Superbowl ads with purpose: Genius or Disingenuous?

Well, it seems the sophomore, or at least sophomoric curse of  Superbowl ads is finally over. After several years of silly gags in search of ideas, this year, much of the humor was intelligent and quite a few brands chose to connect emotionally via social purpose. So now the question is, how well did the social purpose connect to the advertised brands? Were these genuine efforts, or simply brands in search of social purpose?

Well, in this writer's opinion, some brands tried to stretch beyond their rightful boundaries, while others had a seamless connection between their message, their brand and their business. Interestingly, there were several common themes across brands that allow for some head to head comparisons:

Theme 1: Triumph over adversity

Microsoft and Toyota chose to tell stories of physically disabled people who didn't let their disabilities stop them. 

Toyota's 'How Great I Am' spot, featuring Muhammad Ali's voiceover, and Paralympian Amy Purdy, was a beautiful spot. That is, until it cut to the end frame with an in your face picture of the 'Bold New Camry'. 

Microsoft's 'Braylon O'Neil' showcased how the magic of Microsoft technology has enabled a six year old boy born without a tibia or fibula to thrive. 

The verdict: Microsoft 1- Toyota 0. 
Toyota's ending was such a jarring disconnect. However bold the styling of the new Camry might be, it bears little comparison to the truly bold individuals featured in the ad. Microsoft, on the other hand was telling a story in which it was integrally involved, paying off the brand idea of 'Empowering Us All' much better than any Windows demonstration could have done. Microsoft's other ad, 'Estella's Brilliant Bus' also showcased the impact that Microsoft technology has on human empowerment.

Theme 2: Love and Happiness

Two iconic American brands, Coke and McDonald's have taken their brands into this highly emotional, and difficult to own territory. 

Coke's 'Make it Happy' chose to extend their long running 'Happiness' theme by literally leaking a bit of Coke happiness into the internet, thus transforming hate messages to happy messages.

McDonald's 'Pay with Lovin'' played off it's new brand emphasis on 'lovin'' by exchangin' money for love for some of its lucky customers.

The verdict: Coke 1 - McDonald's 0. 
Coke has long stood for happiness and optimism. While this year's spot was not as anthemic and straightforward as previous efforts like last year's 'America the Beautiful', it was certainly consistent with Coke's long running brand theme. It would be nice to see Coke somehow extend this idea from a 60 second ad to a real initiative. Per my last post, I'm just not feelin' that McDonalds has the right to own 'love', and a limited time offer (from now until Valentine's Day), does little to convince me otherwise. It felt more gimmicky than genuine.

Theme 3: Dads

For some reason dads were popular this year, so this was a crowded field, with Toyota, Dove, and Nissan all paying tribute to the influence that fathers have on their kids lives. 

Toyota's 'My Bold Dad' once again told a charming, although a bit hackneyed, story and once again slammed on the emotional brakes by trying to connect 'bold' fathers to the 'bold new Camry'. 

Nissan's 'With Dad' featured the personal and professional conflicts of a Nissan race car driver who spends too much time away from his family. Nissan products, from Nismo race cars to the soon to be introduced Maxima, were integral to the story. 

Dove's 'Real Strength' presented a series of vignettes illustrating a caring bond between Dads and kids, ending with the line that 'care makes you stronger'. 

The verdict: Nissan .5 - Dove .5 - Toyota 0
First, the simple difference between Nissan and Toyota was that Nissan featured a human story, in which their vehicles played a supporting role, while Toyota was borrowing emotional capital to sell you a Camry. This difference made Nissan's effort seem much more genuine than Toyota's. It is however, interesting to note that the Nissan ad did not end with the 'Innovation that Excites' tagline--perhaps because this ad may have been a little off brand?

Dove's male version of its 'Real Beauty' series, which has  been highly acclaimed for contributing to building women's self esteem from the inside out. While I'm not sure that 'Real Strength' is as directly tied to Dove's core competency, the 'Real Beauty' equity  gave Dove permission to create this men's initiative. That said, the Dove Men+Care products tacked onto the end seemed distracting and detracting.

Wild Card: The 'One Off's'
Dodge's 'Wisdom', Nationwide's 'Make Safe Happen',  Always' 'Like a Girl', and of course  NFL's 'No More' also brought social purpose to the Superbowl. 

The Verdict: 'Like A Girl' Wins
While they all managed to have relevance to their brands and businesses, Always won the show. Let's face it, Always' core business is not one that lends itself to the Superbowl, but, due to the nature of their business, Always comes into its core customer's lives at a time when their confidence is most vulnerable. And the execution, while perhaps a little heavy handed, certainly demonstrated how society has shaped women's self perceptions during this vulnerable time. Of course, in order for this not to be a 'one off', it would be nice to see Always extend this idea by taking real action to instill confidence in young women.

All in all, this year's Superbowl brought new and welcome brand sensibilities to the game. Given the ever more important role that corporate social responsibility plays in driving business for brands, it is likely that next year's Super Bowl will again feature some ads with social purpose. And while not all will be home runs, or shall I say touchdowns, the brands that chose to connect their messages to their core business and brands will be the ones most likely to create real brand value through their media investment.