Super Bowl Ads: Why we love them and their evolution for revolution (Part II)
Part 2: 2020–2021 Pandemic Super Bowl
And then one month later in March 2020, the world shut down and everything changed.
The 2019 trend of big brands realizing the potential for good business by aligning talent and nonprofits every once in a while, exploded into a necessary cause-marketing and fundraising vehicle in the face of COVID-19.
Before we get to Super Bowl LV, let’s take a quick commercial break for a snapshot of what was happening in media world leading up to the Big Game. Here are a couple examples you’ll love to remember.
All-State and Subaru teamed up with Feeding America and the cast of Parks & Recreation for a reunion fundraiser. Fans and brands came together to raise over $3 million to feed those in need during covid-19. John Krasinski introduced his webseries, “Some Good News” and then Pepsi quickly jumped on board as a major sponsor and donated $3 million — to the $17 million already raised — for the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund (RERF), spearheaded by the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation (NRAEF) and industry icon Guy Fieri.
Front line workers became the celebrities of the time and we learned quickly that real superheroes wear scrubs, not capes. Try as they might to empathize with their fans during a global pandemic (who could forget Gal Gadot’s cringe-worthy version of “Imagine”), it wasn’t celebrities or athletes but our front line workers who isolated from their families, begged us to stay home as hospitals overflowed, and gave their blood, sweat and many tears to covid-19, who still deserve to be applauded every night, and be celebrated by brands, nonprofits, celebrities, and consumers alike.
2020: Budweiser reminds us that we’re all #OneTeam
Budweiser was the first brand to blaze the trail and celebrate our everyday heroes. Almost a year before Super Bowl LIV, when it was announced that all sporting events were being suspended and there was a shortage of blood in hospitals due to canceled blood drives around the country, Budweiser shifted their sports’ sponsorship dollars and launched their “One Team” campaign. According to AdAge’s conversation with Monica Rustgi, VP of marketing for Budweiser, the advertisement came together with their agency David in less than a week:
The #OneTeam ad smartly juxtaposes sports team names with individuals who are making a difference during the pandemic, while raising awareness for the shortage of blood. The line “This Bud is for the blues,” references blue-scrubs-wearing healthcare workers, not the St. Louis Blues hockey team. And “the magic,” typically referring to the basketball team, Orlando Magic, instead shows a photo of an elementary school teacher conducting a virtual class, a scene parents would see all too often in the years to follow.
What made the advertisement truly brilliant — and relevant — was that it served as Budweiser’s official announcement that Anheuser-Busch InBev’s brand was reallocating $5 million of its sports and entertainment sponsorship budget to the American Red Cross. Budweiser also worked alongside their sports partners to turn more than 50 stadiums and arenas worldwide into Red Cross blood drives sites.
The advertisement was embraced and shared by politicians on both sides of the aisle, by all sports teams (regardless of whether the team was sponsored by Budweiser or not) and their fans, by celebrities, front line workers, and nonprofits. Suffice it to say, the campaign did exactly what it set out to do: unite this very divided country during a time of need and remind us that we are truly all #OneTeam. Love of Good Score: That field goal is SO good! And yes, still counts even though technically not a Super Bowl ad.
2021: Budweiser’s Clydesdales take a knee for Vaccine Education
In 2021, it seemed Budweiser felt running an advertisement during the Super Bowl would have been seen as insensitive and too risky, so they benched themselves for the first time in 37 years. Instead, the brand donated a portion of its $5 million ad airtime to the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative’s Vaccine Education Initiative. Even The Muppets got in on the action.
Budweiser set a bold precedent in 2020 with their #OneTeam campaign, and extending their corporate integrity in 2021 was a critical element to the brand’s success. And that’s not nothing for a beer company who once upon a time featured animatronic frogs in their Super Bowl commercials to win our hearts and our taste-Buds. Love of Good Score: MVPs (Most Valuable Promotions) and Vince Lombardi worthy!
2021: Uber Eats leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
If Budweiser is the King of Beers — and pandemic advertising — then Uber Eats is the court Jester. Uber Eats, who for no reason whatsoever, decided to revive Mike Meyers and Dana Carvey as their Wayne’s World characters, with special guest Cardi B, unfortunately missed the mark in an effort to convince customers that they should “eat local” — hardly a genuine call-to-action from a company who’s fees have hurt local restaurants more than helped them over the course of the pandemic.
Days leading up to the Super Bowl, the company did make an announcement that it was offering $0 delivery fees for customers buying from local restaurants from Feb. 3 to Feb.7th.
To send this to the goal line Uber Eats could have made a donation to local food banks in order to fully put their money where their mouth is with a message along the lines of, “So everyone can eat, local.” And/or maybe a percentage of the proceeds from Uber Eats’ orders from Feb. 3–7th would go to a local food bank, so that fans feel like they’re also helping to make a difference. Points for the clone babies in “Eat Local” t-shirts though. Subtle. Love of Good Score: Out of bounds. “If you’re gonna spew, spew in this (advertisement).” #iykyk
2021: Lowe’s Rebuilds The Super Bowl Ad.
The real winning Super Bowl brand of 2021 was Lowe’s, who didn’t run an advertisement but instead worked with nonprofit Rebuilding Together to donate money towards home repairs for frontline workers. According to AdWeek, “Each home repair is estimated to cost between $10,000 and $15,000, with Lowe’s setting the cap at 32 mentions (one for every NFL team). Making the most of being at home is likely to be a popular theme among brands this year — even if nailing the tone is tricky.” Their call to action was transparent and genuinely aligned with their brand: “For each commercial that mentions ‘home,’ we’ll complete critical home repairs for frontline workers. Plus, we’re donating $100,000 towards repairs in the city of the winning team. We call it, #HomeforaHome” Love of Good Score: Can we give Lowe’s a Super Bowl ring please?
What’s even more amazing about this corporate partnership? It’s longevity. This isn’t just a one and done campaign. Lowe’s and Rebuilding Together have been partners since 2007. It’s exciting to see that this year, Lowe’s and Rebuilding Together are continuing their Kick Off to Rebuild Initiative which is now “an annual Super Bowl-sanctioned event,” to provide critical home repairs for 16 neighbors in Los Angeles’ View Park neighborhood.
When done right, finding that true alignment between brand, nonprofit, and celebrity (when applicable and not forced), leads to consumer trust, builds brand loyalty, creates more employee engagement opportunities, and increases a company’s bottom line. Authentically aligning with consumers’ core values, humanizing brands, and creating real social impact will be essential for future audiences. I don’t need to tell you about how important and influential these kinds of campaigns are particularly to reach the coveted GenZ and Millennial audiences — and beyond — plus, it’s just good karma points.
In the third article of the 3 Super Bowl Ads series, we’ll explore what social impact looks like for this year’s ads in Super Bowl LVI. Join me, won’t you? And if you’re just getting to the party, get caught up and check out the first article here. Thanks for reading!
