The Super Bowl is just around the corner, and the world’s biggest brands are poised to showcase their most creative commercials—with the hope of leaving a lasting impression on viewers. While most watch to laugh, cry, or find a new favorite company to follow, marketing professionals like us can’t help but take a deeper look at what makes these advertisements so effective. Often, it’s because they’re the perfect blend of strategic and creative marketing, something we call creative intelligence.
As we wait for February 13 to kick off yet another year of ads, we asked our team to share some of the most memorable commercials they enjoyed from the past year.
Baker Mayfield Shares Hot Goss | At Home with Baker Mayfield Series | Progressive Insurance
“I have loved the Progressive/Baker Mayfield commercials! They produce a new one often enough to get me excited when a new one airs and I think the concept of the stadium being his ‘home’ is awesome. They make him seem so relatable in a funny but engaging way.”
Unbecoming Your Parents Series | Progressive®
“They're hilarious and relatable.”
“They get me every time because, as a new homeowner, I often catch myself or my significant other acting more and more like our parents. They do a great job of adding humor and lighthearted stereotypes to turning into your parents. The grocery store one specifically makes me laugh hard every time.”
“From the hardware store to the shopping mall, the characters playing the parents are so relatable and goofy, it almost hurts. My favorite version from this past year was the one that takes place in an airport.”
Parker Promo | Jake from State Farm® Series | State Farm®
“I especially like the one where someone was thanking Jake for the great rates and thinking they are so good, they had to be specialized for them. It stands out to me because I truly believe that a brand's best marketing strategy is to have an exceptionally amazing product and top-notch customer service. These commercials depict this in super creative ways.”
Cat | Mayhem Series | Allstate
“The Allstate Mayhem Commercials—all are great, but I think the ‘cat’ version is especially good. They captured typical cat behavior in a super funny way.”
Geico Claims Audition: Lisa Loeb | Geico
“With a slight but very funny spin on the '90s throwback ‘Stay,’ Geico once again produced one of the top commercials of 2021.”
Holiday Ride | Chevrolet
“I cried every time I saw this commercial! Around the holidays, we tend to crave stories that are relatable and invoke emotion, and this did just that. Definitely created positive brand recognition.”
911 | Apple Watch Series 7 | Apple
“I hate ads that make me cry but these are so effective at showing the ‘why’ of the Apple Watch. The series takes a product that a lot of people might see as a luxury item and positions it as a safety device, which opens the market up past ‘people who are Apple product devotees.’”
Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski Big Game | T-Mobile
“As a sports fan, I really enjoyed T-Mobile's commercial with Tom Brady playing off his decisions to change teams with a spotty network. I liked that T-Mobile is showing consumers to use them as a reliable and trustworthy service.”
Your Cousin from Boston Series | Sam Adams:
“I always enjoy Your Cousin from Boston for Sam Adams. I just love characters, especially those that seem like they're kind-hearted but maybe a little unaware—like the lovable goofy guy.”
Scooter the Neutered Cat | Give Them Ten:
“It's a hilarious and catchy way to make people think about getting cats neutered/spayed to reduce overpopulation and euthanasia of healthy cats.”
Our takeaways:
The insurance, automotive, and tech industries set the example in 2021 for creative intelligence with content that we could relate to, made us laugh out loud, tugged on our heartstrings, and say, “Now THAT was clever.”
And that makes sense! As consumers are inundated with more and more options of where to shop and what to buy, the brands that go the extra mile to understand their audience and create personal connections will truly set themselves apart in 2022.
We hope these commercials, and the new ones to come, help inspire your creativity all year long. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter for more content from us, or reach out to explore how we can put our creative intelligence to work for you!
