Last year around this time, people were buzzing about a Super Bowl ad that broke from the funny, flashy mold: Clint Eastwood’s “Halftime in America” for Chrysler. And it seems the same thing is happening again.
This year, two companies garnered big attention with something simple and moving. Following up the success from last year, Dodge Ram (owned by Chrysler Group) gives us “Farmer.” With only the sound of Paul Harvey’s voice echoing from 1978 and still images of life on the farm, the company again made people sit up and listen.
2013 Dodge Ram Super Bowl Ad — “Farmer”
And, in what has been named by many as the winner of Super Bowl Ads 2013, Anheuser-Busch’s Budweiser spot made quite a few eyes unexpectedly tear up for a man and his horse, serenaded by Stevie Nicks’ “Landslide.” You could even go to Twitter and submit a name for the little Clydesdale, born just a couple of weeks before the ad aired. The chosen name? Hope.
2013 Budweiser Super Bowl Ad — The Clydesdales: “Brotherhood”
So, last year there was one. Now there are two. The question is now that they’ve proven twice in a row that simple, quiet, stirring words and images capture attention, will we be seeing a slew of these types of ads during next year’s Bowl? If so, will they have the same impact? No matter what, I believe the lesson is clear (and certainly not new). The best communication moves people. Make them laugh, make them cry, make them feel something real. And, of course, if you can move them in a way that most others aren’t doing at the time, you’re golden.
Weigh in: what do you think of these two, and what was your favorite of all?
