For many, the Super Bowl is merely an excuse to partake in delicious snacks. I am one of those people. But for us marketers, it’s also a chance to see what advertisers have been cooking up all year long and how our closest friends and family react. On Sunday, I tuned in to see which commercials would blend brand messaging, cultural relevance, and memorability at perfect levels to arrive at a masterpiece.
The stakes for advertisers were higher than ever. Super Bowl LVIII was the most-watched telecast since the Apollo 11 moon landing, with approximately 123.4 million viewers. On average, brands doled out $7 million for 30-second advertising spots, and many spent even more on expensive celebrity cameos. (We can only imagine how much Dunkin’ dropped to gather Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Matt Damon, and Tom Brady in the same room). Beyond star power, though, a great commercial needs a stellar script. Here are the ads that nailed it, from a copywriter’s perspective.
Booking.com
There’s a reason so many brands cast celebrities in their commercials: big names instantly attract attention. These stars get us watching and talking, but they can sometimes distract from the message at hand. Booking.com didn’t fall for this trap when it recruited Tina Fey, Glenn Close, and Fey’s 30 Rock co-stars Jane Krakowski and Jack McBrayer for its Super Bowl spot.
Throughout the ad, we see different versions of Fey in various vacation locales. “With so many choices on Booking.com, there are so many Tiny Feys I could be. So I hired body doubles to help me out.” Next we see Krakowski strutting through a lobby, shopping bags in hand. “Splurgy Tina loves a hotel near Rodeo Drive,” she says. And when Close delivers the company slogan in her cameo, we get an annoyed “That’s my line” retort from Fey.
Booking.com supplied all the elements we expect from a Super Bowl commercial—celebrities, humor, and cultural references—while still centering the script around a strong central, brand-elevating message. With Booking.com, you can “book whoever you want to be.”
Homes.com
This year’s Homes.com advertisement gave us the works: Dan Levy, Heidi Gardner, humor, and even helicopters. There are several iterations of the commercial, but most revolve around Gardner’s character Marci interviewing people about their neighborhood—before Levy’s persona Luke swoops in to usher her along to the next location. “How are the restaurants around here?” Marci asks her chess opponent in a public park. “Are they good, bad, meh?”
In one version of the commercial, Luke presents his new company vision to the board. The character covers every Homes.com differentiator while still incorporating laughs to keep the audience invested. “We’re bringing together the nation’s agents in a super comprehensive directory,” says Luke, just as a board member asks his colleague if anyone knew he bought a helicopter. While the commercial feels over the top at moments, the payoff comes at the end when we realize every scene feeds into a genius new company slogan: “We’ve done your home work.”
Verizon
A commercial with Beyoncé is bound to make an impression, but that’s just one reason to love this ad. Like Booking.com, Verizon aligns its commercial’s premise and cultural references with the company’s value proposition. When Tony Hale teases Beyoncé that she can break the internet but she can’t break Verizon’s powerful 5G network, she attempts to do just that. “How about the first woman to launch the first rocket for the first performance in space?” she asks toward the end. When Hale insists Verizon still isn’t broken, Beyoncé commands “Drop the new music,” a closing line that’s sure to get everyone talking.
Oikos Yogurt
In recent years, Americans have become protein obsessed, and Oikos embraces this trend in its commercial. We join Martin Lawrence and Shannon Sharpe on a golf course, after they’ve run their cart into the water hazard. When Sharpe suggests calling a tow truck, Lawrence tells him to hold his Oikos. “Those are show muscles,” he says to Sharpe. “I’ll show you muscles.” Thanks to the protein-packed Oikos yogurt, Lawrence manages to heave the golf cart out of the water, leaving Sharpe stunned. Simple and direct with a touch of humor, this ad checks every box.
BetMGM
Before any commercial gets airtime and faces the judgment of millions of discerning Americans, it has to pass through the toughest opponent of all: legal. For its Super Bowl spot, BetMGM faced the added challenge of following various state regulations, and still managed to come up with a clever and effective premise.
The commercial opens with Vince Vaughn, who says that “BetMGM is for everyone that loves sports betting”—except for Tom Brady. “The truth is you’ve won too much, Tommy,” says Vaughn. “Let others have their turn.” The ad goes on to feature a number of people who want to know if they can use BetMGM. “What if I bet the moneyline but I think Tom Brady is cute?” asks one woman. “Well, eye of the beholder. Subjective, but you’re in,” replies Vaughn.
By conjuring up the idea of winning without suggesting it outright, BetMGM nailed its “Big Game Commercial” script. It’s also actually funny, with great quips in every scene and an overarching concept that tastefully unites viewers around a popular punching bag: Tom Brady, of course.
CeraVe
We’d be remiss not to include Michael Cera’s CeraVe commercial in this list. While skincare ads tend to lean serious and sincere, CeraVe made a big impression by bucking the trend. The chatter began before Game Day when Michael Cera discussed his ties to the brand, noting the similarities between “Cera” and “CeraVe.” The brand went on to dispute the claim in an Instagram post, with the caption “Setting the record straight.”
On Sunday, everything came full circle. The commercial is a comical take on the dramatic skin care ads we’re accustomed to, featuring whispery vocals and silky fabrics. “I’m Michael Cera and human skin is my passion, which is why I developed this: CeraVe,” says Cera. “The truth has been hiding in plain sight. I am CeraVe.” The spoof concept combined with Cera’s signature humor made this commercial an instant classic. In between jokes, the writers even managed to mention the moisutrizer’s “three essential ceramides.” CeraVe takes home the trophy for humor and brand building in our book.
Need a hand with your next commercial or video script? Our team of copywriters can help. Reach out to MarketSmiths to kick off a project that will get people talking.
