn’t like it very much," said Crystal Booker,
who lives in Rock Hill, S.C., about the Chrysler ad, in particular. "It
was nostalgic but nothing that I hadn’t seen before."
LIGHT HUMOR
Jokes
were also tamer. "A few years ago we had a lot of physical slapstick,
this year there’s a lot less of that," said Berkowitz, with digital ad
agency MRY.
Even advertisers that typically go with more crude
humor toned it down. GoDaddy.com’s ad, for instance, showed it helping a
small-business owner quit her job. "Women were fed up and parents were
fed up and advertisers listened," said Mediapost.com’s Lippert.
Other
advertisers went with light humor as well. There were mini sitcom
reunions: in an ad for Dannon Oikos, the "Full House" cast reunited. And
"Seinfeld" alums Jerry, George and even Newman came back to Tom’s diner
in New York City for an ad for Jerry Seinfield’s show "Comedians in
Cars Getting Coffee."
Stephen Colbert appeared in a pair of
15-second ads for Wonderful Pistachios. In one he predicted the nuts
would sell themselves because "I’m wonderful, they’re wonderful." He was
back a few seconds later covered in bright green branded messages
because the nuts hadn’t sold out in 30 seconds.
Another
light-humored ad came from RadioShack, which featured 1980s pop culture
figures including Teen Wolf, Chucky, Alf and Hulk Hogan, destroying a
store and a voiceover that said: "The 80s called, they want their store
back. It’s time for a new RadioShack."
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights
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