WPP at Super Bowl LVI

The Super Bowl draws an audience of almost 100 million viewers in the US alone, and last year’s Big Game was live streamed for a total of more than a billion minutes. So, it’s little surprise that it’s seen as the world’s biggest event for brands each year, and an annual showcase for our creativity and expertise.

With so many advertisers eager to get in on the action, NBCUniversal announced it had nearly sold out of commercial time before the NFL season had even started. As the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams prepared to face off, so too did many of the world’s leading brands.

Many WPP agencies supported clients with unmissable spots, ingenious media plans, impactful PR ideas and powerful social activations.

Here are just a few examples:

Our media agencies helped a range of top brands with strategy, planning, buying, activation, search and social support, including Unilever, Volvo and Booking.com (Mindshare), Danone (Wavemaker), Uber Eats (MediaCom), and Google and Universal (Essence).

Grey: Pringles

Pringles made a Super Bowl appearance for the fifth year running, with a comical 30-second spot highlighting a dilemma experienced by 43% of Pringles eaters.

Set to Lionel Richie’s Stuck on You, the ad opens at a house party and shows a young man reaching for the final crisp at the bottom of a Pringles can and spending a lifetime with his hand stuck in it.

The tongue-in-cheek campaign invites sports fans to get “stuck in” during the Big Game and wear their Pringles cartons with pride.

AKQA: AB InBev Cutwater

Cutwater knows that it pays to work smarter, not harder. So, its Super Bowl ad celebrated people who are doing just that. It’s a fun ode to the “Lazy Ones” – all while enjoying an ice-cold Cutwater drink.

Wunderman Thompson, Mindshare, BCW & UniWorld Group: Hellmann’s

Hellmann's was back at the Super Bowl for the second consecutive year with an ad starring former NFL linebacker Jerod Mayo and SNL great Pete Davidson.

In the spot, Mayo tackles the food waste issue to help Americans “make taste, not waste” with ingredients that would have otherwise been tossed out. Pete Davidson (and his mother) turn up at the end to drive the lesson home.

DAVID Madrid and Buenos Aires: Wallbox

Wallbox launched its first-ever Super Bowl ad. The electric vehicle (EV) charger maker aired a 15-second spot during the second quarter.

The ad features Seth Thomas, a lightning strike survivor, who despite his fear of electricity is still able to use Wallbox to charge his electric vehicle. The Can Seth Embrace Electricity Again? spot makes Wallbox the first EV supplier to run a Big Game commercial.

Grey: Gillette

Gillette was back at the Super Bowl for the first time in 16 years with a 30-second spot. The commercial aired in the second quarter of the game and promoted the launch of the GilletteLabs with Exfoliating Bar razor.

Directed by the award-winning Martin Krejci, it takes a non-celebrity, non-athlete route, with full focus on the product. The ad stresses the simplicity and speed of using the new razor.

The campaign was boosted by various activities in Los Angeles throughout the Super Bowl weekend. In Santa Monica, Gillette hosted a roller-skating experience to illustrate how quick, easy and smooth the new GilletteLabs technology makes the shaving process.

Grey: Frank’s RedHot

Long-time Grey client Frank’s RedHot, a regular winner of the Twitter Interception Award for driving the highest percentage of brand conversation without a national TV spot in the game, was back with an “edible NFT” and spoof cryptocurrency “Bonecoin” to celebrate the favourite gameday snack: buffalo wings.

Fans were able to scan images of their chicken wing bones to earn Bonecoin, and the person who accumulated the most Bonecoins not only won the Frank’s Redhot NFT, but also an edible replica, the eNFT.

VMLY&R: Sam’s Club

Sam’s Club was another Super Bowl debutant, with actor, comedian and entrepreneur Kevin Hart creating and starring in a 30-second commercial.

The ad, which ran at the two-minute warning during the fourth quarter, stars Hart in celebrity diva mode and shows how everyone can get the VIP treatment with the new in-app shopping feature from Sam’s Club.

Red Fuse & VMLY&R: Colgate-Palmolive

Colgate aired a 30-second spot on Telemundo to promote its “Bright Smiles, Bright Futures®” initiative, which provides oral health education and free treatment for children who need it around the world.