Multicultural Marketing News – Super Bowl LIV Ads Analysis: A Multicultural Perspective

The advertisements surrounding the Superbowl of yesteryear were about as exciting as the big game itself– which, to be clear, isn’t saying much. However, as if the ad gods themselves heard my unamused cries, the commercials this year have been exponentially better in every way possible. In 2019, they felt boring and tone-deaf, but this year they are clever, sincere, inspirational, and hilarious (not to mention, all around inclusive for once). That’s right. Superbowl commercials are fun, again! Everyone from Queer Eye‘s Jonathan Van Ness, to MC Hammer and Missy Elliot (w/ Grammy Award Winner H.E.R.) did over-the-top ads for companies like Poptarts, Cheetos, and Pepsi, respectively. Post Malone’s spots for Budweiser Seltzer were especially dope, and shared the same light and ridiculous tone as one of my favorite adverts ever, Starburst’s “Mariachi” spot. Rick and Morty also did a great bit for Pringles, and the Mtn Dew commercial where Bryan Cranston and Tracee Ellis Ross spoof The Shining had me literally laughing out loud. Jokes aside, I was happy to see that issues like women’s equality, homelessness, and police shootings were all tackled as well, and unlike 2019’s tip toe fest, companies like Olay and Microsoft, Kia, and the NFL (among others) are finally giving them the attention they deserve. By Ainsley Andrade, MediaVillage.

For the most part, the Super Bowl LIV advertisements stuck to a safe formula. Functional benefits and/or humor were used to anchor targetless messaging. Diverse casting was effectively used to punctuate inclusion. However, few ads made any attempt to appeal to the heart of consumers by leveraging a segment or cultural insight. The ads were appealing, but not compelling. No one was offended, but no one was moved. However, two ads did go out on limb in specifically targeting their messages — one successfully and one not so successfully. Olay targeted women with a message of empowerment and the impact potential of women across a variety of fields. The brilliance of the ad is that it drove this message straight through to an opportunity for action by allowing viewers to participate in funding Girls Who Code. This is an excellent example of targeted advertising and promotion. Now to our second example. An ad can amplify a brand’s personality but it can’t “trump” a viewer’s experience with the brand. This brings us to the Trump ad featuring the Alice Johnson case. Trump targeting African Americans with a message touting his criminal justice reform policies would have required the collective African American community to succumb to a swift bout of amnesia about his historical attacks on our community in order to be believable. As opposed to a skillfully targeted ad, this is an example of expertly executed “gaslighting”. By Brenda P. Lee, Founding Director, Vision Strategy and Insights, 410-521-2147, 

Football Meets Fútbol 

Two diverse superbly matched teams played, with the youngest quarterback ever Patrick Mahomes winning for the long-overdue KC Chiefs. Two superb coaches led the field, with the beloved Andy Reed winning after a long career with 222 wins. And two superb powerhouses, JLo and Shakira, did a dual act as the first ever Hispanic headliners, and for the longest awe inspiring, hip shaking, energy boosting half-time performance ever. They brought Latino culture to the forefront and underscored what a relevant, important force the Hispanic community is in the U.S. At this most American of all events that brings people together to celebrate what unites us, they represented the true heritage of America, which is one of diversity, redefining paradigms of race/ethnicity and age. To me, this was the most effective and authentic display of Multiculturals’ influence, surpassing the slew of ads covering women, LGBTQ and nearly every ethnicity. Why? Because many ads became ineffective in their caution to not offend anyone, or too purposely ‘inclusive’ in casting or message that it seemed fake or forced, and including political ads inappropriately using people of color to sell their message on this grand stage. Yes, some ads did feel authentic. They included NFL’s tribute to the past and next 100 stars; Secret’s ‘Let’s kick inequality’, Olay’s all-female ‘Make space for women’; Pepsi’s bold ad for Zero Sugar set to ‘Paint it black’ with Missy Elliot and H.E.R.; Microsoft’s ‘It only takes one’ withKatie Sowers’ inspiring first as a female Super Bowl coach; TurboTax’s ad ‘All People Are Tax People Remix’, T-Mobile’s 5G coverage ad with Anthony Anderson and his real-life Mom; the hilarious Doritos’ ‘The Cool Ranch’ with Lil Nas X, Sam Elliott and Billy Ray Cirus; and P&G’s ‘When we come together’ ad (because we know they practice what they preach.) The universal ads fared well, as regardless of race or ethnicity, there are common human truths, humor or references that we can all relate to, like New York Life’s ‘Agape’ kind of love on the courageous actions people take to protect their loved ones; Budweiser’s ‘Typical American’ juxtaposing extraordinary uplifting moments with the common labels placed on Americans; Verizon’s ad about the ‘amazing things 5G won’t do’ focused on First responders; Facebook’s ‘Get Ready to Rock’; Jeep’s ‘Today isn’t just Game Day. It’s Groundhog Day’; the next installment of Bud Light’s Post Malone- and my personal favorite, Google’s ‘Loretta’ where technology helps a man recall loving moments with his late wife including how ‘she snorted when she laughed’. And being a dog fanatic, I related to Dignity Health’s ad with a German Shepard leading a wheelchair-bound woman, and WeatherTech CEO’s ‘Scout’ ad. But many ads felt forced in their attempted display of diversity or lacked context.  And the rest of the ads were so overburdened with celebrities or trying too hard to be clever. Or they simply did not resonate with me as either a spectator or a seasoned ad executive critic. Or maybe… I just didn’t get the point because I am one of the ‘Multiculturals’ who make up America, and the joke was lost in translation. By Liz Castells-Heard, CEO/Chief Strategy Officer, INFUSION.

Super Bowl advertising has come a long way. This year’s commercials were no longer limited to male targets with creative using guy humor to get a good laugh and be memorable. The categories represented were no longer dominated by the more traditional ones, like beer, soft drinks, snacks and automobiles, but included technology, beauty and, of course, politics. Female-targeted spots were in full force, with empowering, #FutureIsFemale-themed creative including Secret, Olay and Genesis; as were messages of sustainability from Saucony and SodaStream. The casting selection made major strides in terms of diversity, with spots featuring protagonists representing the Black, Asian, Hispanic, 50-plus and LGBTQ+ communities. While Super Bowl advertising has made major strides at reflecting the new American reality, my overall assessment is that this year’s portfolio scored a touchdown without achieving the extra point conversion. That’s because no brand truly seized the opportunity to connect with the Latino consumer during a Super Bowl that was deeply infused with Latino culture and energy. The backdrop was Miami, a city that bridges the U.S. and Latin America. Demi Lovato, who is of Mexican and Portuguese heritage, opened the show by singing the National Anthem. The halftime show entertainment came courtesy of Puerto Rico and Colombia, headlined by none other than Jennifer López and Shakira, two Latina global superstars whose fandom knows no boundaries. Together with Bad Bunny and J. Balvin, two of today’s hottest and most trending artists, they gave us a sensational celebration of Latino culture that was fit for the global stage and indicative of our influence on American mainstream culture. I asked my fellow partner and CCO at our agency, Paco Olavarrieta, for his thoughts, who said, “The halftime show was an epic ad for our brand as a Latino community and a fantastic showcase of our vibrant culture with zest for life. It’s now forever part of this quintessential American sport, and it made me proud of being Latino in this country; not to mention it made me want to move my hips!” Despite all of this, the advertising shown largely ignored America’s largest minority group. Sure, Hyundai tapped Dominican MLB player, Big Papi, with some good-natured ribbing over his accent, and P&G tapped Sofia Vergara and her one-of-a-kind personality for a spot that featured multiple brands. But overall, advertisers fell short of connecting with Latinos in a way that matched our contributions to and viewership of this iconic festivity. Where were the brands like Modelo Especial, that pay tribute to the immigrant, working-class families that help build this country? Why didn’t we see Spanish-language ads with English subtitles, like we did for Buchanan’s Whiskey during the World Series? While true there was a commercial for Presidente Beer that featured Alex Rodriguez sharing his prideful story as a son of Dominican immigrants, that creative only aired in Miami and New York. Granted, at approximately $6 million for a :30 national spot, we can’t expect all brands to make that investment. However, given the expanded and evolved level of storytelling in this year’s Super Bowl advertising, and since many brands that did invest have had Hispanic-targeted programs for decades, I would have hoped to see at least one commercial that features a Latino-centric story that transcends culture and speaks to the masses. Making such a statement would go a long way towards courting the Latino consumer by reflecting the brand’s understanding of today’s new America; one where the Latino community has no doubt helped build this country, both figuratively and literally, yet hasn’t felt much love given the socio-political environment. Instead, advertisers fumbled the ball and left Hispanic consumers singing J-Lo’s song, asking themselves, “¿y el anillo pa’ cuándo?” (where’s the ring?). Perhaps the long held assumption that we Latinos only watch soccer prevailed, yet again, despite the fact that the Super Bowl consistently ranks as the #1 TV program viewed among Hispanics regardless of language, year over year. Perhaps we in the advertising industry need to do a better job at informing and even challenging our clients to get with the times so they do not miss out on these types of opportunities to make a profound statement on a global stage. Perhaps I should be content with the fact that the portfolio of advertising shown has evolved to be much more diverse and inclusive, with creative that addresses timely topics that really matter. While I do commend the progress made by the advertising community, we still have room for improvement. Next year, let’s convert every point at Super Bowl LV in Tampa, another Latino-oriented city where the industry can really score big by truly reflecting today’s New America. By Louis Maldonado, Partner and Managing Director, d expósito & Partners.