Serious Messages in the Super Bowl

Hello!

2017 changed the game for Super Bowl marketers. Thanks to messages about immigration and diversity from 84 Lumber, Airbnb, Coca-Cola and more, the Super Bowl became a place to take a stand about your company's values.

In 2021, consumers will embrace that messaging, according to the latest poll from Morning Consult. The issues with the most appeal are expected: helping veterans, thanking healthcare/essential workers, mask-wearing, national unity and thanking law enforcement. Further down the list you'll find Black Lives Matter with a +22 rating.

Adweek's Doug Zanger has more on the data, including what it means for marketers looking to take a stand.

How Should Brands Make Up for 2020 With Super Bowl Spots?

We have an excellent contributor column from Ad Colony's Sheeva Banton about how the Super Bowl is a place for marketers to rebound after a wild, and in many cases, disappointing 2020. Even if you have no plans of running a Super Bowl, this column is a great read for any marketer thinking about what their brand's message should be this year. Read it here.

Cheetos and Doritos reveal mysterious teasers

It'll be interesting to see if this plays out as a trend or if this is just a product of two brands of the same parent company taking the same tactical approach. Cheetos and Doritos both introduced some mystery into their Super Bowl ad teasers. For Cheetos, Ashton Kutcher investigates a classic "Whodunnit" scenario featuring an unknown (presumably celebrity) perpetrator. Doritos uses Mindy Kaling and Jimmy Kimmel to suggest there's a celebrity named Matt in this spot (given Kimmel's feud with Matt Damon, my bet is it's Mr. Good Will Hunting).

The ad's only hint is that his name is #FlatMatthew.

It's one of several Frito-Lay brands that'll advertise in the Big Game this year.

Focusing messages on inclusivity—and to women—can help marketers recover lost ground.