Super Bowl LVI – Advertising Takeaways
As Americans gathered around their televisions Sunday night, those of us in the marketing and advertising industry were just as zeroed in on the commercials as we were the game. Come Monday morning, Sensis’ Atlanta and Washington D.C. offices gathered to discuss our likes, dislikes, and overall opinions about Super Bowl LVI’s commercials.
Coinbase’s Memorable QR Code
The Coinbase advertisement might be the most remembered ad of the 2022 Super Bowl LVI. As QR code popularity continues to grow due to the pandemic, Coinbase took advantage of Americans’ familiarity with the digital tool and created an entire ad that drove viewers directly to their website by encouraging people to scan their floating QR code.
Although some people questioned Coinbase’s decision to spend an estimated $12 million on 60 seconds of a simple, singular QR code floating around the screen, the consensus was that the commercial, while untraditional, was memorable.
Additionally, the advertisement brought viewers nostalgia as the QR code mimicked the notorious DVD screensaver. Cheers were heard across the nation as the QR code hit the corner perfectly.
While the Coinbase QR code was seen by some as questionable, it proved that, regardless of opinion, the ad was effective in that it was memorable and created dialogue.
Celebrities Ruled the Screen
Celebrities appeared to be a staple in this year’s Super Bowl commercials – everyone from Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost in the Amazon Alexa ad series to Zendaya in the “Sally sold seashells by the seashore” Squarespace alliteration ad was featured in Super Bowl LVI’s advertisements.
Goddaughter and godmother duo, Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton, starred in T-Mobile’s Super Bowl ad campaign series, “Save The Phones,” which spotlighted their 5G wireless expansion throughout the United States. While this commercial involved two celebrities, T-Mobile knew that viewers, regardless of age, would recognize either Miley, Dolly, or both.
While collectively we liked most celebrity-based commercials, some of us suggested that viewers, depending on their pop culture knowledge, may not resonate with the ads if viewers don’t consume celebrity-based content. As a result, we questioned the overall spending costs of the use of celebrities in advertising – is it effective?
Highlighting Health
A note from Sharon Carothers, Managing Director of SensisHealth, on Hologic’s “Her Health is Her Wealth” Ad:
“Mary J. Blige is a global icon who influences millions of women (and men). For her to promote the importance of prevention, specifically demonstrating that she finds time in her busy schedule to get required women's health screenings, was so powerful, and was even more significant as a middle-aged woman of color.
Women of color are disproportionately less likely to have access to screenings, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated prevention screening delays. Mary J. Blige's promotion of Hologic is a step towards addressing the importance of women's health and racial disparities of screening, and that is something to celebrate!”