“Watch it for the Commercials”
With our video team having created Speed Stick’s ad for Super Bowl XLVII, the big game is always a big deal here at CDA. We asked around the office which ads everyone had the strongest reaction to, and here’s what they said:
Rocket Mortgage: Jason Momoa
Jin Kim | Founder
“Weird, funny, charming, and absolutely unforgettable. This made everyone’s top 5 list, for sure. The concept was hilarious, the whole office was talking about it. It wasn’t perfect, though. While the ad itself was memorable, we noticed that nobody we spoke to could really remember which brand it was promoting. With a little more visual and narrative emphasis placed on the Rocket Mortgage brand, this ad would have been at the top of my list.”
Budweiser: “Inside Post’s Brain”
Quynh Nguyen | Insider Trends Officer
“This ad threaded the needle, perfectly delivering both emotional engagement and product education, in a way that both captivated the audience and ensured everybody really understood Bud’s new product offering. It’s that rare ad that completely works as sketch comedy while still keeping the product at the center of the story.”
NFL: “NEXT 100”
Daniel Shea | Manager, Business Development
“This was an amazing short film, but where was the sponsor? I was completely engaged for the entire 3 minutes, between the sprinkles of comedic relief and the parade of famous athletes. The most endearing part? Seeing the kid’s grin of pure excitement as he runs out onto the field. It was one of the most magical moments of the whole broadcast, but the lack of a sponsor seems like a missed opportunity.”
SodaStream: “Water on Mars”
Katarina Gentry | Graphic Designer
“SodaStream has done a great job in following the cultural shift to re-frame themselves as a sparkling water product and not a soda fountain. This ad was particularly great because the punchline at the end landed so perfectly: there’s a big laugh as they undercut the drama, and there’s a beauty shot of the product in action — and somehow it all works perfectly.”
Hulu: “Tom Brady’s Big Announcement”
Barbie Chiu | PR & Media Relations Specialist
“Tom Brady didn’t play in yesterday’s game, but he’s still dominating the headlines. If there’s one ad that really took advantage of the context of the Super Bowl (not just the ratings), it was this one. At CDA, we always look to come up with creatives that align the brand, the audience, and the cultural context. This ad literally had people screaming at the bar where I was watching the game. I’d say they understood the culture pretty darn well.”
Tide: “Super Bowl Now, #LaundryLater“
Anthony Charles | Manager, Marketing Services
“This one really stood out for me not just because it was funny, but because it so effectively used sequential storytelling with a whole series of spots. Also, the brand collaboration between Tide and Bud Light (when the knight shows up in ancient times), really drives home the fact that brand mascots can be so effective, they become celebrities in their own right, transcendent of the ads.”
Nintendo Switch “Switch My Way: The Legend of Zelda Link’s Awakening & Luigi’s Mansion 3”
Kevin Almeida | Managing Director
“It’s not technically a ‘Super Bowl Ad’ (it launched back in October) but, I want to give a shoutout to one of the underdogs from yesterday’s game. This ad from Nintendo Switch wasn’t the wildest or most creative, and I doubt its budget-friendly story of a dad and his daughter playing Zelda together is driving many water cooler conversations — but this little ad had a huge impact on a very specific target audience.
“How do I know? Because I’m that target audience — older Millennials with young children — and this ad felt like it was speaking directly to me. When you understand your audience and their emotional needs, personalized video campaigns like this can go a lot further than broadly-appealing mega-spectacle. It’s doubly interesting because niche-audience ads like this almost never air during the Super Bowl.”
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Looking for your own Super-Bowl-Quality video ad? Drop us a line and let’s talk: