Wow, what a great game? Funny enough, I wasn’t necessarily cheering for one team. Both were great teams, and it was a good game…close until the very end (who doesn’t love that?!).

But as a digital marketer, I did find some things more interesting than others.

Yes, I came in and spent more of my focus on the commercials. I’m ‘one of those’ Super Bowl fans.

But I did notice a couple of themes, which showcased a lot of thought that went into this year’s ads based on ideal client buying personas.

The biggest theme that I noticed: Nostalgia.

I have to hand it to some of these brands. They really know how to pull on the heart strings, as they brought back some of the most popular shows and characters of their ideal clients. I can only assume that is to play on the emotions of pre-COVID and when the world seemed normal.

Here are some of the highlights from that theme:

Meadow and A.J. Soprano from Sopranos (Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Robert Iler) in the Chevrolet commercial really brought up some emotions for fans. Social media was all the buzz with that commercial and as many stated, Tony Soprano was known for driving around in a Chevy Suburban. It just made sense for this commercial and bringing back the nostalgia for fans connected those viewers to their favorite characters again.

Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen, who played buddies together in Knocked Up, delivered in the Lay’s Commercial as two favorites. They even brought back a nostalgic Shania Twain song, “Still the One,” and played up the saying, “Those were good times.” Yeah, Lay’s I see what you did…you did good. Touché.

JD and Turk from Scrubs (Zach Braff and Donald Faison) were in the T-Mobile Super Bowl Commercial. Okay, I’ll admit, my husband and I got pretty excited to see this reunion. And the fact that JD and Turk were neighbors in this little skit made us all the happier -not enough to switch are mobile carriers though. Sorry T-Mobile, but thank you for the commercial!

No pairing of famous friends/comedic couples in this commercial, but nostalgic nonetheless, Pringles really hit it home with “Stuck In.” I mean who hasn’t gotten their hand stuck in a Pringles can? [Yes, Pringles, if you read this, you can use this tagline – just send my daughters a lifetime supply of Pringles and we’ll call it even.] This was nostalgia and comedy all in one, but I wanted to give them props for both, as it was one of the top laugh-out-loud commercials this year.

And there was another prevalent theme this year that -correct me if I’m wrong- seemed heightened compared to past years: celebrity star power.

Again, I know this is every year’s theme, but this year…it seemed like the brands really outdid themselves. Here are my favorites:

Uber Eats, “Uber Don’t Eats.” I seriously needed a moment when Gwyneth Paltrow took a bite out of her vagina-scented candle. I cringed and did my uncomfortable, “I can’t believe they just showed that on TV” laugh. Then there were celebrities eating other things like kitty litter, sponges, and Jennifer Coolidge eating lipstick. They gave a little salute to Gollum in the Lord of the Rings with ‘Eats’ in the “I can ‘Eats’ it?” line.

Onto Verizon and “The Cable Guy” commercial. Man, I didn’t feel old until I saw this commercial and it brought back memories of the movie. Yup, I’m an older millennial and, yes, I saw “The Cable Guy” in the movie theaters. Looks like I’m part of that target market because I totally related to that commercial and understood it. And Jim Carrey, of course, brought back his same strange comedic traits and played his part well…and looked surprisingly young (I mean not everyone can pull that off)! It does pay to be a celebrity after all.

Then there was BMW with Zeus and Hera -Schwarzenegger and Salma Hayek. I really enjoyed the story line; although it was a little strange. But, my favorite part…the pet. A little tiny unicorn with wings (if you’ve watched My Little Ponies than you may know this is called an Alicorn) really stole the show, and now I’m hoping they’ll come up with a stuffie or some type of Build-A-Bear version of this so I can give it to my youngest child.

So what does all of this tell us about marketing?

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE.

In fact, know them so well that you can actually read their minds. Kind of like the Amazon Alexa commercial starring Scarlett Johannsson and real-life husband, Colin Jost. Yeah, Alexa – you are kind of creepy that way.

What do you think? What were some of the themes you saw in the Super Bowl commercials? Did you like about this year’s commercials, or did you hate them, or are you indifferent?

Until next time, make it a great one!

Danielle

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Danielle Fitzpatrick Clark is lovingly referred to as America’s Favorite Digital Disruptor. She doesn’t just live, breath, and sleep digital marketing, she embodies the constant shifts and pivots needed to create long-lasting businesses in the online space.

Her company Influence Builder is all about bringing the human element to the online tech and digital space. Specifically focused on helping the lesser-known experts and thought leaders, Influence Builder shows them how to break out of the noise, create powerful platforms, and thriving businesses so they can spread their mission and message to the world. This is the bridge where disruptors disrupt and build with authentic influence.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Danielle Fitzpatrick Clark is lovingly referred to as America’s Favorite Digital Disruptor. She doesn’t just live, breath, and sleep digital marketing, she embodies the constant shifts and pivots needed to create long-lasting businesses in the online space.

Her company Influence Builder is all about bringing the human element to the online tech and digital space. Specifically focused on helping the lesser-known experts and thought leaders, Influence Builder shows them how to break out of the noise, create powerful platforms, and thriving businesses so they can spread their mission and message to the world. This is the bridge where disruptors disrupt and build with authentic influence.