Are you not entertained? The secret to levelling up your Super Bowl creative

As advertisers, we’re used to working behind the scenes and sometimes in the shadows, obsessing over words and images that we hope don’t fall on deaf ears. 

But, once a year, that dynamic is turned on its head and advertising becomes the culture. Suddenly the world is hanging on our every word. 

Once a year advertising becomes the culture. Suddenly the world is hanging on our every word. 

Not only can the Super Bowl be one of the biggest moments in a brand’s life, it can also be one of the biggest moments in your career; 60 seconds that can change your work life. And now, thanks to the popularity of our third hand (also known as the small smartphone screen in our pocket), the Super Bowl is more important than ever. 

It stands as one of the last shared experiences in American culture. One of the few times a year when people look up at the TV instead of down at their phone when the commercials start rolling. 

Above: The Super Bowl is one of the few times when people watch the TV when commercials are on.

The Super Bowl is a time when you can expect people to talk about advertising and brands just as much as the sport itself, with feedback on your work coming in almost instantly. You can debut your ad during the big game, then head to Twitter or Reddit to see in real-time how your ad resonated. So, where does that leave us? 

Some years may not perform as well as others. But it’s important to keep taking those leaps regardless. 

It leaves us with the drive to outperform ourselves. It’s a hard thing to do, but the key to your creative hitting is simpler than you might think. Here are my three tips for marketers who are looking to make a splash with creative year after year.

1. Be ruthless in your methods

The Super Bowl is your moment to highlight the most critical thing you want to say to your audience. You can’t do everything in a Super Bowl spot, so you need to be cutthroat about cutting out the messages and separate distractions from the core of your idea. 

You also need to find the balance between what you want to say and what people actually want to hear, so go big in your message. I’ve learned at Saatchi, with Super Bowl spots almost yearly, that true year-over-year growth is hard to achieve and there are different ways to measure it. But, at the baseline, if you set your sights high each year, you’ll continue proving your creativity and value as a brand. But know that, even with taking risks, some years may not perform as well as others. But it’s important to keep taking those leaps regardless. 

Above: Bud Light popularised a catchphrase to good effect in their Super Bowls spots.

2. Don’t overcomplicate it

If you want your creative to outperform last year, don’t use this as a time to be niche. Nobody wants to be the only one at their Super Bowl party who didn’t relate to the ad. Hinge on universal experiences. Be vigilant in your pursuit of simplicity. 

Nobody wants to be the only one at their Super Bowl party who didn’t relate to the ad.

Don’t make jokes about people, instead enlist collective experiences like catchphrases to unite people in a moment of solidarity. Every year, make sure everyone in the room gets it. One successful ad from Saatchi & Saatchi is the Tide It’s a Tide Ad. It’s a simple moment that resonated with a lot of people because it played with familiar tropes.