As we wind down our pre and post-game Super Bowl XLVII coverage today, let’s light up another quickfire Q+A with an agency exec. First on the field is Jim Scott, c0-founder and managing partner of Minneapolis-based mono, which has worked on efforts for the likes of Target and MSNBC and has teamed up with blu dot to bring us the online creative swap meet among other things. Anyhow, like the other quickfire contestants before him, Scott weighs in on the Big Game’s advertising.
Which ads did you like the most this year?
First and foremost, Super Bowl spots need to be entertaining. The Dorito’s “Goat 4 Sale” commercial did a nice job of taking a simple message- these chips taste good- and leveraging this message through an unexpected and entertaining story. Kia’s “Space Babies” connected with its audience in a completely different way through a spot targeting parents with an emotionally-charged, yet simple, question- where do babies come from? Both took really simple insights and brought them to life with completely unexpected and surprising stories.
Is there an advantage or disadvantage to releasing ads to social media ahead of time?
In today’s world, where everything is known, planned and released, surprise is perhaps the last remaining creative lever. And with the Super Bowl, people are looking forward to being surprised with ads that are new, different and disruptive. So, while it makes perfect sense to release an ad ahead of time to generate additional exposure, it does diminish an ad’s ability to surprise the viewer. To do something interesting that no one has seen before. As you release it ahead of time, that’s diminished.
Is the ever-increasing Super bowl ad cost really worth what’s now $4 million a spot?
No one can doubt the impact, engagement and pure reach of the Super Bowl. But, to me, the real question is, “What else could you have done with $4MM?” The real question is not whether or not the Super Bowl is worth it, but in really exploring and questioning other ways to engage, disrupt and create brand experiences.