LIII Super Bowl - Commercials 2019
Agency: 72andSunny SPOILER: WINNER! Not sure it’s fair to say that an ad for the NFL can be the winner of them all, but it simply is! Celebrating its 100th anniversary more than 40 current and former NFL Players have come together to make this ad truly stand out showing the passion for the game in all its glory- or should I say messy banquet hall.
Did you watch the big game? Well, let’s get down to business. If you wanted to appear on the big screen at this years LIII Super Bowl you had to put $5 million and up on the table. Hereby CBS was pretty much on the same level in comparison to NBC’s pricing last year.
Homerun for CBS
Apart from all the hype of the most anticipated ads in a year don’t forget to keep an eye on how CBS promoted its network including CBS all Access and Showtime.
Companies are increasingly taking their new brands and products to the big stage
Accomplished, well-known brands take a step further seeing the value in promoting new products. There’s no bigger platform to grab millions of potential customer’s attention that ‘easily’. Basically, it’s guaranteed that people will actively pay attention, not mentioning the social impact. However, such companies can’t make a lightly decision about going into the Super Bowl- in the end it’s a $7 – $10 million outlay. It definitely depends on the product and the creative. This year companies like PepsiCo, Kraft-Heinz and Anheuser-Busch were going for this marketing strategy.
- Kraft-Heinz: Frozen Food Brand Devour
- Anheuser-Busch: Budweiser (Copper Lager), Michelob Ultra (Pure Gold), SpikedSeltzer (Bon & Viv)
PepsiCo – Spotlighting it’s 1 year old water brand Bubly feat. Michael Bublé
Agency: Merkley+Partners
Super Bowl Commercial contenders, who will score a TD?!
Automotive: Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Hyundai, Kia, Toyota, Lexus, Jaguar
Airlines & Travel: Turkish-Airlines, Norwegian Cruise
Food & Beverage: Bud Light, PepsiCo, Pringles, Avocados from Mexico, M&Ms, Bon & Viv, Doritos, Devours, Skittles, Planter, Bubly, Pizza Hut, Budweiser, Burger King, Stella Artois, Michelob Ultra, Planters
Consumer Goods: Colgate, Olay, Persil
Media & Online: T-Mobile, Mint Mobile, Verizon, Bumble, Wix, Hulu, Amazon
Others: TurboTax, SimpliSafe, WeatherTech, Sketchers
Mercedes Benz – Say the Word feat. Ludacris
Agency: Merkley+Partners
This Mercedes ad has not really been mentioned in either the top or the bottom section, but it definitely made it on my top list. It’s just simple, not trying too hard, puts a smile on your face and most importantly brings the message across- own a Mercedes, and get what you actually want.
Amazon – Alexa, Not everything makes the cut
Agency: Lucky Generals
Alexa might not have made the cut in all sorts of products, however Amazon did with their commercial. It was one of the more pleasing ones to watch, probably also because of Harrison Ford’s acting.
Bud Light & Game of Thrones
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy, Droga5
The genius collaboration of Bud Light and Game of Thrones scored a TD amongst the viewers! The creative twist in the end of the commercial, despite the risky move of having the Bud Knight getting knocked off his horse, turned out to be a huge success. The unexpected crossover with the teasing of the final season of Game of Thrones definitely got everyone talking about it.
Sketchers – Easy feat. Tony Romo
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy, Droga5
Whether you’re a Cowboys fan or not, how can you not like Tony Romo?! – It might not be a smashing commercial but come on “Romo Mode” and that smirk, just pure entertainment!
Given the fact that PepsiCo was an official sponsor of the NFL, which was held in Atlanta- the hometown of Coca Cola- it’s interesting to take a look at them as well.
PepsiCo undeniably had their full branding game on, eg. they put up ads all over Atlanta with slogans like ‘Look who’s in town for Super Bowl LIII’ and ‘Pepsi in Atlanta, how refreshing.’ An extremely witty way to approach the rivalry between those beverage giants.
When it comes to their big Super Bowl ad it’s not quite sure whether the question ‘Is Pepsi OK?’ will be answered with certainty. The commercial is not bad, but it also doesn’t really hit the mark, rather features a mess of celebrities.
What you could also observe was that a lot of companies used cross media marketing extensively to get the most of their ads, spendings, respectively. Basically this is not a new strategy at all, however this omnichannel approach has been extended so that brands started to create a wider story around their messaging. Whether it is an extended ad, short movie, live-stream, online game etc. the viewer is supposed to interact with the brand in a deeper way.
Overall, the commercials this year really tried to stay away from anything controversial or politic and focused on sending across positive messages including climate change, diversity, unity, empowerment and human connection.
Package Design Makes A Difference
Packaging, branding and vice- versa; make your brand storytelling work on all mediums.
Once you’ve defined your brand, brand strategy respectively, it should be relatively easy to identify what your brand stands for and in what way this can be represented via packaging. Of course, this also works vice-versa, because how much you invest in your packaging reflects on your brand as well. Cohesiveness is probably one of the most important keywords here.
First impressions matter
First impressions generally take only a few seconds, therefore effective packaging is important to:
- grab the (potential) consumer’s attention
- convince him of the product (which he might not even know) or
- make him consider/take a closer look at it and
- ultimately make him decide to chose your product over the competition
Design that stands out
Your packaging represents your brand and consequently it’s promise to deliver a quality product and experience. There are multiple factors given the design that can make a difference and create an impact or not.
Aesthetics
As mentioned before, stick to your overall brand style and transfer your art of storytelling onto your packaging. Keep in mind that your choice of packaging material can have a huge impact regarding quality.
Color
Color is an important aspect when designing your packaging. It’s one of the first things that can grab your customers attention. However, when choosing colors consider whether it fits to your brand, as well as the psychology and cultural usage of it, to make sure you’re sending the right message.
Icons
In our age of digitization emojis and icons have become a crucial element, and are often even understood internationally. Such icons can come very handy as they not only have a specific meaning, but also are connected to memories and feelings.
Emotions
All of the above definitely contribute to create a certain feel, and consequently trigger specific emotions within your customer. Therefore, it’s important to know your target group and build a connection with them. Such emotions can lead to long-term relationships between the customer and the product (brand), which is the ultimate goal.
Depending on the product you’re trying to sell, envision how it might look like on a shelf next to each other and/or surrounded by competitors.
Unpacking the Design
So far you put all consideration into account given the design aspect. However the process does not stop here. I’m pretty sure you once bought a product that was shrink-wrapped in plastic and you had to work your way around with scissors to finally hold the product in your hands…
This is an example of bad user experience and could lead to the consumer, as satisfied as he might be with the product, next time standing in front of the shelf consider grabbing the competitor, because he remembered the struggle of opening.
It is utterly important to think about the whole user experience when unpacking, so the customer will be instantly confirmed to have bought something of good quality, and has a great first impression.
Do you have a packaging project coming up?
Why to rebrand
Embrace a rebrand
A company’s brand identity is the fundamental that ‘it’s built on’. Above all it states its core values and defines what image it represents. However, a brand identity is never completely finished and needs to be adapted from time to time.
A rebrand is necessary due to different changes within and outside of the company, be it that your audience expands, the company’s goals change or due to technological progresses and future trends.
SO WHAT EXACTLY IS A REBRAND?
Generally speaking it’s an overhaul of your existing brand image. This may include a new brand strategy, a new brand positioning and a new brand image (logo, typography, graphic assets).
Of course, a rebrand does not always have to be as far fetched – sometimes just a logo redesign can be enough to refresh your brand.
Do you need help with a rebrand?
The Art of Introduction
Make your business cards stand out
Networking and making connections is essential in every area of our social life. Even though it might not be face to face all the time these days, you definitely want to make the most out of your “direct contact approach”. This is especially important when you want to make your first impression count. A handshake can be forgotten quite easily, not so much a unique business card with your contact information that will appear in someone’s purse later on.
Make a memorable introduction with your business cards!
A business card is not just a simple piece of paper with your contact details on them, but a representation of your brand your business, respectively. Hence, hiring a professional, who understands your brand values/ identity and is aware of the various print options is important. This way those values get translated on your business cards. The possibilities regarding design and print process are very broad, so it’s best to invest your money once, and wisely.
Did you know?
Back in the 17th century “business cards” or better so-called “visiting-cards” were used by the aristocracy when attending an event. In order to praise the arrival of the guest such cards were handed over to the servants to get introduced.
Later on those cards were essential for anyone of the upper class to bring to every household they would visit. Vice-versa they were collected from those visiting.
Another form of business cards that was used, particularly in London, during this period were “trade cards”. Such trade cards were usually a form of business advertisement that included a map and directions. A pretty clever way to promote your business, considering systematic street names and numbers haven’t been quite developed back then. Those cards were often printed with woodcut or letterpress (something we can’t get enough of nowadays).
During the Industrial Revolution it became essential for the rising middle class to exchange contact information (on plain, heavy paper & with clear lettering), which can be seen as a combination of visiting and trade cards- a first version of our modern business cards today.
To sum up, investing in the design and quality of your business cards is essential in order to impress your opposite and stay relevant.
- With business cards you can make your (first) impression count
- They are very effective direct marketing tools
- Their design & quality can be unique – and make you stand out
- Business cards show that you are prepared
Do you need new business cards?