There were plenty of standouts across the slate of Super Bowl LV ads this year, and the PMG creative team outlined their thoughts on what made the best ads the best and the worst the worst.
The Ad Everyone Is Talking About.
Reddit’s 5-second ad honored the ‘underdogs’ of the GameStop frenzy and was disruptive and brilliantly executed and targeted. The five seconds of static and a screenshot felt counter-culture, wholesome, cutting-edge, and ultimately shareable on social media. All things Reddit wants to be.
— Benjy Joung, Copywriter & Kevin Yurasovich, Art Director
The Ad We Rewatched. Several Times.
The Amazon ad titled “Alexa’s Body” promoted the new design for Echo smart speakers with a story that centers on a woman who visualizes Michael B. Jordan as the ‘beautiful vessel’ for her smart home device. The team at PMG thought the ad was a fantastic use of talent, well-executed and well-acted. Unlike a lot of ads for the Big Game that try to cram too much storytelling into too short of time, Amazon’s ad didn’t feel rushed, with a simple setup about how the only vessel more attractive than the new body for Amazon Alexa was Michael B. Jordan. Similar to previous Amazon Alexa commercials, the joke became funnier as the story evolved.
— Benjy Joung, Copywriter & Kevin Yurasovich, Art Director
Everybody Loves A Good Rivalry
GM’s “No Way Norway” relied on a tight script and the comedic timing of Will Ferrell and other stars that showcased Cadillac’s new EV lineup and played into the American obsession of being the best at everything. Leaning into America’s ‘don’t-tell-me-what-to-do culture,’ Ferrell’s words hit home: “We can’t let Norway beat us,” a more palatable quote than “It’s your duty to convert to an EV vehicle.” The globe being stuck on his hand the whole time made us smile, and with a few lovable comedians, it was a hit.
Since the spot aired, Norway has clapped back with several brilliant messages, including one from Audi Norway, causing plenty of buzz and making this Super Bowl moment one you won’t forget.
— Gary Offutt, Senior Copywriter, Justin Prichard, Associate Creative Director & Lori Wittig, Associate Creative Director
A Visual Masterpiece
In “5 to 9” for Super Bowl LV, Squarespace attempts to flip the script on what it means to have a side hustle with its rewrite of the classic “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton. The spot is a beautiful musical number and the transition from drab office workers to passionate small business owners is fun and inspiring. (And it’s hard to not like anything by Dolly Parton.)
However, it’s hard not to feel some hesitation as the spot overlooks the original meaning of the song, which points to gender inequality in the workplace. Plus, after the year we had in 2020, does anyone really want to work more?
— Catherine Babin, Senior Designer
The Ad That Left Us With More Questions Than Answers.
Picture this: You’ve just hit the part of your road trip where you meet the long, lonely, stretch of highway that’s full of billboards that few ever see when you cross paths with the notorious “DOES ADVERTISING WORK? IT JUST DID!” board. It’s an approach that’s equally infuriating as it is memorable. It’s useless, yet unforgettable. Oatly’s serenading CEO conjures similar feelings. It’s not particularly interesting, or good, yet you can’t take your eyes off of it. You’re not sure if the CEO is in on the joke, or if he is the joke. At the end of the day did either of the ads work? Well, here we are talking about them.
— Kyle Kelley, Executive Creative Director