The Runner Up Award Goes To…
Rocket Mortgage – “Certain Is Better”
Tracy Morgan shows a family wondering if they can afford a house what “pretty sure” looks like.
The dad drops from a poisonous berry, jumps from a plane with a backpack on, and has what might be a hive of murder hornets drop on his head.
After not making a car bridge jump, when Morgan says, “I am pretty sure we can make it,” the family agrees, “Certain is better.”
Another version of the ad with the “certain is better” theme also aired during the game.
The Best Super Bowl Ad Of 2021 Went To…
Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade – “Last Year’s Lemons”
With last year being such a difficult year because of the pandemic, it was expected that some inspirational commercials would be created to make the audience feel better about what our future holds. There were some of those ads, like Jeep’s “The Middle” that promotes The Reunited States of America with Bruce Springsteen talking about a tiny chapel in the center of the continental United States.
However, one ad took a humorous look back at last year and it stood out as the clear winner: Bud Light’s Seltzer Lemonade.
In the opening scene, in a backyard setting, one person asks, “When did Bud Light Seltzer start making lemonade?” Another lady replies, “Probably when 2020 handed us all those lemons.” A third person recalls, “2020 was a lemon of a year.”
Then looking back, starting with the 2020 New Year, lemons start raining down from the sky. First they take out a biker and then a man in his robe who was laughing at the biker. One man accidentally shaves part of his head. A bride, taking shelter with her husband, cries on her ruined wedding day.
Back by the backyard cooler, a fourth person grabs a can by the original three actors and says, “Well you know what they say, when life gives you lemons…” It was a clever way to launch a new product to the Super Bowl audience of over 185 million viewers.
The stands were limited to 25,000 seats used, approximately 7,500 of those were vaccinated health care workers who were given free tickets by the NFL. Those in the stands and watching from home could see Bud Light had incredible signage.
Bud Light seems to always be in the running, just like Tom Brady. I already cannot wait for next year! Hold the lemons.
Note: A special shout out to Erik Weihenmayer, a high school classmate of mine, that is “a blind man who conquered Mount Everest” seen in the beginning and the end of the Guaranteed Rate commercial, the last ad to run in the big game.
Mike Byrnes is a national speaker and owner of Byrnes Consulting LLC. His firm provides consulting services to help advisors become even more successful. Need help with business planning, marketing strategy, business development, client service and management effectiveness? Read more at ByrnesConsulting.com and follow @ByrnesConsultin.