Advertisers Expected to Tackle Serious Issues in Super Bowl Spots (from Dec; now, they've backed off...because they are on the run)

Front Office Sports ^ | December 4, 2020 | Michael McCarthy

[DoodleBob]

Most Super Bowl commercials take a lighthearted approach, with cute kids, funny dogs, talking babies.

Think of the adorable, pint-sized Darth Vader using the “force” to start up his dad’s Volkswagen Passat in 2011. Or two cute Dalmatian pups separated at birth for a Budweiser spot in 1999.

But this February, sports marketing experts predict CBS Sports’ telecast of Super Bowl LV will feature more serious advertising messages that tackle topics like racial justice, white privilege, and the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

Nationwide protests inspired by the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police and the loss of 280,000 Americans from the coronavirus pandemic have altered the cultural landscape.

The NFL has looked to embrace social justice initiatives, including placing the “Black Lives Matter” message on player helmets and in end zones. Sponsors may look to follow suit during CBS’s telecast from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. on Feb. 7.

“It’s going to be ‘Black Lives Matter,’ it’s going to be COVID. It’s going to be [about] coming together,” predicted Bill Oberlander, co-founder and executive creative director of the purpose-driven ad agency OBERLAND.

Corporate marketers can no longer “duck” racial, social and political issues, Oberlander warned. In fact, many consumers want brands to stand up.

According to a study by OBERLAND and real-time market research firm Suzy, brands are more at risk from saying nothing than speaking out against racism.

Roughly 80% of consumers want brands to respond to racism by making a statement or donating money to anti-racism organizations. And 35% of consumers ages 19-26 say they’ve stopped buying from brands that have not spoken out against racism since Floyd’s death on May 25.

[Betty Jane]

I guess the Autists take down of a hedge fund won’t assuage their fears. A bunch of ants took out the grasshoppers today. Sure the grasshoppers will seek revenge, but there will be more group projects to come, I’m sure.

[DoodleBob]

The birds are our allies.