I like a great game as much as the next guy but Super Bowl ads are what get me excited. With ad spots costing up to 4 million dollars for 60 seconds, you best bet these brands are going to use their most creative minds to come up with their most effective ads of the year.
Personally, I thought most of this year’s ads where less than stellar, but three of them really got my attention. These three ads where not only well produced but also very effective in conveying their message. And in this post I’ll show you how you can use the same formulas the big companies use so you can produce your own amazing marketing video.
Let’s jump right into it…
Nissan #WithDad
Nissan ran a 90 second commercial in the middle of the biggest sporting event of the year and they nailed it. Let me tell you why.
Let’s step back a bit and ask, what is this ad for? It’s for the Nissan brand but they also teased their long awaited new model, the Nissan Maxima. Instead of focusing on features and options, they focused on values. So essentially instead of pitching to your head, they pitched to your heart.
Nissan knows the majority of the audience watching the game are fathers and the pride of fatherhood is a very strong emotion. Nissan essentially sent this message:
You’re a great father that your kids look up to. You’re a rock star in your own way. You don’t sacrifice your style when it comes to your car. We build cars for those kinds of Dads.
They sent this powerful message in an effective 90 second story that incorporates Nissan’s own racing culture and the culture of the modern man- balancing career and life at home. No words said, just expressions and emotions. They also made sure it was accompanied by a heartfelt track by Cat Stevens that most dads can connect with. The ad leaves the viewer with thoughts like “I connect with Nissan.” and “What was that car in the end?”
Mission accomplished.
So what about you? How can you use a similar style to your videos? Here are the key ingredients you’ll need to have if you want an effective, heartfelt ad like Nissan’s.
- Tell a story
- Make sure the story connects with your audience
- The story is the main character, your product is the supporting cast
- Be authentic
- Leave them wanting more
Squarespace: Jeff Bridges’s Site
Full disclosure here, we knew about this ad before it went live on Super Bowl Sunday. Squarespace is a sponsor of The $100 MBA Show podcast and gave us a heads up about it. We were thrilled to be a part of promoting it. Let me tell you why.
This is for real. This isn’t a joke. This is a real site by Jeff The Dude Bridges that he built on Squarespace. You can actually check it out here. You can also check out this video of Jeff creating his site.
What I love about this ad is that it incorporates the influence of a well-liked celebrity along with a real life customer testimonial. How can you not want to check out this site about sleeping better by Jeff Bridges. By checking out the site you also find out what Squarespace is capable of when it comes to building a great site for your business.
It’s funny and unconventional. It has you saying to yourself:
What is Jeff Bridges doing? Is this for real? I’m gonna check this site out.
A little mystery and ambiguity can sometimes pay off, especially when you are trying to get your viewers to head on over to your site. Here are the key ingredients to creating a fun ad like this one.
- Make the ad about the building of your product
- Add humor and wit to your ad
- Give them enough to want to learn more at your site
- Show your product is really being used by “celebrities” in your market
- Make a special landing page for the ad
If you are interested in checking out Squarespace, use our promo code MBA at checkout and you’ll get 10% off. This is NOT an affiliate link, it’s an honest discount and a way for the folks at Squarespace to know you we sent you.
Clash of Clans: AngryNeeson52
I’m not a gamer at all. I don’t play video games at home or on my phone but this ad was brilliant. Here is why…
Firstly, Liam Neeson has a great monolog voice and really makes this ad work, especially given the fact many of the movies he stars in are about revenge.
Secondly, they take the game to the real world. Liam is so engrossed in the game he is talking trash to it.
Thirdly, it’s light hearted and reminds you that games are fun, so why not?
You too can make these effective statements with your marketing video. You don’t need a celebrity to do it either. Keeping your ad light and focused on its essence ( in this case, games are fun), can do wonders for your messaging. At the end of the day you want your ad to have an effect on the viewer so they can remember it long enough to check you out.
What do you think? What were your favorite ads on Super Bowl Sunday and why?
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