It’s been said that a 30-second commercial shown during the 2020 Super Bowl cost advertisers $5.6 million.
That’s a LOT of money! Normally, most of us rate the best Super Bowl commercials based solely on what commercials are the most entertaining.
What I Thought the Three Best 2020 Super Bowl Commercials Were (Based on Entertainment Value)
Based on just being the most entertaining, I personally thought these were the best Super Bowl commercials this year…
Smaht Pahk | 2020 Hyundai Sonata | Hyundai
Cheetos® | Can’t Touch This | SUPER BOWL LIV OFFICIAL EXTENDED VIDEO
Jason Momoa Super Bowl Commercial 2020 | Rocket Mortgage
For us as individuals, entertainment is a fine criterion for a great Super Bowl commercial.
But if you’re a company spending $5.6 million dollars on a Super Bowl commercial, then the only criteria that really matters is whether the commercial helps you to sell more and/or gains more leads.
Look, if your business or company has a lot of money and the product or service you offer is:
- A commodity
- Inexpensive and therefore doesn’t require much risk to purchase it
- Or is typically purchased not long after someone desires it (i.e. has a very short buying cycle)
… then you will probably see some results from strictly using brand advertising like Coca-Cola does.
Otherwise, the wisest, best kind of Super Bowl ad for you to use is:
- The kind of ad that makes an offer
- The kind that asks for a direct way for people to respond to it
Why are these the best and smartest type of Super Bowl ads for companies?
There are two reasons:
1. You can capture leads.
2. You can measure the effectiveness of your ads.
Without an offer or direct way for people to respond, there’s no real way to capture leads or know if your Super Bowl commercial is effective or not.
What I Thought the Best 2020 Super Bowl Commercials Were (Based on Potential for ROI)
With that in mind, here are what I think were the best (aka most effective) 2020 Super Bowl commercials (in no particular order).
1. Winona in Winona (Big Game 2020 Extended Commercial) | Squarespace
Why did I choose the Winonan/Squarespace commercial?
- It had an indirect offer by adding a URL at the end.
- And they used the curiosity factor as a way to encourage you to visit the URL.
2. QuickBooks Happy Business: Karate Kid Live Bookkeeping
Why did I choose the QuickBooks Live commercial?
- This is one of the few videos that had a direct offer. The offer was “Get set up with a Live Bookkeeper.”
FULL DISCLOSURE: I work for Intuit but I would’ve chosen this ad even if I didn’t.
3. Loretta | Google Super Bowl Commercial 2020
Why did I choose the Google/Loretta commercial?
- This ad made you want to use Google and in that sense had an indirect offer.
4. Best Thing Since Sliced Bread | Little Caesars Big Game Extended Cut
Why did I choose the Sliced Bread/Little Caesars commercial?
- People love to eat during and after the Super Bowl and this commercial indirectly showed you a way to fulfill that desire, right away.
5. P&G Presents: When We Come Together, an Interactive Super Bowl Party, America’s Choice
Why did I choose P & G/We Come Together commercial?
- I chose this because they included a URL at the end of the commercial and created a whole interactive website. This again was an indirect offer.
6. Facebook Groups: Ready to Rock? I Super Bowl 2020
Why did I choose the Facebook Groups/Ready to Rock commercial?
- Because this commercial used social proof as an indirect incentive to get you to try Facebook Groups.
How Could Any of These Ads Be Made Better?
If I wanted to improve any of these commercials, I would test three things:
- Adding more benefits that customers gain from the product or service
- Give a more specific call to action
- Adding a reason for people to respond now
Most Powerful and Effective Ad During the Whole 2020 Super Bowl?
But possibly the most effective 2020 Super Bowl ad wasn’t a commercial at all. It was seeing all of the people at the Super Bowl using Verizon’s 5G service.
I thought that was really powerful. And if 5G was really as amazing as it’s supposed to be, they probably also created a lot of word-of-mouth from anyone who used it at the game. Because they went home and told all their friends how cool it was.
What Do You Think?
- Did I miss a commercial that you thought was effective (not just entertaining?
- Do you agree with my criteria for what makes the best Super Bowl commercial based on ROI?
- What was your favorite Super Bowl commercial just based on entertainment value?
