Sneak peek at Super Bowl spots
When you鈥檙e paying $7 million to air a television commercial, every second better deliver.
But faculty experts and students in the School of Communication give this year鈥檚 crop of Super Bowl ads a collective 鈥渕eh.鈥�
Epic commercials fell flat. But spots that showed the value of a product were judged to be entertaining and emotionally involving.
黑料门PRSSA sponsored the panel, attended by 30 in the convergence studio Thursday evening. 黑料门School of Communication faculty Chuck Rudnick, instructor, and Jing Yang, associate professor, led the discussion.
鈥淭here are commercials that run during the Super Bowl, and then there are Super Bowl commercials,鈥� Rudnick said. The latter have that epic 鈥渨ater cooler鈥� quality that will hush a room and get people talking for days.
sponsored the 鈥渂iggest鈥� spot, showcasing an alien invasion in New York, and directed by Martin Scorsese. While viewers called it 鈥渃inematic鈥� and 鈥渋nvolving,鈥� the spot poorly connected to the sponsor.
Another spot that went big but disappointed the panel featured Budweiser鈥檚 Clydesdale horses, making an emergency delivery during a snowstorm. While the spot had all the expected icons expected of a Bud spot 鈥� prancing horses, bucolic setting, cute dogs - it lacked an emotional payoff.
The highest rated spot of the evening, for Oreos, was simple and effective. In it, people throughout history make important decisions by 鈥渢wisting on it,鈥� unlocking an Oreo cookie and revealing which side the cream filling sticks to.
鈥淭丑别&苍产蝉辫; spot was a clever 鈥渢wist鈥� on one of the rituals that people associate with eating the cookies,鈥� Rudnick said. 鈥淚t goes to the heart of the brand.鈥�
A spot for the impressed the panel. In it, a student ice skater performs, but there鈥檚 an empty seat next to her father. After the performance, her father drives her to her grandpa鈥檚 mountain home and uses the car to power lights and a speaker on a pond. It brings tears to the eyes of the grandpa (and viewers).
鈥淭he Kia ad shows that the car can run in cold weather, it handles the snowy roads, and it highlights the additional electric features,鈥� Yang said. 鈥淚t shows the features in the context of an emotional story 鈥� showcasing the product and also the value of the brand.鈥�