It was a sad Super Bowl. Sad, as only Trump can say it. Saaad. One minute I had a cunning, fast-talking clown trying to sell me stuff in true ad-land fashion. The next, I felt emotionally mistreated by a sobbing stranger playing curling with my heart. Corporate America appeared not to care at all — and if it did, it cared too much — which is exactly the problem. Of four quarters of fast-paced commercials only around 10 aimed for something bigger than product plugging. What happened to a sense of purpose, or is it now just products first?
Values first, America first, products first?
The value war from last year’s event seems to have run out of steam, or perhaps brands wanted to stick to safe ground and steer away from politics. The choice seemed simple: Stand up for what you wholeheartedly believe in or stay silent. Most companies conveniently chose to do the latter. In doing so, they turned their backs on the all-important conversations and topics that need support more than ever: diversity, immigration, climate — some of the biggest challenges of our time. As they say, “Nobody ever got fired for choosing IBM!”
Of course, the easy option is to turn your back on wrongdoing or injustice. But please don’t pull the non-partisan excuse — for me speaking up is not about politics, it’s about defending basic values and human rights.
Toyota was one of the few who dared to speak up with a series of three commercials touting its mobility efforts, MobilityForAll.com, and the importance of inclusion and diversity. Good on you — I enjoyed at least one (“The Woolstencroft”) of the three executions.
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Staying silent is not my only (veggie) beef with the Super Bowl this year. Why is it still so difficult for brands to get Goodvertising right? It’s like their only known trick is to play on our heartstrings, but their love ballads are about as believable as a used car salesman’s smile. We’re here to watch an exciting game and have fun with friends — so why all the sobbing?
With its commercial, “#LittleOnes,” T-mobile succeeded in makings its message about equality and babies as heartwarming as the horror movie Chucky. Who manages to mess up babies? Maybe they meant to label it #LittleScaryOnes?
That said, I want to recognise Budweiser for its timely and well-executed message. “Stand by You” featured a fight for people in need. With beer cans transformed into containers of water, the end shot brought it home nicely.
On a happier note, Coca-Cola continued its diversity efforts from last year with “The Wonder of Us”: applaudable, especially set against the silence of the others.
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Thomas Kolster is an internationally recognised marketing & sustainability expert, author and keynote speaker, and founder of the global Goodvertising movement that’s inspired a shift in advertising for the better.
Published Feb 6, 2018 11am EST / 8am PST / 4pm GMT / 5pm CET