Super Bowl LVI ads stick to old scripts as digital innovations prove divisive

2022/02/17 Innoverview Read

Following a muted big game in 2021, Super Bowl LVI felt like a comeback for television's most-watched event. On-field play was lively, delivering a close matchup that saw the Los Angeles Rams eke out a last-minute victory against the Cincinnati Bengals on the Rams' home turf of SoFi Stadium. The Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show drew Twitter raves after assembling a show-stopping lineup of Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem, along with surprise guests 50 Cent and Anderson Paak. Some are dubbing the musical break the game's "best ever," a win for the soda marketer as its sponsorship rights are set to expire this year.

The advertising slate on Sunday tried to capture its own feeling of ebullience and Hollywood glamour, with few brands messing with proven strategies. Celebrities, nostalgic pop culture references and the promise of a plugged-in future dominated the night, embodied in a high volume of spots centered on nascent cryptocurrency platforms and electric vehicle offerings from automakers old and new. More socially conscious and solemn messages receded to just a couple of commercials after years of advertisers feeling pressure to address the country's inequities — but those outliers received a warm response, pointing to a possible missed opportunity for others. Overall, there was a sense of leaning into formula while going big on the execution front, a possible attempt to herald an anticipated return to normalcy after two years living during the pandemic.

For viewers excited about media innovation, however, the occasion might've disappointed. Only one ad, from cryptocurrency platform Coinbase, meaningfully broke with convention. The dialog-free "We're All Going to Make It," which was developed with Accenture Interactive and aired in the first quarter, showed a QR code bouncing around a black background in the style of a retro screensaver for a full minute. Scanning the code unlocked a promotional offer on the service, layering in a direct response element. The lo-fi approach — a potential attempt to recapture the magic of interruptive concepts like Reddit's winning ad from last year — landed newcomer Coinbase dead last in USA Today's Super Bowl ad meter and appeared to cause technical glitches for the platform. It was a curious debut for a category many consumers already carry high skepticism toward — not to mention a huge gamble to make around programming that commanded up to $7 million for 30 seconds of airtime from broadcaster NBC.

"With a reported site crash, this didn't seem to work for many and was a crass distraction from the game rather than an integration into it," said Mat Zucker, senior partner at brand transformation consultancy Prophet, over email. "An expensive gaffe for a new brand that still needs to explain its category."

Digital innovations draw divisive reactions

Regardless of whether its campaign will pay off in terms of sign-ups, Coinbase was easily the biggest discussion starter. The brand topped a social buzz analysis from Sprout Social, leading to 33,663 tweets and 267,126 engagements Sunday. The adage of "no publicity is bad publicity" could hold true, while the campaign is more measurable than a static piece of storytelling.

"This was the evening's most effective commercial — in terms of both cost-efficiency and measurable impact," wrote Lucas Piazza, head of marketing at QuickFrame by MNTN. "We all know the outrageous price tag of a Super Bowl commercial, so hats off to Coinbase for saving some money by making the video production incredibly low-cost."

Coinbase wasn't the only crypto company to generate a mixed response at an inflection point for a financial services niche seeking wider adoption. EToro, a brokerage firm that offers crypto trading, was second-to-last on the USA Today rankings and sparked little chatter with an ad that showed users gleefully flying around a city. Crypto.com, which recently took over naming rights to the former Staples Center in Los Angeles, served a heavy dose of the uncanny valley, with LeBron James having a sit-down chat with a digitally-generated version of his younger self on the cusp of stardom.

Tellingly, one of the better-received crypto spots looked a lot more like a traditional Super Bowl play. Exchange FTX ran a commercial featuring Larry David in a very Larry David role as a Luddite crank who ignores positive technological strides like the invention of the wheel in favor of preserving the status quo. The 60-second "Don't Miss Out" ultimately communicated a clear message to the wary masses, as well as a needed injection of self-effacing humor. Several creatives stated that FTX not releasing the full creative beforehand made for a welcome surprise.

"I know I'm not the only one that has a bit of trepidation when it comes to [cryptocurrency] and this spot was aimed at us," said Myra Nussbaum, president and chief creative officer of Havas Chicago, over email. "While other cryptos of the night gave us QR codes and bad CG, this spot encouraged us to be brave and believe that human ingenuity will always succeed."

(Source: MarketingDive Super Bowl LVI ads stick to old scripts as digital innovations prove divisive | Marketing Dive)