Companies today are facing an ever-evolving demographic of discernment in their current and potential consumer base. How a company approaches societal values and opinion course adjustments can make or break their reputation. When it comes to displaying an array of representation in advertising–a fast growing preference of the general populace–if you’re not investing in thoughtful exploration of why this matters to so many before putting out an ad, you undermine your efforts for highbrow marketing (or, informed, genuine, in-touch messages). Half-baked efforts are hail Marys that, unless lady luck extends grace, will flop and alienate instead of seduce and captivate audiences.

In this Article:

• More than an Afterthought
• Commercials: Well-Anticipated Entertainment?
• Much Wow, Such Interest!
• Happy Consumers Become Happy Customers
• Touch-Down Moves by In-Touch Brands: Making Everyday Ads “Super Bowl-Worthy”
• It’s Your Time to Play

More than an Afterthought

With the Super Bowl Sunday this weekend, many whose teams didn’t make it through playoffs or those who generally don’t find themselves invested in the sport are still chittering excitedly about the upcoming game. The discussion isn’t about stats, game play, or even the touchdown party foods on the menu (okay, so a lot of it is–but for the sake of argument, we’ll simply ignore that). The thing that keeps more non-football fans pulled to watch the championship? The commercials. ??

Commercials: Well-Anticipated Entertainment?

For those like me who tend to live under a rock, let me explain. The beginnings of well-known commercials started during the 1973 Super Bowl VII with a viral-for-the-time ad for Noxzema shave cream due to its star cast (starting a whole different approach to video ads with celebrity endorsements), wordplay, and clever innuendos.

Then, a company that always seems to be on the wings of a new grand idea, Apple’s 1984 Super Bowl ad inspired by Orwell’s 1984 altered the way that advertisers and consumers alike thought about the sponsored messages during the big game. The magic of the company’s commercial was that viewers were enthralled by the theatrics and movie-like storytelling, an unheard of experience that felt like a short film.

And, of course, Budweiser’s 1999 ad that asked us one thing that still echoes among the cheeky today: “Wassup???” From then on when it comes to a large hunk of at home game-day attendees, it indeed is Super Bowl commercials that is wassup.

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Much Wow, Such Interest!

As an unofficial American holiday, this annual face off game often claims the most viewed broadcast of the year. The Super Bowl is a time when people in the States participate in a lot of the activities similar to celebrating officially recognized holidays. Families and friends come together to enjoy the festivities, prepare a feast of finger foods (only on Thanksgiving is more food consumed ?), yell a lot in both glee and angst, and some even decorate for the occasion. 

So with all these eyes on a single event, the crowd-pleasing commercials need not only to be mesmerizing or otherwise attention-grabbing, but well-rounded, inclusive, and most of all not off-putting. Well-meaning advertising that goes awry is a shot in the foot, and doing it with a national audience… let’s just say the difficulty level in recovery increases.

Some experiments discovered that the brilliance and personal excitement experienced for a concept–while neat–wasn’t enough to get people engaged in sharing nearly as much as those paired with processing social cognisance, or thoughts about other people during ideation. When hearing or seeing things that light up the social area of the brain, researchers found a consistent correlation with an increase of sharing things.

There’s also evidence that humans are more likely to become emotionally invested in and to reshare media that makes them happy (or angry). And as advertisement critics grow more complex and come from an increasingly diversified background, putting two and two together leads to an understanding that knowing what will make the most evolved audiences smile is key. 

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Happy Consumers Become Happy Customers

So, what is making today’s consumer happy? That’s a big question with a lot of answers. However, there are some shifts to note that can inform marketers, and a huge rising preference is seeing more positive and accurate representation in advertising.

For many decades, the representation and target has been overwhelmingly White, masculine, and able-bodied. While these are valid markets, the amount of representative targeting crafted for these demographics still are disproportionately skewed. Although it’s worth celebrating that the data from Nielsen’s late 2020 report showed that the TV landscape has become more inclusive, yet many identity groups remain underrepresented. 

As our nation’s demographics become more diverse, the call for more authentic content, reflecting real people and real life is louder than ever.

–David Kenny, Nielsen CEO and Chief Diversity Officer

With Millennials and some Gen Zers having entered the stage of life where their purchasing power makes dents and shapes trends, for better or for worse (and I do believe it is for the better), it’s long past time to shift gears for companies who want to stay relevant and profitable.

As some of the most diverse generations in the whole of history, it makes sense that they are speaking up and putting their money where their mouth is when it comes to the importance of folks of all creeds being major players instead of a bench-warming afterthought. Looking for companies who use their power for good to actively aid social and cultural movements can expect to feel a bit Pied Piper-eque with their developed following (before the tale gets a tad sinister, that is).

When I see more diversity in ads, I do notice and am happy to see more representation. I know some ads still show folks masking as well without it being such an in your face thing, and I feel like that is important because everyone has different levels of health and immunity and taking care of our own health should be encouraged.

– Sudie Crouch, Certified Life, Health & Wellness Coach and Freelance Writer

It’s a big hill to climb for those just getting started, and there is good news anyway: those who have pioneered this effort or have joined in more recent years have been laying the groundwork and developing resources and thought-changing workshops that any LinkedIn-savvy leader can explore–and that’s just one option. 

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Touch-Down Moves by In-Touch Brands: Making Everyday Ads “Super Bowl-Worthy”

Super Bowl commercials are the most expensive ad spots in the world averaging at 7 million USD per 30 seconds aired. Shew! ? With the high dollar spend, one can assume that it’s important to advertisers to make the most effective and enticing commercials to make the most intelligent use of their exorbitant investments. It will be interesting to see how these companies have allocated their ad creation spend. Will some continue to stick to their tried-and-true playbook? What commercials will be the best and boldest?

The most well-received Super Bowl commercials are ones that come from a place of authenticity, invoke strong emotion, and almost always tell a story. Building trust and credibility is essential for any successful campaign. Here are some examples to study for insight on what a “Super Bowl worthy” everyday ads can look like while being intentionally inclusive, and extremely critically, not exploitive:

#WeThe15 – Disability Awareness & Inclusion Campaign

“While the pedestals are nice, and the pity tolerated, we’re not ‘special’. That’s not what it’s like. That’s not our reality. And only when you see us as one of you–wonderfully ordinary, wonderfully human–only then can we break down these barriers that keep us apart.”

Adidas – CALLING ALL CREATORS

“That’s our job: to try to continue to enlighten while we inspire.”

AirBnB – BELONG ANYWHERE

“People are people, no matter what side of the planet they’re from.”

Maersk – TOGETHER, ALL THE WAY

“Reinventing how we export with each other, export with each other, rely, supply, and support each other not just in times of emergency or adversity, but always. Always, so we can each unleash the power of our diversity because integration beats isolation and leads to: innovation, collaboration, co-creation, cross-pollination.”

…Okay, I think I just discovered my newest favorite song!

HP – REINVENT MINDSET

“HP is hiring, and talent is our only criteria.” 

Oreo – PROUD PARENT

Mostly a story without forward-moving dialog, the tagline at the end sums it up: “A loving world starts with a loving home.” 

Starbucks – #WHATSYOURNAME

A notorious brand for getting names amusingly wrong, in this commercial, they very much get it right. “Every name’s a story.”

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It’s Your Time to Play

There you have it. Leveling up your appeal to a wider audience, improving your brand image, increasing your sales and revenue, and inspiring greater creativity and innovation within your company is within reach. By choosing to go beyond performative lip service to take the time to expand your company’s reach and your personal worldly proficiency and capable agency, you are going to make breaking-record scores.  And, at Fullmoon, we’re here to learn alongside you and provide a diversified network of team members to get things done right, so that everyone everywhere wins.

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