“Nobody counts the number of ads you run; they just remember the impression you make.”
Bill Berbach
The realm of advertising is so enticing that it grabs a hold of us hook, line & sinker and lures us to the purchase table. The day television ads came into being, the advertisers and companies knew they held immense power. The impact of a TV commercial is far more than a print or a radio ad. It appeals to our sense of sight and sound, which encourages most of our decision making. Every major study states that the effectiveness of television advertising outperforms all. According to a recent study, we can say that on an average, TV accounts for 90% of a viewer’s video time.
During major televised events like the Super Bowl, the advertisements also play a major role in the process for the viewers. The championship game of the National Football League (NFL) held in the U.S – features many high-profile television commercials, colloquially known as Super Bowl ads. One such advertisement was ‘Alexa loses her voice’. This ad was everywhere; it took the world by storm since its first viewing during the Super Bowl. It appealed to the audience by having famous individuals as a part of their video. It featured outstanding people like the chef Gordon Ramsey, actress Rebel Wilson, Cardi B the singer, etc. It brought the humour factor to the table which people devoured. Another Super Bowl ad which tickled our funny bone was the one Snickers came up with in 2016. A film crew is shown shooting the infamous scene where Marilyn Monroe is seen standing over a breezy subway grate, re-enacting the shot from The Seven Year Itch; except the person in the white dress is William Dafoe! He seems to be cranky and frustrated until someone hands him a Snickers bar and voila; a bite later, it was Marilyn Monroe again!
Advertisers use humour as an infallible way to grab the attention of the viewers. That is deemed the first step to creating a successful advertisement. Moreover, these ads don’t just have to grab the attention but also maintain it. The ad needs to engage the audience and entertain them rather than pitch to them. Psychologically, people are far more interested in advertisements that are humorous instead of the serious and factual ones.
On the other hand, we have ads that inflict an emotional response from the people viewing it. Budweiser’s ‘Puppy Love’ advertisement struck an emotional chord with its viewers. This brand has always aced the Super Bowl ads and this 2014 advertisement did just that. They talked about two best buds and that that’s what Budweiser stands for. It showed the love between a golden retriever and a horse; this friendship racked up tens of millions of views online and instantaneously became memorable, especially among all animal lovers. The ‘Like a girl’ ad by Always touched the hearts of millions of people across the globe. It embraced an issue our world is currently trying to tackle; gender equality. In today’s day and age, running or fighting like a girl comes off as an insult. This ad shows us how the youth perceives this statement as compared to children; how those kids are unaware of the restrictions on women in our society. Procter & Gamble hit bullseye with this campaign that launched during the 2015 Super Bowl.
Invoking sentiments in the audience by using audio and visuals is an art that the advertisers have mastered over the years upon seeing its effect on people. It gives a certain liberty to the advertisers to showcase a story through the ad. You make a more solid personal relationship when you’re storytelling through sight and sound, connecting a viewer’s emotions to your brand. These ads don’t use logic or reason to provoke action; they target feelings and perceptions.
Television advertisements allow the creator to have a free-flowing thinking process and bring their ideas to life on the silver screen. It is the most trusted form of advertising that is most likely to make viewers laugh, bring them to tears or trigger emotions. So now that we know how essential these advertisements are, we also know that companies use The Super Bowl event as a medium to promote their brand or product. It is a mass event that takes place and without the commercials, it loses half the excitement. It has been a platform for brands to bring out their creative side and showcase some of the best tv commercials to the world.
-Natasha Bhatia || PGP BM&MC
natasha.bhatia@northpointindia.com
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