Chip Rich on Super Bowl Sincerity

Last year, creative agency Lowe Campbell Ewald’s New York group creative director, Chip Rich, wrote about the value of the teaser campaign and the art of leaking in building up to Super Bowl glory prior to the Big Game.

This year, he’s turned it around to comment on the spectacle from the other side of the spectrum, and now all the ads have aired, below, Rich offers his conclusions on this year’s overall tone and what we can learn from the spots of 2015.

If the Super Bowl halftime show had taken its cue from the majority of the commercials, its over-the-top fireworks, giant robot tiger, crazy special effects and Katy Perry headliner all would have been replaced with natural lighting, families holding each other tight with Oprah Winfrey and Joni Mitchell earnestly pleading for the world to come together and save ourselves from ourselves, complete with some very specific lessons on how to do just that.

Game Day kicks

It was a non-stop call to the better angels of our nature and an all-out battle between brands clamouring for the high ground. This must have been disorienting for fans ready to belly laugh loudly at the TV screen.

There were a few of the hyperbolic, goofy, or straight up entertaining Super Bowl commercials that we've come to expect from the Big Game. Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel's internet flashback for BMW, Snickers, Avocados from Mexico, Loctite, Squarespace's Dreaming with Jeff and Liam Neeson's Revenge for Clash of Clans were the few and funny exceptions in a line-up of commercials so sincere, and in some cases so powerful, that even the Budweiser horses were completely stampeded.

Scoring points

With so many commercials that appealed to our common humanity, it felt more like watching the Olympics than the Super Bowl. I love thought-provoking anthemic narratives about the power of the human spirit, but sometimes you just want to laugh, and for a lot of America, the Super Bowl is one of those times. That said, with over 100 million people watching, I applaud the brands that used their $7m to create spots that attempted to help make the world a better place.

This year’s commercials were a non-stop self-help crash course in Humanity 101: The value of the human spirit and how to save it. Let's review the syllabus:

Lesson 1

Being a real man means being a real dad. Loving your family is the real definition of masculinity. Taught by Dr Dove.

Lesson 2

The world is what you make it. So make it happy. Turn hate speech into happy talk and stop cyber-bullying. Taught by Coca-Cola.

Lesson 3

Life races by, but at the end of the day, being a dad is the most treasured accomplishment. Taught by Professor Nissan. (Before signing up, please be aware this class is three-hours long.)

Lesson 4

Just because we can doesn't mean we should. A cautionary tale about the power of our human appetites and an appeal to the wisdom of restraint. Taught by Dr. Weight Watchers.

Lesson 5

Love makes the world go round. Kindness is more valuable than money - at least now through February 14 at participating fast food restaurants. Taught by Ronald McDonald.

Lesson 6

When it's hard to talk, it's up to us to listen. A hard look into the realities of domestic abuse and the responsibility we all have to help each other. A real-life case study presented by the NO MORE.org and the NFL.

Lesson 7

Think about what you're saying. A social experiment on the impact of words that changed the definition of "like a girl" from an insult into something amazing and empowering. Taught by Female Studies Professor Always.

Lesson 8

You learn a lot in 100 years. A veneration of real life lessons that show real respect for those who have gone before. Taught by distinguished Professor Emeritus Dodge.

Lesson 9

The world is small, play responsibly. Let's explore, appreciate and protect every corner of the world we share. Taught by Travelling Professor Jeep.

Touching down

I really do love anthemic, heartfelt ads about the power of the human spirit. And especially ones that rally us all to get along, be better people, and cherish the things that are most important. With each commercial break, I kept thinking everyone in America was going to be a better person at the end of the game. Then I was proved wrong when in the final seconds, players started brawling in the end zone.