Five Emotions to Watch for in this Year’s Super Bowl Ads

Each year, the most-watched sporting event in the United States is clearly the Super Bowl.

In spite of the fact that Super Bowl XLIII features two smaller market teams (the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers), I expect that there will be more people watching this year’s football extravaganza from Tampa, Florida than ever before. I also suspect that we’re probably in for a pretty entertaining game (but that’s a whole ‘nother subject).

One of the most fun aspects of gathering around the boob tube to watch the final game of the NFL season is getting to see the latest and greatest commercials.

Starting with Apple Computer’s now legendary 1984 commercial, to the often on-the-edge ribald humor of the most recent GoDaddy.com spot, many advertisers (and agencies) recognize the Super Bowl as a once a year opportunity to grab BIG visibility from the live viewing audience, as well as from post-event media coverage.

As detailed in this article by Advertising Age, more than two dozen companies have purchased spots during this year’s gridiron rumble (at roughly $3 million per 30-second commercial).

The purpose of this post, however, is NOT to suggest the specifics of what to expect in the forthcoming ads; rather, I’m hoping to provide today a list of the type of emotions the advertisers will likely invoke with the viewers and reviewers as the commercials play out in surround sound in family rooms around the country (whether such emotions were intended or not).

Here then are the Five Ad-Invoked Emotions You’ll Feel This Super Bowl Sunday.

1.   Warm & Tender Feelings: The Heartstring-Pullers

Some advertisers feel the best way to connect with their consumers is through the heart. Hence, they look to Super Bowl as a way of creating warm and fuzzy feelings about their products/services.

Anheuser-Busch and Coca Cola are notorious for such spots (think Clydesdale horses and the “I Want to Teach the World to Sing” commercials, respectively).

Coke is supposedly going to redo its classic Mean Joe Greene spot using current-day Pittsburgh Steeler Troy Polamalu, which is cool, particularly since Polamalu is one of the most fun players to watch play the game.

That said, wouldn’t it be cool (and unexpected) to have Coca Cola re-run the original Mean Joe Greene spot?

2.   Humor: The FunnyBone-Ticklers

Is humor actually an emotion? Probably not.

Nevertheless, one key effort of many advertisers in their ad efforts is recall:

• The ability of the average consumer to both remember the ad itself, AND
• To recall what product/service/company was being marketed by the commercial.

Planter’s did a good job of this last year with its ads where a homely looking young woman stopped men in their tracks because she dabbed a Planter’s Cashew Nut on various body parts as if she were applying a perfume. Guys walked into walls, ran into cars and generally fell all over themselves for her because of the Planter’s Cashews. (Yeah, I still remember the commercials.)

Look for several companies to go for the funny bone with their ads.

3.   Shock & Awe: The Testosterone

Think cars racing on windy roads or on long, flat highways. Think spies jumping out of planes or crashing through windows. Think movie-in-a-minute movie trailers, complete with musical scores and eye-numbing cuts between action sequences.

Anything designed to get the heart pumping, that’s what the advertisers are looking for with these types of spots.

And, no pun intended, advertisers will also look to get the testosterone flowing with sex-starved males by appealing to the more base-minded among us. (Think GoDaddy.com.)

Of the two ads Founder/CEO Bob Parsons is considering for this year’s GoDaddy.com Suber Bowl spot, I think the “Shower” ad is the funniest. It’s also the tamer of the two, but that’s just me.

4.   Strange/Offensive: The “What the Heck” Ads?

Remember the racially and culturally insensitive Sales Genie ads from Super Bowl XLII? If not, check out this bone-headed cartoon spot featuring two Giant Panda Bears done in a Chinese motif.

UGH!

Unfortunately, each year some CEO who thinks he/she knows better than the head of marketing and the agency will insist that “this commercial” gets run.

And run it will — right out of town on a rail!

5.   Boring: The Nothing New Here/I’m Falling Asleep Ads

Last but certainly not least, I guarantee you that some company will play it safe with their $3 million ad buy and run an existing commercial.

Sure, they’ll reach the biggest one-time audience that 30-second spot will ever reach. But by taking this approach, these companies will absolutely waste a golden opportunity to make a statement and grab additional positive media coverage for their brand, products and services.

All because it was expedient or safe or less expensive. Or because they were too stupid to see the real benefits of buying time during the Super Bowl.

= = = = = = = = = =

Anyway, those are my thoughts on the types of emotions you’ll feel while watching the game within the game . . . the Super Bowl ads.

Did I miss any? Feel free to add your two cents by commenting below.

And the game? I think St. Louis wins in a squeaker: 30-28.

Then again, don’t be surprised if Pittsburgh’s Polamalu runs back an interception for the winning score either. 

“This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home.” »« Five Reasons Why Twitter Matters for PR Professionals