I won't even pretend to understand American Football. To my eyes it's all a bit of a mess, like a collision between a game of Rugby and a game of Chess, without the passion of the former and the brains of the latter. The Super Bowl, however, is an undeniable spectacle.
With billions of people watching, advertising space is at a premium, meaning only the biggest brands get a look in
We have nothing else quite like it in this country, but we all grew up with American TV, so we know the score: Two teams of muscle-bound, armour clad behemoths go to war over an oval ball in front of a few billion people, and a pop star sings a few songs in the interim backed by pyrotechnics that would make Freddie Mercury blush. It's all very over-the-top, very unnecessary and very American, but we love it all the same, and for the advertising industry, it marks one of the most important dates in the calendar. With billions of people watching, advertising space is at a premium, meaning only the biggest brands get a look in, and those that do really go all out to give audiences the same kind of spectacle they've come to expect from the game itself. What follows is my pick of the very best Super Bowl spots (and their subsequent campaigns).
Squarespace
The dude would very much abide this campaign from Squarespace, the leading all-in-one website publishing platform. Jeff Bridges himself stars in an ambitious 30-second spot from Wieden + Kennedy New York, backed by a unique collection of relaxing sounds, guided meditations, and stories called the “Jeff Bridges Sleeping Tapes,” which have been designed to send listeners to sleep. The album can be streamed online at DreamingWithJeff.com, but will also be available as limited edition cassettes and vinyl records, 100% of the profits from which will go directly to Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign, which is dedicated to ensuring kids have access to healthy food.
The Cliff (Teaser)
The campaign works on the concept of Squarespace as a platform that will allow users to present even their most “Out-there” concepts and products. Anthony Casalena, Squarespace Founder and CEO, said they “Wanted to create a campaign to illustrate that any idea, no matter how wild or weird, can be presented beautifully and meaningfully through Squarespace.” he added that “Instead of being built around an ad,” their campaign “Is built around a real project.” Bridges himself, said the campaign has been a great experience for him, especially putting together the album. He said he “Got the chance to work with friends old and new to make something pretty special,” and was able to take the seed of an idea, make it his own, “And then see it come to life in such a beautiful way,” which is, he adds, “What Squarespace does.”
Jeff Bridges stars in an ambitious 30-second spot from Wieden + Kennedy New York
David Kolbusz, executive creative director at Wieden + Kennedy New York, says that “At its core, the campaign is a product demonstration,” which uses Squarespace's “Beautiful design and e-commerce capabilities to take an idea that seems a bit odd, and turn it into something real and meaningful.” He adds that, far from being a gimmick, the Sleeping Tapes is “A legitimate Jeff Bridges project, sold on a Squarespace site, with profits going to No Kid Hungry.” He also claims that he himself has “Personally fallen asleep to the recording on more than one occasion,” and hopes the project “Will show people that Squarespace can help make anything they dream up become more amazing.”
How to Build Your Squarespace Website with Jeff Bridges
A never-before-seen 30-second spot will debut during the first half of the Super Bowl on Sunday, and will feature Bridges highlighting the Sleeping Tapes project. In the days leading up to the game, a teaser will air, and a longer, more involved spot is already available online (see above). After the Super Bowl, the campaign will be expanded nationwide to include TV, digital, and social components based around the #sleepingtapes hashtag. Personally, the campaign is a little too “Floaty” for my tastes, but Bridges charming presence earns it a spot in my run-down.
Kia
From one Hollywood star to another, this integrated campaign from the LA-based creative agency David&Goliath (D&G), who return to the Super Bowl for the sixth consecutive year, features Pierce Brosnan in an action packed, 60-second spot for the new Kia Sorento. Titled “The Perfect Getaway,” the ad will air during the third quarter of the game, and sees Brosnan in a meeting with his agent who pitches the former James Bond a more gentile role than he is perhaps used to. Brosnan continues to interject with cheesy, action movie cliches, but his agent assures him the new Kia Sorento is exciting enough. The ad is part of a fully-integrated campaign, which will include TV, cinema, digital, print, out-of-home, promotional, social media and CRM components.
Kia Sorento Official - “The Perfect Getaway” featuring Pierce Brosnan
David Angelo, founder and chairman of D&G, said the new Sorento was “Engineered to exceed expectations in its class, making it the perfect getaway vehicle, so who better to pair it with than the actor best known for action and adventure?” A fair point, and Brosnan's easy charm and reliably persuasive patter keep the ad from lapsing into the farce it could well have been in the wrong hands. It's a much more interesting ad than the Kia ad D&G unveiled for the Super Bowl last year. “The Truth” ad for the K900 Luxury sedan featured The Matrix star, Laurence Fishburne, and was a much more generic piece of work. It also, however, infamously led to the great Samuel L Jackson tirade that became a viral hit on YouTube last year, so wasn't a complete waste of time.
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and struggling musician from Kidderminster in the UK. During this year's Super Bowl he will probably be playing the recently remastered version of Grim Fandango. That or working.
