Telling stories in Super Bowl commercials
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NEW YORK - Super Bowl ads have become soap operas.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson shrugged off aliens and other villains so he could get more milk for his kids at breakfast in a Super Bowl spot for the Milk Processor Education Program. Anheuser-Busch's commercial told the story of a baby Clydesdale growing up and returning to his owner for a heartfelt hug years later. And a Jeep ad portrayed the trials and triumphs of families waiting for their return of family members.
The reason for all the drama? With 30-second spots going for as much as $4 million this year and more than 111 million viewers expected to tune in, marketers are constantly looking for ways to make their ads stand out. And it's increasingly difficult to capture viewers' attention in between plays.
"A lot of advertisers are running long commercials to tell these stories that engage people often in a very emotional way," said Tim Calkins, professor of marketing at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern. "These spots that tell stories really stand out in the clutter."
Chrysler started the longformat commercial trend last year, with a 2-minute spot starring Clint Eastwood. This year, Chrysler led the trend again with its 2-minute salute to troops and their families.
Audi's 60-second ad, which featured an ending that was voted on by viewers, showed the story of a boy gaining confidence from driving his father's Audi to the prom, kissing the prom queen and getting decked by the prom king.
