The big game? Our employee-owners are watching for much more than that. To us at Butler/Till, it is all about the advertisements. This morning our teams got together to discuss what brands fumbled and what brands had winning game plans. Our ad critique covered a wide array of commercials from Dove to Google, check out the recap of our discussion below to see how we thought brands stacked up on the biggest advertising platform of the year.
Touchdown: Dove’s “It’s The Hard-Knock Life”
Dove took the emotional approach to their game day ad, as “It’s The Hard-Knock Life” plays, young female athletes balance on the beams, dribble the basketball, and more. Dove writes, “The knocks don’t stop girls playing sports, body confidence does.” As a young athlete examines her body in the mirror, Dove writes, “45% of girls quit sports by age 14. Together we can keep them in the game.”
What really resonated with the Butler/Till team was this commercial’s purpose-driven narrative. With this messaging, Dove differentiates themselves as more than just a hygiene brand; they clearly showcase who they are and what they stand for.
Teams did have some discussion around the inclusivity of this ad, while empowering girls is clearly the message, we wondered about the implications for young boys facing the same insecurities and how Dove could have portrayed both perspectives in their ad. Overall, our BT team enjoyed watching this touchdown.
Fumble: Snapchat’s “Not a Social Media App”
Our employee-owners felt a lot of disconnect after viewing the Snapchat ad. Specifically, Snapchat writes, “Less social media. More Snapchat.” Our teams discussed not clearly seeing the differentiation of Snapchat from other social media platforms, Snapchat writes, “Less likes, more love.” We see this “love” feature across many social media apps, such as Instagram and Facebook, negating this feature as a differentiator for the brand.
Overall, there was a consensus that we saw what Snapchat was trying to say, and it is a topic that consumers want to hear, unfortunately, our employee-owners thought Snapchat fumbled the execution on this ad and we all left wondering, who was the ad really for?
Touchdown: Google Pixel 8’s “Javier in Frame”
Google’s advertisement of their Pixel 8 was one of our employee-owner’s favorites. This ad highlights the accessibility features of Pixel 8. The Guided Frame makes it easier for people with blindness or vision impairment to use the camera, capture photos and videos, and document daily life.
The footage showcased what someone with a visual condition might see—it was blurry and unclear. As a blind Director himself, Adam Morse uses his incredible film work to showcase this. Overall, our employee-owners agreed this was a beautiful advertisement, both aesthetically and emotionally. We also noted that the storytelling was top notch, with a clear, captivating narrative. This touchdown touched the hearts of our teammates, even bringing some of them to tears.
Let’s Win The Game Together
From tear-jerkers to jaw-droppers, our employee-owners had a great time discussing all of the advertisements showcased at the big game this weekend. Do you have any thoughts on this year’s commercials? We would love to hear them, let’s connect today.
