The Super Bowl has something for everybody these days. Even if you don’t enjoy watching the game, the commercials can be just as entertaining for non-sports fans. The average Super Bowl commercial for the 2016 game between the Broncos and the Panthers was a surprising $5 million for a 30-second ad. Here are some of this year’s most popular commercials and why.
After the stressful 2016 presidential election, it seemed that everything is somehow rooted in controversy. Some commercials in the Super bowl were no different, such as the 84 Lumber commercial titled, “Complete the Journey.” Fox deemed the commercial too controversial to be aired in its entirety; the commercial aired during the big game only shows a short part of the video in which a mother and daughter are making a journey. However, in the second part of the commercial, which was available on the 84 Lumber website, they travel all the way to the United States border only to discover a massive wall has been built. Only a vague connection was made between the story and the advertiser, 84 Lumber, who had built a wooden gate through which they could enter.
Skittles aired a 30-second commercial titled, “Romance” which captured the attention of audiences. Family members (and others) take turns catching skittles in their mouths. This commercial was a change of pace from all the other commercials which surrounded it because it was fan-friendly to all and fun to watch.
The company Airbnb, a marketing company for renting homes and apartments, aired a 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl called, “We Accept,” in which simple messages of acceptance of people was flashed. Even though this was a short commercial, it had a strong effect. At one point, political undertones were revealed when a Muslim man appeared with the message no matter “who you worship,” likely in reaction to Trump’s recent immigration ban on seven primarily-Muslim countries.
The Super Bowl ads varied in many ways, from feel good all the way to highly-political. Which was your favorite?
