Content is still king in the Super Bowl.
While the spotlight could shine a little brighter on the few automakers who decided to make a pitch on advertising’s biggest stage, brands shouldn’t assume that just being there will be enough.
The four spots from General Motors, Jeep and Toyota will still need to deliver if they want to make an imprint on consumers.
In fact, with people social distancing due to the pandemic, the dynamics of how the game is viewed could change this year. With crowded Super Bowl parties out of the question for many, consumer attention on the ads could be even greater because they may not have “friends and distractions going on” that could take their focus off the screen, said Satya Menon, managing partner for the ROI practice at Kantar.
Kevin Krim, CEO at analytics firm EDO that can measure online search activity after ads air on TV, doesn’t think the smaller number of auto brands will automatically translate into a larger-than-normal surge in engagement.
Last year, eight brands jumped into the Super Bowl fray and ran eight spots. EDO data found that Super Bowl viewers in 2020 were six times more likely to search for one of the brands being advertised than they would during other primetime broadcasts.
“The creative content matters so much,” Krim told Automotive News. “It’s got to be the right combination of vehicle, and a true, genuine, authentic brand message. And then, increasingly in recent years, you got to back that up with celebrity or some really hot, big flashy concept.”
Krim added that if a celebrity isn’t involved, an ad would need to be “over the top in its visuals and it’s music and all that. Those are the ways you, as an auto brand in particular, can deliver really effective creative in the Super Bowl.”
GM is going the celebrity route in its two ads with big names such as Will Ferrell, Kenan Thompson and Winona Ryder and Jeep is enlisting iconic singer Bruce Springsteen.
Krim said the Super Bowl is still the best investment brands can make on TV.
So why are big game staples such as Hyundai and Kia sitting out?
Hyundai has concocted a series of well-received ads over the years, including last year’s funny “Smaht Pahk” spot starring actor Chris Evans that touted the Sonata sedan’s technology.
Even though the brand is preparing to launch its redesigned Tucson crossover in April, it felt it could showcase the vehicle in a different way. Hyundai told Advertising Age, a sister publication of Automotive News, that it wanted to make a major, sustained push for the Tucson by spreading its spending over many months. Saving on a Super Bowl ad, the company said, will help the brand carry out that strategy.
“This was a decision based on marketing priorities, the timing of upcoming vehicle launches and where we felt it was best to allocate our marketing resources,” the brand said in a statement to Automotive News. “Hyundai has a long and successful history in producing memorable Super Bowl advertising, including consistently strong rankings in the USA Today Ad Meter and Ace Metrix, and we will certainly be back.”
Honda told Ad Age that its new vehicle launches this year didn’t line up with the Super Bowl timing, said Ed Beadle, assistant vice president of American Honda’s marketing division.
Lexus, which hasn’t appeared in the game since 2018, said it will focus on the digital realm this year. The luxury brand told Automotive News it has had a “heavy presence” on YouTube, which will draw the eyeballs of those looking to watch all of the new ads.
Beginning Sunday, Lexus will take over the YouTube masthead on the site’s homepage and the AdBlitz section that serves as a hub for the latest Super Bowl content. The automaker is pushing its IS sport sedan on the mastheads, which leads people to the IS page on Lexus.com, where they can configure models and find a dealer.
The masthead will feature a special new version of the brand’s “Names” and “Vanity Plates” spots for the IS, which highlight “people who fully embrace their passions.”
“This prominent placement on YouTube provides Lexus mass reach with its IS target customer as they look to go ‘all-in’ on the cultural conversations happening around the Big Game,” the brand said in a statement. “For the new IS, Lexus is targeting its youngest, most diverse customer yet with a broad, yet deep campaign.”
Additionally, Lexus said it has had pre-roll ad placements in official NFL videos before and during Super Bowl weekend.
Audi, which was hyping its electrified vehicles during the Super Bowl in recent years, decided to sit out.
The brand said as it “looks to the future, we’re excited to share the next chapter of our story … We’ve got more to come.”
Volvo is again jumping into the Super Bowl discussion without running a spot. The brand is seeking to generate engagement around the “Volvo Safety Sunday” campaign, which pledges to give away $2 million worth of cars if a safety is scored. This ups the ante from last year’s $1 million.
To enter the contest, people have to visit VolvoSafetySunday.com to configure a vehicle or take a short quiz that will make a recommendation. From there, participants select “Try to win this Volvo,” which gives them the chance to be randomly selected if a safety happens.
Deb Gabor, CEO of Sol Marketing, a brand strategy consultancy, said Volvo’s effort to play on its safety reputation works here and helps it stand apart from the pack.
Gabor said a lot of auto ads, in general, are virtually indistinguishable, but believes Volvo’s effort is “innovative in its own way.”
Ford Motor Co. has had sporadic appearances in the game and decided against investing in a national Super Bowl spot. This year, the company went with a regional ad strategy targeting major markets that were the hard hit by the pandemic, including Southern California, Florida and Texas.
Ford’s campaign, instead of pitching vehicles, is urging America to finish strong as the health crisis continues. The automaker, while announcing its regional ad approach on Feb. 2, said it’s planning to distribute more than 25 million free medical-grade masks over the next five weeks. The call-to-action campaign will touch Michigan and Missouri as well, where Ford said the company has a high concentration of employees who cannot work from home.
Mark Truby, Ford’s chief communications officer, told Ad Age, “Sure we could have done national advertising,” but “we are trying to make the dollars we have go as far as we can,” referencing its mask-making efforts.
Kia, which broke an 11-year ad streak in the Super Bowl, went with an outreach message as Ford did. The Korean automaker said it will “expand its charitable initiatives in support of America’s youth.”
Gabor said consumers are increasingly requiring that the brands they buy show them what their values and beliefs are.
Gabor said the pandemic, the resurgence of the social justice movement after George Floyd’s death in police custody in May and a hotly contested presidential election only accelerated this trend.
“It is just a very highly divided public,” Gabor said.
Gabor thinks it’s possible the automakers who invested in spots will grab a greater “share of mind” than they normally would, but there are no guarantees.
“Don’t forget that everything about how people are consuming this, and the way they engage with the Super Bowl as a cultural phenomenon is completely different this year,” Gabor said. “I’m going to be really interested in what these results look like.”
