The Top 5 Super Bowl Ads of 2020
Another Super Bowl has come and gone. Marketers have battled it out for the audiences’ attention- using all sorts of gimmicks and tactics to stand out in an ocean of competition. But it is only the very best that prevail to take home the trophy. Here no creative concept is too ambitious even the most controversial ones – just ask Pepsi!
This year brands took a much safer route in terms of controversy. Instead of trying to explore or attempt to solve social issues through Super Bowl ads, this year brands decided to use ads as an escapism from the world’s countless problems.
Here are our top 5 picks of Super Bowl commercials of 2020:
- Inside Post’s Brain
Bud Light Seltzer’s commercial stars Post Malone who goes into a convenience store for a Bud Light but instead spots the new Bud Light Seltzer for the first time and is immediately drawn to it. The ad takes audiences inside the head of Post Malone, which is run by people in suits who have similar tattoos as him and are tasked with the very difficult choice of which Bud Light product to pick. By using Post Malone, a loved and endearing icon, the ad is a nod to the animated Inside Out movie which audiences have found to be hilarious and enjoyable.
- Winona in Winona
Squarespace’s commercial features the award-winning actress Winona Ryder who heads to a city called Winona to document life there. Ryder uses Squarespace to create a website, welcometowinona.com for the photos she takes around the town. While most viewers felt like this ad did not make sense, Squarespace successfully managed to capture audiences’ attention by using the talented actress as the main character.
- The Cool Ranch
Doritos promoted their new Cool Ranch flavour by featuring a dance battle between Lil Nas X and Sam Elliott in the Old West. The dance battle on the famous ‘Old Town Road’ song involves Lil Nas X’s hip-hop moves and Elliot’s line dancing. The ad ends with Lil Nas X’s horse joining in while Elliot’s horse refusing to participate. The ad was widely loved particularly because of how relevant the song is in pop culture currently. This provided the audience with a new jingle to associate the flavour with moving forward – ensuring that the flavour is at the top of the consumer’s mind for a very long time.
- Going Away Party
Genesis’ ad features an all new GV80 SUV – marketing ‘old luxury’. John Legend and Chrissy Teigen attend an old luxury going-away party. While introducing a ‘young luxury’ car, John Legend is instead seen driving the SUV to the door. By leveraging his latest title as the ‘sexist man alive’ and his wife, Chrissy Teigen as his sidekick, Genesis tries to communicate the message that young isn’t an age; it’s a mindset. While it is still questionable whether audiences connected with the message, it is certain that the celebrity supercouple made the ad one of the most-watched Super Bowl commercials of 2020. A success in terms of raising brand awareness quickly if you ask us!
- Home Sweet Home
In Rocket Mortgage’s commercial, Jason Momoa, the Game of Thrones star, lets his guard down after he gets home – ripping off layers of ‘muscles’ and hair. In doing so, the muscular actor transforms into a balding guitar player who cannot even lift a bar without weights – responding with a tagline, “home is where I can be myself”. As actor is known for not taking himself too seriously, his participation in the commercial boosted the ad to become a #5 trending video on YouTube, which can be considered a buzz marketing success story.
