An Ad Student’s Guide to the Super Bowl

Image Courtesy: People.com

I don’t like football, but I never miss the Super Bowl– because of the ads.

For my family, and for many others, the Super Bowl isn’t just about the game but about the food, the halftime show, and the commercials. My family would turn ad breaks into a game of Super Bowl bingo, checking off brands and celebrities as they appeared on the screen.

As an advertising student, watching the Super Bowl is a must. This past February, I watched it for an assignment. The task was to pick an ad campaign running in the Super Bowl and write up a page about its target, brand insight, and campaign extensions. I chose the Uber Eats campaign which followed Matthew McConaughey as he explained the conspiracy of football—it was created to sell food.

Image Courtesy: ABCNews.com

 It goes through time talking about all the ways football makes us think about food, playing off of the fact that eating and watching the Super Bowl is synonymous. Packed with celebrities, the ad would’ve easily scored me a bingo.

Image Courtesy: Playpartyplan.com

This ad was a perfect example of a Super Bowl spot. Attention-grabbing, fast-paced, filled with celebrities, and story-driven. It had everything.

Super Bowl ads are exciting. I think we’re drawn to them because of the story they tell, however odd it may be—like the short-lived Totino's pizza roll alien from this year. From a viewer’s perspective, they are less about selling and more about entertaining, connecting, and becoming part of pop culture.

Of course, examples like the Uber Eats ad are there to promote their services, but the high-budget production felt like a movie rather than a selling point. It’s a reminder that good advertising doesn’t interrupt what people are watching; it is what people are watching.

So, while I couldn’t exactly tell you who won the last Super Bowl, I could tell you which ads filled up my bingo card.

-Sarah Tocci-