The 2014 Superbowl broadcast was widely anticipated to be a classic football contest. In the end, it turned out to be a blowout – decided by halftime and sealed with the opening play of the third quarter. But enough about football. As iconic as the Superbowl is, the unveiling of all the Superbowl ads was just as widely anticipated. This is especially true for those who enjoy pop culture more than Pop Warner.
As the game dragged on (for everyone outside of the Pacific Northwest United States) into the third quarter, one ad stood out. It was very simple, just a tight head shot of actor Bruce Willis. ‘Great game, right?’ he said. Really? Are you watching the same game I am? Oh yea, this is a commercial – it is taped well in advance. Bruce goes on to extoll the virtues of appreciating’ those we love who are all around us – friends, family, neighbors, etc. For me, sitting alone in my basement, it continued to be a bit odd. Ultimately, it ended humorously with actor Fred Armisen hugging it out as the camera zoomed wider. Funny, but more so for the dissonance in the message than for the crazy look on Fred’s face.
And to think, had the game been a nail-biter – as most experts (including the President) predicted – this ad might have been a home run. Willis’ charm and the ‘in-your-face’ close up would have made an instant connection to the game action. The transitional reference to family and friends who were supposed to be there sharing the moment (rather than heading for bed following the incredible half-time performance by Bruno Mars) would have created credibility just as the comic payoff of Armisen clinging to Willis like a lost child cemented the message that Honda was more than a car maker.
Now the ad most likely will still be a huge success. It was well done and won lots of kudos on the next morning talk shows. But I wonder how it will really perform. It might be interesting to track Honda sales in Denver and Seattle to see if there is a spike. For me, it was reinforced how important message can be. With a well established brand and tons of spin time, Honda won’t be hurt. But a smaller business who stakes all their marketing on a risky play could wind up in real trouble with a message that misses the mark.
How hard would it have been to create a couple of alternate versions to run based on the game’s unfolding. Opening the spot with ‘What a game, I wonder if Denver can make a comeback?’ would have changed the impact for me completely. Having a similar third alternate in case Denver had romped would have allowed for just about any possibility and kept the message on track.
But ultimately maybe it was really no big deal. What do you think? Did it strike you as strange?
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