As another year ends, we offer this review of the commercials that captivated us the most. They made us cry and laugh. They have given us reason to think. From new products and old ones too, these commercials hit us where we least expected. Give Quantus Creative a call to see how they can bring this same level of attention to your brand as these commercials have:
1. Frito Lay and “Flamin’ Hot”
Using celebrities to tout a product isn’t anything new, but one of the best Super Bowl commercials featuring Megan Three Stallion and Charlie Puth got our attention. Their hilarious spot was done in an unexpected fashion with the vocals of Megan as a red songbird and a fox voiced by Puth providing the beat. They had backup from other animals that did their own rendition of “Push It” by Salt-N-Pepa.
Frito Lay masked their voice with the face of these animals in a worthwhile way that kept our attention on their creativity and product instead of the featured pop stars being their salesperson.
2. Apple and “911”
Nothing can give you thought more than Apple and its tear-jerking spot that highlights the life-saving potential of an Apple Watch through the view of a drone camera. As the drone dramatically crosses various terrains, we hear the 911 calls to emergency responders that catch our attention and our breath: a woman entrapped in a flipped car; a man pulled out into the seas while paddle boarding.
Yes, this commercial pulled on our heartstrings as it proved that the woman’s and the man’s Apple Watches saved their lives. We saw beyond the shiny “must have” gadget and saw it as a lifesaver.
3. Virgin Media and Skater girl
A young woman takes her interest in online videos of skateboarding to a skate park, where her peers video her embarrassing tumble. With a slight fear of what she’s going to see when she gets back online, instead, she finds a human connection. Her peers offered her encouragement, made possible by the technology of today. This spotlight on under-represented minorities, including Aamira, aka “skater girl,” reflected on the beautiful and endless possibilities that are available to all of us today.
4. NFL and “Bring Down the House”
Superbowl commercials often show a lighter and softer side of football with comedy and endearing perspectives, with commercials featuring NFL players, coaches, and referees. How the sport can completely ravage a family’s home over the years.
The animation of this commercial spot is especially spectacular as it blends real-world puppetry and physicality with a proprietary compositing technology. The influence of the NFL on our culture and lives is positioned with the advancement of current technology and what future generations can expect. Ultimately, this commercial confirms that the NFL isn’t going anywhere and will remain flexible in impacting generations, young and old.
5. Nike and “Nike 50th Anniversary – Seen It All”
It is with nostalgia that we’re able to feel good about ourselves and the good ol’ days. Nike’s 50th Anniversary commercial teaches us that celebrating the past is okay while we focus on the future.
Spike Lee reprised his “Mars Blackmon” role in the 1980s Air Jordan commercials, taking Nike’s acclaimed history from the past and bringing it to the present with kinetic energy. Blackmon engages with a young lady in a debate with give-and-go, rhyme-fest that leaves us breathless, just like Nike’s historic marathon-like legacy left its imprint on yesteryear.
6. Rocket Mortgage and the “Dream House”
This Super Bowl commercial features Anna Kendrick in a little girl’s playroom helping her Barbie doll find her new dream house using Rocket Homes. But the other dolls create the negotiation process of house buying with a cost of House-Flipper Skipper versus Better-Offer Betty and Cash-Offer Carl. Each doll tries its best to convince Barbie they have the better offer.
No, the target audience isn’t kids, but the role-playing by dolls shows that this typically stressful process doesn’t have to be stressful when working with the right mortgage company, especially for first-time home buyers.
7. Airbnb and “Bonnie & Clyde”
This Airbnb commercial shows us that traveling with a loved one should bring joy to all ages, not just those at that ‘certain age. The warm sentiment is created in this commercial with the use of still photos featuring an elderly couple on a “baecation” to the backdrop of Beyonce and JayZ’s “03 Bonnie and Clyde.” It captures the idea romance is not just for the young.
This Airbnb commercial shows that we can stay young and vibrant with nothing more than a change of scenery. And Airbnb makes it easy with a few clicks, any place in the world you can imagine.
8. Samsung and the “Rear Window”
There isn’t a better way to pull at our heartstrings than an unusual love story. In this Samsung commercial, there isn’t a familiar or famous face that captures our attention. Instead, it is a hairy spider that sees the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra advertisement through its terrarium window. The spider becomes enamored with it, and the phone’s multi-lens camera resembles the spider’s eyes. Love at first sight.
The concept of this commercial is genius as it shows how an animal can become deeply affected by an inanimate object. It makes us question the relationship we have grown to have with technology, like our cell phones.
