Real Big Ads; Real People

Overhype was the leading culprit in this year’s disappointing Super Bowl ads. Each year, we expect the companies to create the most epic commercials, only to be let down when they don’t top last year's. Letdowns aside, there was an encouraging theme to be found throughout some of the ads: real people. While a few companies tried to capture the essence of the average American like Coca Cola’s “America the Beautiful” ad and the return of Cheerios heartwarming family, this is a look on the ads that actually featured real people.

Budweiser ad execs really knew what they were doing when they planned two very different commercials both featuring non-actors. Their two-part special starred Ian, a regular guy who doesn't know he's about to have the night of his life. Sure, the rest of the commercial was packed with big stars including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Don Cheadle and his alpaca, and One Republic, but it was a real experience for one guy. And since Ian was just a regular Joe, what’s stopping anyone else from being the next star of a Bud Light commercial? I guess anything can happen when you drink Bud Light.

In another one of their commercials, Budweiser took a very different route using non-actors. One of the most emotional ads of the night, Budweiser showed the celebration of the town of Winter Park welcoming home their hero. In a reminder to give thanks to those who have served and are serving, the homecoming of Lt. Chuck Nadd was filmed in honor of soldiers everywhere. The entire town, with the support of Budweiser, came together with cheers, posters, and a whole lot of gratitude for a proper welcome home for this hero. Check out the full version of the ad below which not only shows the preparations for the celebration, but also features interviews with veterans from Winter Park explaining why this homecoming was so important.

Another empowering ad from last night came from GoDaddy. In their usual fashion to be a little shocking, they showed a woman surrounded by puppets who promptly quit her job in front of millions of viewers to pursue her real passion: puppetry. This woman has guts when it comes to taking her career into her own hands. If any of you are interested in booking Gwen for your next big party, feel free to check out her site PuppetsByGwen.com (conveniently hosted on GoDaddy.com of course).

While many companies chose to recruit big names like Tim Tebow or Scarlett Johansson to catch the audience’s attention, it was refreshing to see normal people in those coveted time slots. Don’t get me wrong, I love Tom Felton in a helicopter as much as the next girl, but as a normal person myself, it’s a welcome change. If you missed any of the Super Bowl commercials from last night, check out Huffington Post’s collection of all the ads. Let me know in the comments or on Twitter @SimplyEricaR which were your favorites!

The Social Bowl

It’s that time of year again as we watch the top companies duking it out for the top spot in the battle for the best Super Bowl commercial. We won’t have to wait long to see which ads are the most talked about as many viewers of Sunday’s Big Game will be online sharing, tweeting, and liking their favorite ads in the Brand Bowl.

Postano’s Brand Bowl will be live tracking the use of Super Bowl related hashtags across all platforms. You can visit their site to see which company’s hashtag is going for a touchdown. Each big contender has at least one hashtag to follow for this year’s game. Some examples are Budweiser with #BestBuds and Coca Cola with #AmericaIsBeautiful.




Since the 70’s, the Super Bowl and memorable commercials have gone hand-in-hand. But with the introduction of popular social media sites like Facebook and Twitter a few years ago, a third player has come to the party. Social media not only allows the companies free advertising to complement expensive commercials, it lets the consumers take part in the conversation in real time. Recognizing the vast influence that quick posts or tweets can have, many companies will be live tweeting throughout the game. Let’s not forget the simple beauty in Oreo’s quick tweet last year. The tweet about dunking in the dark was retweeted over 10,000 times in the first hour alone. While they might have paid $4 million for a 30-second commercial slot, this free tweet is how we remember Oreo from last year. A quick and relative comment is all it took to boost Oreo’s name to the front of the pack.



This year, at least 115 million viewers are expected to tune-in to the Super Bowl. Of these viewers, Mashable says that 61% will share ads on social media. But viewers aren’t waiting until kick off—the sharing has already started as some companies have leaked parts of their commercials early, trying to build more anticipation. It’s crucial for these companies to make a good impression as Crowdtap says that 73% of viewers are more likely to follow or like brands rather than the football teams after the game. Which begs the question, why do so many people really watch the Super Bowl?

As the game gets closer and people try to figure out if the game is in New York or New Jersey, it’s time for those of us at home to get online and join the conversation. Let me know your thoughts about the commercials and your favorites on Twitter @SimplyEricaR.