Most of the 2022 Super Bowl commercials being run on Sunday February 13 for the big game were planned before the current Omicron variant took hold.
This more optimistic theme is expected to run through the ads, for which brands paid up to $US6.5 million per 30 second spot during the broadcast to 100 million people.
For example, the popular Budweiser Clydesdale horse returns, and his dog friend, to the 2022 Super bowl in a clip with the theme: In the home of the brave, down never means out.
And the flood of teasers for the National Football League’s 56th Super Bowl show a tongue in cheek humour, and a range of stars including Arnold Schwarzenegger (as teh God Zeus), Idris Elba, Gwyneth Paltrow, Megan Thee Stallion
Gartner analyst Andrew Frank: “I think we’ll see a recurring theme of getting out, escaping monotony and pushing beyond the boundaries of pandemic-related home isolation and travel restrictions consumers have become accustomed to these past few years.
“I believe this will resonate with people’s exhaustion with lockdowns, but it runs the risk of seeming tone-deaf to some. You’ll also see many ads playing it safe with celebrities.”
Many digital commerce and tech companies have entered the Super Bowl ad lineup, including Rakuten and Booking.com joining regulars returning this year, Google and Meta (facebook).
“As people continue to adapt to greater reliance on digital channels for human interaction, I think they’ll be eager to hear what these brands have to say,” says Frank.
“In the automotive space, we’ll continue to see brands like GM and Nissan promoting the shift to electric vehicles, joined by a newcomer from Spain, Wallbox, which sells EV chargers.
“In terms of AR/VR innovation, keep an eye on Avocados From Mexico’s ‘House of Goodness’ 3D walk-through experience and its use of QR codes to drive traffic directly from TV ads to digital commerce. The question is, will this work well enough to pave the way for other brands to use this technology in the years ahead?
“I think we’ll notice a lot of metaverse-inspired, mixed-reality aesthetic touches creeping into ads, like text and graphics overlaid on natural scenes, and avatar-like characters interacting with normal-looking people.”
Luke Haynes, M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainments Strategy Director, says it’s time we viewed the Super Bowl as an entertainment property, rather than a sporting event.
“Depending which side of the fence (or the Pacific Ocean) you sit on, that may or may not be a controversial statement,” he says.
“For every 20 mins of game time, there’s 1 minute of sport, which leaves a lot of airtime to fill.
“Advertisers spend mega money on the Super Bowl because it’s bigger than sport, it’s culture, and culture is made of many things.
“In the case of Pepsi, it’s in pursuit of cultural relevance.
“They’re seeking to demonstrate that they’re a fabric brand, that they’re worthy of a seat at the top table.
“But they’re also demonstrating that they get that hip hop is the dominant sound of this decade, and that 90s nostalgia is back with a vengeance (hence a halftime show that features a lineup who predominantly had their heyday in the 90s, excepting Kendrick).
“It’s absolutely about the number of eyeballs, but it’s also a statement of intent, and an attempt to show that after all these years, and with a product that’s fundamentally undifferentiated, that you’re still a culturally-relevant brand.”
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