The Brandience team offers quick takes on last night’s commercials. Read on to see which brands we think were winners… and why.
Doritos® | The Cool Ranch feat. Lil Nas X and Sam Elliott
It keeps your attention in a comical way and uses a popular, familiar song that Doritos’ younger demographic relates to, and also Sam Elliot for the older generation. Something for everyone tied in with a familiar snack and comedy. – Theresa Wood
Doritos has a way of making you pause to watch their Super Bowl commercial. Each year, they do an exceptional job at partnering with popular celebrities while still upholding their whimsical brand tone. They’ve never taken themselves too seriously (remember last year’s commercial spot with Chance the Rapper and the Backstreet Boys) and their whimsicality shines through in their Super Bowl commercials. – Desi Gilliland
Loretta | Google Super Bowl Commercial 2020
Google always knocks it out of the park with their ads and this year’s Super Bowl ad was no different. They used emotional and creative storytelling to show how the Google Assistant can impact our daily lives for the better, introducing viewers to several of its features in the ad. It also highlights the fact that technology is continually becoming a more personal part of our lives. I’m a sucker for tear-jerkers, what can I say?! – Annie Collins
It’s reality for everyone.. We will all age and with that generally comes loss of memory. I love how it starts with a Google Search – something most of us do daily searching for an answer – like we’ve always had this tool at our fingertips. LOVE that it features a 80+ year old man. Then a seamless transition using Google Voice to pull up pictures – Right there, it very subtly highlights how intuitive the Google platform is and how it has become such a part of our daily lives. Then it goes on to show how many other memories he is recalling and saving those for him and by date. It also illustrates to the viewer that the man has already used this feature as he is requesting to pull up their favorite movie and it pops up! Google does a great job of showing the capabilities of their platform in light of all the negative attention Google gets about the data they collect on consumers. – Melissa Olivia
Budweiser | Typical American
Budweiser did a great job staying true to its brand by celebrating “typical” people doing the “right thing”. In a world where celebs are idolized, it’s good to see a brand highlight what’s best about America. Budweiser has never pretended to be something they are not. Let’s focus on the real American heroes and celebrate with the Great American Beer. -Maria Topken
Love the unexpected positive twist on the normally negative “Typical Americans” tag. Great way of showing how we can go above and beyond stereotypes. – Todd Jessee
Facebook Groups: Ready to Rock?
I really like the use of the song “I Wanna Rock” by Twisted Sister with the spot starting out with a group skipping rocks from Table Rock Lage group then going through all sorts of different diverse types of interest groups…all with a theme of “rock” from rock climbers to front porch rocking chair groups…finishing up Chris Rock and Sylvester Stallone recreating the famous scene from the first Rocky movie for a Rocky Balboa fan Facebook Group and the closing line of “Whatever your rock, there’s a Facebook Group for you. It shows how the social platform connects and brings all different types of people and interests together. – Bill Brassine
Smaht Pahk | 2020 Hyundai Sonata | Hyundai
I thought the Hyundai Sonata spot was “wicked smaht.” An amusing and memorable way to introduce their new Smart Park technology with well-placed cameos from some famous Bostonians. Sharp wit, tight script and crisp edit. I won’t be surprised if “Smaht Pahk” becomes “paht” of the national “pahlahnce.” That’s a major accomplishment for any ad. –Tim Hogan
Being a Bostonian myself, the Hyundai Smaht Pahk commercial really spoke to me. It stars actors Chris Evans, John Krasinski, and Rachel Dratch who are originally from MA, along with former Red Sox player, David Ortiz. Hyundai’s new Smaht Pahk feature is perfect for busy cities with tight pahking. So, it was naturally fitting for them to film the commercial in Boston, and wicked smaht for them to tie in the distinct accent! It had my family and me cracking up, and it reminded us of home. – Allison Kluge
Tom Brady’s Big Announcement • Hulu
The spot was relevant and perfectly targeted to football fans (Tom Brady star power and starting off saying Hulu has more than live sports), had some good misdirection (“…you deserve to hear this from me…”) and tongue in cheek moments (“According to the script they just gave me…”). The black & white technique also did a great job of setting up the “serious” nature of the spot’s announcement. – Brian McHale
Jason Momoa Super Bowl Commercial 2020 | Rocket Mortgage
My favorite Super Bowl ad this year was the Rocket Mortgage ad featuring Jason Momoa. Jason Momoa is most notably known for playing strong and intense characters in his roles, so it was a perfect fit to play off of that. The ad walked with Momoa through his house as he described how much he loved being in the comfort of his own home, all while he strips away his muscles as if they’re somehow detachable. Although borderline disturbing at times, I thought they tied together the idea of his muscles being fake to the feeling of being comfortable in your own home really well with their brand message. I can’t lie, seeing Momoa take off his hair was pretty shocking too. The Rocket Mortgage commercial was one of many that stood out this year for me! Brands really stepped up their comedy game for Super Bowl 54. – Alex Jones
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