Super Bowl commercials draw just about as much attention as the football game itself.
Every year, viewers look forward to what creative marketers have up their sleeves – something original, clever, funny and perhaps shocking.
With an audience of 100 million and at a cost of $5.25 million for a 30-second spot, according to CNBC, it must provide a solid return on investment.
What makes a good commercial? Our team at Priority Marketing has helped many clients develop TV commercials, from concept development, scriptwriting and shoot coordination to video editing and media buying. There are many ingredients to creating a commercial that yields results, starting with a carefully crafted plan to help clients achieve their desired outcomes.
Here’s our approach to developing outstanding TV commercials:
- Clearly define goals and objectives
- Identify the target audience(s)
- Develop a powerful concept with a creative script that engages the target audience, supports key messages and focuses on a strong call to action
- Execute with excellence
The call to action is key, as well as a plan to track results. Advertisers can do this by tracking website visits, telephone calls, social media mentions, product sales and donations made immediately after a commercial has aired. Poor commercials do not generate a response, either now or later.
With a living room full of football fans, lively conversation and scrumptious snacks, it can be challenging to keep TV viewers’ attention during Super Bowl parties. The best commercials aren’t a break in the action – they are part of the action – and become the focus of water cooler conversations for several days after the Super Bowl.
Priority Marketing’s talented team of creative professionals wore their marketing and advertising hats to their Super Bowl parties, viewing commercials as both industry professionals and consumers. Some common terms emerged while describing their favorite commercials: funny, memorable, inspiring, inclusive, authentic and relatable.
Olivia Orth, creative director and senior copywriter at Priority Marketing, shared her expertise with FOX4 for a segment about 2019’s most memorable Super Bowl commercials.
USA TODAY’s “Ad Meter” gauges the national pulse on Super Bowl commercials as thousands of volunteer critics from coast to coast preregister as judges, voting on every commercial as they air. According to results announced Monday morning, the NFL, Amazon Alexa, Microsoft, Hyundai and Verizon had the top five commercials.
CBS News, which called Super Bowl Sunday the “biggest day in TV marketing,” listed Microsoft, Washington Post, Expensify, Bumble, Google and Amazon as having the best Super Bowl ads. The Chicago Tribune pegged HBO/Bud Light, Hyundai, Bud Light, Pepsi and Burger King commercials as winners. However, Business Insider rated that same Hyundai advertisement as a “loser,” along with a series of four T-Mobile ads that drew praise from other media experts. Slate said “The ads were nearly as deadening as the game” and AdAge used the terms “yawn” and “mediocrity” in summarizing the commercials.
The final verdict: industry experts, media critics and consumers are not in agreement on the best Super Bowl commercials.
If you want to watch exactly what aired Sunday night, NFL.com has all commercials posted in their entirety.
For more insight into advertising and marketing strategies to help your business or organization grow, follow Priority Marketing on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter, or call us at 239-267-2638.
