Watched by over 111 million people across the globe, a 30-second Super Bowl TV spot is prime real estate for advertisers…
…and something they’re willing to pay top dollar for: $5 million of them to be precise.
And even though Sunday’s game was unforgettable, we’re here to talk about the ads. And more specifically, the B2B brands that elected to empty their pockets (and entire marketing budgets) on 30 seconds of global fame.
Wix
Storytelling? Check. Celebrity endorsement? Check. Footage straight from an action movie? Check. Website builder Wix.com blew away Super Bowl viewers with an advert straight out of a Jason Statham action movie, starring, well… Jason Statham. While this was its third Super Bowl ad campaign in a row, Wix was also the first brand ever to release an ad using Facebook or YouTube Live.
The video mentions succeeding in a disruptive world, and this ad couldn’t be any more disruptive. A tour-de-force of cataclysmic destruction, all to advertise a B2B brand? Outstanding.
Intel
What a coincidence that the focus of Intel’s Super Bowl ad (Tom Brady) was actually playing in the game itself! Rather than focusing on generalised brand messaging like Wix, Intel elected to market a new product in the form of its new 360 replay technology. Simple, clean and effective, Intel teased this advert a week prior to the game to generate hype.
Squarespace
A direct market competitor to Wix, Squarespace also employed a celebrity to plug its brand. Adopting self-deprecating humour in place of frantic action, the Squarespace ad features actor John Malkovich simply being John Malkovich, lounging in a chair and becoming increasingly frustrated as he attempts to purchase his own domain name.
Squarespace’s ad may not be crammed with the violent thrills of its competitor’s, but that certainly doesn’t make it any less effective. After all, we’d all love to be John Malkovich.
84 Lumber
This is an interesting one. American lumber company 84 Lumber originally had its ad rejected by Fox for being too political (it featured a Mexican mother and daughter attempting to cross a huge wall to enter the USA). However, prior to the game, it submitted an edited copy, and the amended 90-second spot helped transform the lumber company from little-known brand into centrepiece for conversation across the USA and beyond.
It spent a colossal $15 million for the privilege. Worth the cost, despite the politically divisive undertones? We’ll let you decide.
