Super Bowl LIII. Some random thoughts
February 5, 2019
By Gonzalo López Martí – Creative director, etc / LMMiami.com
- It was a Super Bowl to forget.
- Sports and advertising wise.
- If the annual January NFL extravaganza is a barometer of the national sentiment, we might be going through a collective lethargy of sorts.
- Some conclusions off the top of my head, to wit:
- Celebrity fatigue might be setting in.
- The ominous suspicion that Tom Brady’s every word and gesture is carefully scripted and included in a very long contract with a sponsor.
- Giselle Bundchen is not really that pretty
- Not sure Pepsi is spending its money wisely.
- Maroon 5 is getting worse with age, musically speaking. However, there’s something to be said about their chameleon-like ability to stay shamelessly relevant. Adam Levine is a surprisingly fortunate combination of Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Ricky Martin, Chris Martin and Justin Beaver.
- Beer makers are desperate for women to drink more of the thing.
- Absolutely LOVED the Microsoft spot with the partially paralyzed kid. The boy is a star.
- Car manufacturers are running out of ideas.
- Luxury car manufacturers are shooting themselves in the feet.
- Loved the Bud Light + Game of Thrones collaborative effort.
- Burger King’s campaigns, IMHO, are a mixed bag but the Andy Warhol spot was a winner. I ain’t saying burgers will fly off the shelves thanks to it but they are onto something here. Something long term and daring. Made me look, made me think. From a purely creative standpoint, I really really liked the simplicity and the cool swagger of the spot.
- Kinda liked the barrage of no-frills TMobile spots (as opposed to some of its competitors grandstanding). My guess is the message reached home, loud and clear. Just don’t enter it in to Cannes.
- Stella Artois squandered an opportunity to create a campaign for the ages. The script is lame. The strategy is might powerful though, they will sell overpriced beer by the truckload regardless.
- Jeff Bezos seems to be very fond of the SB as a marketing showcase. All his brands were there: Amazon, Alexa, The Washignton Post.