With average viewership hovering around 100 million, it’s no mystery why advertisers invest in securing buzzworthy Big Game media buys. But do those millions of viewers translate into effective marketing? In celebration of this weekend’s game, we’re diving into five recent Effie Award-winning Super Bowl campaigns that scored a marketing effectiveness touchdown.
“It’s a Tide Ad”
With a clever and insight-driven concept, Procter & Gamble and lead agency Saatchi & Saatchi transformed every ad on Super Bowl Sunday into a Tide Ad. Tide, fueled by the belief that if it’s clean it has to be Tide, recognized that every ad with clean clothes or fabrics is a Tide ad. They drove this messaging home with multiple commercials throughout the game, all of which appeared to be for other products—but were revealed to be, in fact, Tide ads. The campaign effectively defended their price premium and market share advantage.
“It’s a Tide Ad” won the US Grand Effie in 2019 and took home the inaugural FMCG Global Grand Effie in 2021. See the winning work. Mark Ritson also takes a closer look at Tide’s winning Super Bowl strategy in his special video series for Effie’s 50th anniversary celebration. Watch it here.
“TUMS Makes the Super Bowl #TUMSworthy”
Sometimes, the most innovative Super Bowl advertising doesn’t spend a dime on commercial spots. TUMS captured the millennial audience by claiming the often-ignored blue circle emoji and inserting themselves into cultural Twitter conversations throughout the game. By calling out heartburn-inducing #TUMSworthy moments, TUMS and lead agency Grey New York earned a 2021 Silver Healthcare Effie Award.
Microsoft “Changing The Game”
In a day dedicated to physical ability, Microsoft arrived with a unique and inspiring message: when everyone can play, we all win. In an effort to change their brand perception, Microsoft unveiled the XBOX Adaptive Controller, a device created for disabled gamers, in a Super Bowl commercial. The moving campaign drove 1B impressions, 35M in earned media, 879% increase in #GamingForEveryone and 76% agreeing that Microsoft was a brand they loved.
Read the case that won Microsoft and lead agency McCann New York three gold US Effie Awards and an inaugural Global Grand Effie.
Doritos “Cool Ranch”
How do you breathe new life into a product? For Frito-Lay, it was making Cool Ranch Doritos cooler than ever before. They tapped rapper Lil Nas X as their spokesperson, who was already making headlines for redefining western culture as a Black, openly gay man topping the country charts. The ingenious ad launched a #CoolRanchDance TikTok challenge that drove 5.8B TikTok views. The brand outpaced three-year compound growth by 14x and reclaimed households’ taste buds.
Read the case that won the brand and lead agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners a 2021 Bronze Effie Award.
Skittles “Subverting the Super Bowl Spectacle”
Not every brand can afford a Super Bowl ad—but Skittles didn’t want to miss out on the game’s reach and salience. With a mission of earning attention instead of buying it, the brand subverted all Super Bowl ad expectations by promoting and performing a 30-minute Broadway musical instead of a 30-second commercial. In the end, the innovative and whimsical approach garnered Mars Wrigley and lead agency DDB Chicago 1.56 Billion earned impressions over a 3-week window.
Read the case that led the brand to become a 2020 Effie US finalist in the Brand Experience: Live and Media Innovation – Emerging & New Channels categories.
