Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University is often referred to as the "Mecca for Marketing," and there's a solid reason for that distinction. Each year, Kellogg students and professors undertake a thorough analysis of Super Bowl advertisements, providing detailed evaluations on their effectiveness. This year marked the 20th anniversary of Kellogg's Super Bowl ad review, where the school's participants critiqued each commercial with a particular emphasis on its potential business impact. The review concluded that it was a successful year for Super Bowl advertising, as the panel did not issue any failing grades. With record-breaking viewership numbers, it's anticipated that the cost for Super Bowl ad slots will climb even higher in 2025. The Super Bowl continues to be a pivotal event for marketers, highlighting the importance for brands to focus on clear communication, strong branding, and highlighting the benefits of their products to make the most of their advertising efforts. The outcomes of the review, along with insights from Derek Rucker and Tim Calkins, can be explored
here in further detail by those interested.
Below is a short summary of the same:
Strong Ads:- Google Pixel: Praised for its emotional appeal and focus on product features that help visually impaired individuals.
- Doritos: Continues its winning streak with a funny ad focusing on the irresistible nature of the product.
- Microsoft Copilot: Effectively showcases the AI platform's potential to help users achieve their dreams.
- Hellmann's: Leverages humor and celebrity appearances to promote mayo usage in a memorable way.
- Etsy: Stands out by clearly demonstrating its value proposition: finding unique gifts.
- Reese's: Entertaining and effective in introducing a new product flavor while promoting the core brand.
- Uber Eats: Uses a clever concept to remind viewers of its service, showing responsiveness to previous feedback.
- Verizon (Beyonce): A creative partnership and platform for Beyonce's new album announcement, leveraging her star power.
- CeraVe (Michael Cera): Effective tie-in with a celebrity that aligns with the product benefit and brand message.
- Dove: Consistent with its "real beauty" campaign, promoting girls' participation in sports.
- Mountain Dew (Aubrey Plaza): Memorable and catchy tagline effectively represents the brand and its key flavor.
- VW: Powerful look-back at the brand's history, strengthening its emotional connection with viewers.
Weaker Ads:- Square Space: Despite high praise from other sources, the Ad Review panel found it weak on branding and benefit focus.
- Bass Pro Shops: Criticized for its cluttered message mixing history, boat branding, and ice cream promotion.
- Homes.com: Multiple ads resulted in a confusing message and unclear brand positioning.
- Temu: Although cheap prices were clear, the annoying ad and repetition didn't resonate well.
Other Interesting Ads:- T-Mobile: Two spots with strong branding, but the loyalty program one might not deliver as effectively as focusing on product differentiation.
- M&Ms: Clear message with peanut M&Ms as the perfect consolation treat, but the diamond storyline was complex and distracting.
- Kia: Heartwarming story that balances emotional appeal with brand focus and product benefits.
- Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism: Tackled a sensitive topic effectively by focusing on a broader message against all forms of hate and racism.
- MGM: Entertaining ad with exclusion of Tom Brady, but lacked a clear differentiating message for the betting platform.
- Pringles, State Farm, Dunkin, BMW: While memorable, these focused on tangentially related aspects like celebrities or humor, resulting in weaker brand association and benefit clarity.