2021 Superbowl Ads Review

Hello everyone - here I am again with my Superbowl ads' review. This year, I'm focusing on whether the key message seems to be a campaign or an expression of brand-positioning --- or even, in fact, Brand Positioning in and of itself.

BRAND POSITIONING, inside an advertising message

M&M: Positioning a bag of M&Ms as a thank-you note; I like it.

DEXCOM: We are best in class in what we do; that's all we have to say. Clear, direct, easy. Nice, in its spin-less directness.

WEATHER TECH: Same directness here: just a great company, and great to work for, with a very heavy Made in America undertone.

INDEED: "We help (...blank...) get jobs --- and filling in the blank. Not a new idea of course, but one that keeps working for me; and well done emotionally too.

TURBOTAX: The angle is about the different & strange tax rules by geo location. Interesting to learn, and relevant message. Nice.

MICHELOB LIGHT: "Are you happy because you win, or do you win because you are happy". Now that's an existential question, isn't it. I like it, and I don't even drink beer.

SQUARESPACE: There's a different life after 5pm -- after your daily job you are a different person and ... a new website as a new take on your life. I like it.

SAM ADAMS: Your cousin from Boston, pulling pin and freeing Clydesdales-like horses. I LOVED IT.

JIMMY JOHN'S: Nice. Do they want to be the new (but better) Subway?

ANHEUSER BUSCH: "'Grab a beer' is never about beer" -- means a lot of things, "means 'we need each other'", simple human truth. LOVE it, well said, and well narrated / visualized. And great, real, meaningful message. Now ... use it as an underlying theme across ALL your beer brands! That's what the Accomplished Brand Strategist in me says.

The Whatevers

LOGITECH: "defy logic of the past to define the future" -- come again? kinda tortured 'enabling' position.

DORITOS 3D: Matthew Mcconaughey as flat Matthew then regaining his 3Dself once starting to eat Doritos 3D. Whatever.

GM EV cars: Excruciatingly long and awkward story with Will Ferrell and Norway and whatever. Made no sense to me.

PRINGLES: Splash-down astronauts not being picked up 'cause everyone's busy eating chips. Really?

BUD LIGHT 1: Truck accident spread six-packs around. Whatever.

BUD LIGHT 2: Lemonade-flavored seltzer -- all within a spot that speaks of "it's been a lemon of a year". Cheap humor, yeah-yeah concept association. Lazy messaging this one.

OATLY: The CEO is singing. Whatever.

SCIENTOLOGY: Ad for Scientology TV --- what! they have the kind of money for a Superbowl ad???

ROCKET MORTGAGE: "Pretty Sure' is not good enough. I get it in a second, and the other 29 seconds ... stop hammering the point.

MODELO: The lack of proper tools means .... not doing a job right. yes. Tell me again what's got to do with beer? I know I know, certain settings require the right type of beer.

Interesting, for different reasons - good and bad:

STATE FARM: The stand-ins vs the originals - interesting idea, mildly entertaining too. But ... so ... buy State Farm and not an imitator? Please give me back the late-night-khakiwearing phone call - please? you can spin it with the no-imitator message if you want.

MIRACLE GROW: Whatever - but ... John Travolta (and his daughter) dancing ... I'll take it every day.

HUGGIES: This is the first time I see a diaper brand talking to kids. Different slant, for sure. But I'm not sure about any added effectiveness.

DR SQUATCH: Shower products for man, messaged in a tongue-in-cheek manly fashion. Ok I get it, not bad. Doesn't let me give any more reason to buy it though.

COINTREAU: Interesting -- the product as a proud member of the team, at restaurants. I get the angle, but ... would work great if the product was a more 'common' item in a restaurant --- this is a liquor, and not only that, but a very specific type of liquor. Clever 'positioning', but doesn't quite marry to the product in my opinion.

JEEP: Middle of the country church and Bruce Springsteen. Now, really, Jersey Bruce to the midwest just like any countrymusicdude? I take strong exception to it. But "we need the middle" is a good positive social message in these times, then reiforced by the note: the "Re-United States of America". Lots of messages in here, and all 'powerful' - they fight for attention: a church in the geo center of the country, Bruce, Re-United States. Pick one.

KLARNA: And just when you thought there was nothing new beyond payments, installments, minimum payments and extended payments, here come Four Payments (as a hook for then also all of the above), wow idea -- and VISA, Sequoia, Alibaba, and other heavyhitters invested heavily. From Sweden, the Ikea (brand-wise) of payments? The name means "lighten", "brighten". Big player - 3,000+ employees, handles ~$40 billion in online sales, 40% of all e-commerce sales in Sweden went through, and rapidly expanding. But .. I hate the name, leave bizarre names to IKEA.

All in all, some ideas are great and should be institutionalized by the brand's owners, beyond being a commercial. It's ... how should I say ... Stumbled Upon Positioning. Others are simply advertising ideas, with no depth and simply aiming at short term memorability - doing nothing to build the brand.

Honestly, nothing new, strategically, then last year - or the year before, or the year before that, etc.

Til' next year. And another Brady win, I guess?