A snack for a new generation!

The Big Game commercials are never short of celebrity cameos but Doritos made sure to cover all target bases springing for three different music artists, each appealing to a subset of snackers. 

Focus of the advertisement is the journey of rapper Jack Harlow’s new musical venture, yet, the consistent Doritos triangle and chips in the hands of commercial subjects, including Missy Elliot, are a reminder of what the commercial is really about. While Gen-Zers may not be familiar with Elton John, and Rocket Club members likely would fail to name a Harlow song title, this star-studded ad delivers on humor and appeal for all music lovers and that makes it effective.

MORE TRIANGLE. Doritos took on a new angle with their advertisements and gave a long overdue credit to the strongest and most delicious shape: the triangle. My best friend and soulmate, Jack Harlow, was seen swapping the mic for a wicked triangle solo only to be one-upped by Elton John himself, playing a giant triangle in place of the piano he is usually paired with. This ad paid tribute to the triangle in a plethora of ways but highlighted the musical technicality of the

very underrated instrument, the triangle, which will perhaps not only celebrates the iconic shape of Doritos, but revolutionizes the music industry in months to come. I made a direct comparison to the infamous SNL skit, “More Cowbell” and now find myself saying “MORE TRIANGLE” as I listen to Jack Harlow and lick the precious Dorito dust from my pointer finger and thumb.

My favorite Big Game commercial goes to Pepsi, “Great Acting or Great Taste? | Ben Stiller.” From a creative/advertising standpoint, the commercial did an excellent job by fitting the event tone, targeting a diverse audience, and using a clever simile. First, the commercial perfectly suited the Big Game celebratory environment by emphasizing comedy with a well-known actor.

Pepsi might have stirred up laughter in an audience that was likely in a party atmosphere. 

Pepsi also did an excellent job targeting different audiences by using specific references in each scene, like Romanticism, Star Wars, Zoolander, and others. These references might have generated high engagement as they targeted multiple segments. 

A few years ago, I rambled about 2020’s commercials balancing genres, format, and messaging. This year, I think one spot achieved the best of all worlds… Ben Affleck running the drive-thru at Dunkin’ Donuts. Celebrity cameos, real people, mixed format shooting techniques, meta comedy… all wrapped up in one simple spot.

In the last few years, we’ve seen a mix of drama and comedy throughout the games’ ads, both of which can be seen as responses to the social mood resulting from Covid, politics, war, racial tension, and the list goes on. This year was a little more traditional with companies mostly going for laughs and nostalgia (shoutouts to Clueless, Grease, and Caddyshack).

With moviegoing being near and dear to my heart, I’m trying not to be concerned that we barely got any movie hype and what we did get was studios only wanting to invest in putting out a trailer for a trailer that they want you to go watch online.

The most important ingredient in a successful ad is the sticking factor. Good advertising doesn’t inspire us to buy a product, it builds a relationship between the company and the customer. To create a sense of trust and connection, advertisers use tactics like celebrity spokespeople to piggyback onto the connection consumers already have with those familiar people or popular content from the past to engage nostalgia, which includes the years of rosy hue we add to memories.

As much as we like to think we make decisions through logic, humans are, in fact, emotionally driven, and no one knows this better than advertisers. A good ad taps into our basic human emotions like happiness, sadness, and excitement.

A great ad doesn’t stop there; it reaches us at a deeper level, thus burrowing itself into the mind, which then takes over and continues to build on the sense of relationship long after the ad is over.

My favorite type of commercials for the Super Bowl are the ones that push engagement, but this kind of engagement was hilarious: It made many viewers get off the couch and check if they sat on the remote! While Tubi is trying to make a run for “Rookie of the Streaming Platforms” award, this commercial made everyone go – what the heck is going on? A giggle and engagement goes a long way – even if it’s not measurable engagement. At our party, we kept on hearing, “Dammit man! Not again…”