Posted on 01/30/2018 2:14:11 PM PST by nickcarraway
Is it the Super Bowl, or the Do-Gooder Bowl?
Hyundai is using an expensive 60-second ad spot in Sunday's game to plug an organization dedicated to fighting childhood cancer, the automaker said today, following the decision by Anheuser-Busch InBev to dedicate two big-game berths to its philanthropic efforts involving water.
Hyundai's ad in the fourth quarter will promote a nonprofit group it funds called Hyundai Hope on Wheels that battles pediatric cancer. The automaker and its agency, Innocean, will assemble the commercial with a combination of content captured on game day and pre-shot footage. The spot will air in the fourth quarter.
Anheuser-Busch InBev has already released its cause-based spots: a Budweiser ad touting the brewer's Red Cross-affiliated program donating canned water to areas hit by natural disasters and a Stella Artois commercial plugging a partnership with Water.org, which invests in clean water initiatives for developing countries.
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The Super Bowl will of course be dominated by the usual assortment of silly ads and movietie-ins, like Lexus' ad that uses the Black Panther to raise interest for its $75,000 sports sedan. But AB InBev and Hyundai's move could foreshadow a pivot to more cause-based ads as marketers attempt to strike an emotional chord without touching hot-button political issues. In the Trump-era, anything even remotely controversial often sets off a social media frenzy that can put brands on the defensive. Who can argue with giving away water or curing cancer?
"Super Bowl ads always reflect the mood of the country to a certain degree," says Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at Northwestern University. "Our country has all sorts of issues right now and it's very polarizing. And this may be brands responding to that by embracing causes that everybody can rally around."
If more brands follow Budweiser's and Hyundai's lead, it will mark a departure from previous games. Only 6.4 percent of Super Bowl ads in the the past 10 years made a corporate social responsibility appeal, according to research from Charles Taylor, a marketing professor at Villanova School of Business. But he is projecting more cause-based ads this year because they are favored by millennials, he said in a report previewing this year's ad slate.
There are potential pitfalls with taking a philanthropic bent. For one, companies could look over-promotional or boastful. Viewers might wonder whether a brand spent more on the ad than the actual cause, for instance, notes Jay Porter, president of the Chicago office of PR agency Edelman. It's a bigger issue in the Super Bowl, where 30 seconds of airtime can run some $5 million. "But certainly if it's an authentic and deeply rooted connection to the cause or the specific organization, it's a great storytelling moment, if handled correctly," he says.
AB InBev and Hyundai have longevity on their side. The brewer has been running the disaster-relief water giveaway program for 30 years, and says it has donated 79 million cans in that time. But it has never before plugged the program on a stage like the Super Bowl, so it could get an awareness boost. Hyundai's motor division helps fund the Hope on Wheels program, along with its dealers. Since its inception, the organization says it has awarded more than $130 million for childhood cancer research.
Hyundai's ad is "not in response to the social and political environment," Hyundai Motor America Chief Marketing Officer Dean Evans said in a statement. Because Hyundai Hope On Wheels is celebrating its 20th anniversary, "we wanted to acknowledge the incredible work they've done in the fight against pediatric cancer." Innocean U..S. Chief Creative Officer Eric Springer added that the ad is "not only about selling cars; it's about expressing the 'hope' that is intrinsic to the Hyundai brand."
In a teaser ad released last week, Hyundai said it would "surprise millions" with the Super Bowl spot. Last year the automaker shot its commercial during the game and aired it in the post-game. It featured overseas troops watching the game in immersive VR pods that remotely reunited them with family members at the stadium.
This year's plan also includes a more traditional ad that will run during the pregame show and tout its subcompact SUV, called Kona.
WOW thanks for this info! Going home with some good news today.
Saw the Busch ad. They never mentioned that back then Busch was a legal immigrant. As were my grandparents. No wet backs in my family.
just my speculation but if the ratings for the Super Bowl suck they may owe even more money...if they say “rather than the $3mill refund we’ll give you three super bowl ads for free” they don’t have to worry about it two weeks from now...
Like some of my freeper friends, I didn’t watch the Super Bowl last year, I won’t watch the Super Bowl this year, and I haven’t watched anything NFL for many months. This will probably continue for the rest of my life.
There is only one reason that Superbowl ads will tout philanthropy — because it works to sell their products. The companies paying for the ads think that consumers will have good feelings about the companies due to the philanthropy ads, which will translate into sales. There is no higher purpose or meaning to them. They are crass and cynical.
I was doing work during the Super Bowl last year. Consulting work for a friend who hired me to help. I did check the score on my phone once in a while. Does that count?
I’m sure your buddy knows about how the ad rates are pegged to getting a certain rating on the programming, reaching a certain number of audience.
So rebates and givebacks could happen.
I’ve heard that the NFL makes more from TV than from ticket sales nowadays.
Well, clearly bad ratings translates into bad financial news for the NFL.
Good point which gets lost in the debate. Yes we are a nation of immigrants, but the vast majority of our ancestors came here legally. The liberals constantly conflate legal immigration with illegal aliens.
-PJ
much more from TV than ticket sales...i started a thread yesterday- i have season tickets to an NFL team in the northeast and got my renewal package yesterday (2 months earlier than usual) and they dropped ticket prices 30%...
YES!
Yep.
Like your tagline. As a Catholic, I have no use for the Communist Pope!
Message to companies: I won’t be watching. The situation was made even worse by the NFL rejecting the Stand Up ad. I couldnt care less about the Super Bowl.
In previous years, I watched the game mostly for the ads. Looks like I won’t be missing much in that department when I give the game a pass this weekend.
I figure I should be able to get a tee-time Sunday afternoon, no problem...
You could play gold, or you could participate in a sport?
Nah. The prez of Home Depot told the Dems they have NO BRAINS. It’s on FR multiple times in 24 hours. That’s why I go to HD lol
“It was 84 lumber.”
That’s it. The ad made my blood boil.
I think that’s a funny question! In my book, that definitely doesn’t count as watching. My wife’s family would watch the Super Bowl even if some players raped their mother the night before.
Instaclassic.
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