Last Sunday was one of the most important days on the calendar for sports, and while people tuned in for the game, they stayed for the commercials. Typically, a commercial break is a mere irritant that people use as an excuse to get a snack or fast-forward the DVR. However, one day a year, that all changes. During the commercial breaks on Super Bowl Sunday, companies show off their best advertising efforts to grab consumers’ attention and hopefully their business.
Every year there is a line-up of companies that compete for the distinction of best commercial, and automotive brands aren’t sitting on the bench during this game. They’re not just trying to sell a bag of chips or cleaning products, they need to sell a much larger ticket item, which means their commercials need to be more impactful and memorable.
This year, there was an all-star roster of automotive brands hoping to take it to the end zone with their commercials. From feel-good moments and celebrity cameos to satire and comedy, these ads were there to win. So which commercials scored and which fumbled?
Lexus used Marvel Mania to make an attention-grabbing ad featuring Black Panther. With all of the hype for the movie, having Black Panther leap into a new 2018 LS Sedan through the sunroof is the perfect stunt to catch viewers’ attention. But, is this commercial showing any reason why to buy the LS Sedan or just a reason to go see Black Panther?
This year, Hyundai chose to debut two commercials during Super Bowl LII. Why not maximize your outcome by doubling the effort?
The first commercial provided comedic relief via a children’s soccer game. A very Super Bowl-focused ref threw a bunch of red cards at the kids in an effort to end the game early so everyone could go home and watch the game. Watching a group of young children get benched for being too cute or trying too hard definitely put a smile on viewers’ faces.
The second commercial sought to tug at heartstrings with an emotional surprise meeting between Hyundai drivers and the kids they helped through Hyundai’s Hope on Wheels program. Hyundai owners attending the NFL Super Bowl Experience driven by Genesis were pulled aside and privately shown the brand’s new Super Bowl spot. At the end of the commercial, they were surprised by one of the kids from the Hope on Wheels program, reinforcing that their purchase of a Hyundai made a difference. This spot manages to blend Hyundai’s commitment to helping those in need while also recognizing that more than ever, consumers care about making a difference and supporting companies that do too.
Steven Tyler took center stage during Kia’s Super Bowl spot featuring the Stinger GT. The Aerosmith frontman, donning a racing suit, jumps in the Stinger and throws it in reverse. As “Dream On” plays in the background, the years and Tyler’s face begin traveling back in time. He exits the car looking (sort of) like his 1970’s self, and the screen reads “Feel Something Again.” Obviously targeted at an older audience that can relate to Tyler, this ad had mixed reviews with some people loving the concept and others feeling a little creeped out and hoping for more. The Stinger GT has amazing performance abilities that weren’t even shown during this spot. Rather than relying so heavily on a celebrity cameo and nostalgia, Kia could have used these concepts as vehicles to display the features that makes the Stinger GT such a compelling option for drivers.
It seems like feel-good ads are a popular thing in 2018, and Toyota had a few. The Paralympics-themed spot was one of the most prominent. The commercial portrays a girl born with incomplete legs and an incomplete arm. An onscreen ticker starts registering her long odds of winning a gold medal. Tissue, please. This spot plugs Toyota as a mobility solutions provider that extends beyond automotive to other technologies.
The feel-goods and mobility solutions didn’t stop there. In a 30-second spot, Toyota promoted the upcoming Olympics with the “Mobility Anthem”. This spot combined clips of people young to old being active and athletic, all with different forms of Toyota’s mobility technologies. The commercial closes with the line “Start Your Impossible”.
In another spot, a rabbi, a priest, a Buddhist monk and an imam get into a Toyota Tundra to go to a football game together. It’s a metaphor for the way the world ought to work. The selling message is that Toyota welcomes all faiths and, oh yeah, it’s pickup easily seats four men. The nuns needling them at the game for being late falls a little flat as a punchline.
Overall, Toyota successfully shared messages of unity, friendship, diversity and perseverance in their meaningful and inspiring commercials. For any auto brand looking to score with a feel-good ad, Toyota was the team to be beat.
Like Toyota, Jeep opted to spread their efforts across three spots during the big game. Each one of their commercials had a different feel than its counterparts, but one thing stayed constant — showing Jeep’s off-road capabilities that other brands do not have.
Jeep’s first spot was based on the premise that their vehicles aren’t constrained by the “end of the road” and that some of the best memories come from time off the road. When a road comes to an end, Jeeps keep on going. To show off this capability they featured the redesigned 2019 Cherokee driving down a stream bed.
Jurassic Park and Jeff Goldblum made an appearance in Jeep’s second commercial playing on the idea of evolution. Goldblum is driving the all-new 2018 Wrangler which has evolved through the years just like Isla Nublar. A little comedic action is thrown into the mix when Goldblum grows tired of the Tyrannosaurus rex chasing him so he turns the tables and begins chasing the T-rex.
In its best effort, Jeep makes fun of other car ads, with their grand statements of purpose and “manifestos.” The spot showed a Jeep fording a river and then climbing up a small waterfall at the end as the voice over proclaims, “There’s your manifesto.” Simple. Could have done without the “Closed manmade lake and waterfall. Always follow applicable laws” mice type, however. Thanks, compliance.
Jeep’s spots may have been simple and straight to the point, but they showed what their vehicles can do. No frills. There was no serious stretching in the capabilities, except maybe being able to chase a T-rex.
Ram also made a BIG impact during Super Bowl LII. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the impact they were hoping for.
It opens with real Vikings traveling to Minneapolis, the home of the Vikings NFL team, for the Super Bowl. Sounds like the start to an entertaining commercial, and it was until it didn’t carry through to the punch line. The commercial depicted the Vikings travelling by Ram, ship, and Ram again to the Super Bowl when they find out that their team (the Vikings) didn’t make the big game. Although this was less than clear. The Vikings then turn around and head home. That’s it. The room for a more creative and comedic ending was clearly there, but not delivered. The ad encourages viewers to go online for the “full story.” Thanks, but no thanks.
As for the Ram commercial featuring Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech, their intentions and overall idea were good, but their execution fell short. To show that Ram supports volunteers and their efforts, they should have left out the images and beauty shots of the trucks. The spot would have been better received if the message was entirely focused on the volunteers and their work. Next time get a second opinion.
The final stats of the game? Toyota and Jeep led the pack with their three-commercial play. Lexus, Kia, and Hyundai had points on the board, but in the end fell short of the goal line. And finally, Ram fumbled during the most important play of the game.
This won’t be the last you see of these star players, though. When the Super Bowl rolls around next year, they will be back and ready to play again.