Food advertisers aren't rising to the occasion for Super Bowl ads of late as we definitely saw last night during Super Bowl LII. Still, there were a few intriguing ads.
Avocadoes from Mexico had a nice comeback from last year. The secret society concept was adjusted to have a self-contained universe where they had everything they needed, including avocadoes from Mexico.
Someone discovers that the chips are not in the self-contained universe. Panic ensues. A woman at the buffet table points out that you don't need chips to enjoy avocadoes.
This ad was reasonably clever, and light years ahead of last year's ad. This ad also told us something about the product, a trait rarely found in a Super Bowl ad. Since most of the play of these ads is well past the date of the Super Bowl, the 2018 ad should have a larger impression through February and March.
Doritos Blaze gave us an idea of how hot their new chip flavor is in the taste spectrum. We don't know what kind of hot Blaze is but it's hot. Having Peter Dinklage mouth the rhymes of Busta Rhymes looks good in a Super Bowl ad but not sure how well the ad will translate beyond the days after Super Bowl LII. Consumers will have a basic idea about Doritos Blaze but may be more clueless about what make Mountain Dew Ice distinct. Morgan Freeman mouthing Missy Elliott was interesting to look at but might not play too well come late February.
Wendy's reminded us for the second year in a row that its beef is not frozen as opposed to McDonald's burgers being frozen. Pounding a point home can be a good way to use a Super Bowl ad but this difference may not be the reason why most people pick Wendy's over McDonald's. This ad was slightly better than last year's ad mostly because this year's edition didn't use a lame version of a classic rock song.
Bill Hader is not someone I would think of as being Super Bowl ad material, but the Pringles ad was pretty decent. Reminding consumers of the many flavors is a smart choice. The ad uses that variety to sell different flavors of the standard chip. The visual is also about the stacking of the chips, showcasing their unique shape. The ad should play better beyond the Super Bowl timeframe. The exotic flavors also appeal to younger audiences, a key snacking demographic.
Super Bowl ad analysis in recent years
Kraft had a nice ad that didn't mention food at all, but showed us how you family. There were a lot of endearing ads this year. The Kraft ad was very nice but could get easily lost behind ads such as the Hyundai one with cancer patients.
We won't spend too much time on ads that involved candy and soft drinks. The Danny DeVito M&Ms ad was clever and will last well beyond the Super Bowl. "Do you want to eat me?" might exist in your nightmares but you will remember.
The Coca-Cola ad was cute about different likes and loves, but this pattern neglects why someone would drink a Coca-Cola. The company might want to spend some money on that topic. That ad makes a lot more sense than what the company is doing to Diet Coke. The twisted mango ad might be the worst Super Bowl ad I've seen in awhile. The young woman didn't seem to understand what the product was, a similar thought to diet soft drink consumers everywhere. If your spokesperson is bored, trust that we are bored too.
videos credit: the companies behind the ads
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