2022’s Big Game tried hard to push out the pandemic stigma as it took place in one of the coolest and top culturally inspiring cities in the world. Super Bowl LVI had it all: Emotion, drama, nostalgia, iconic pop stars, legendary rappers, and of course, lots of advertising.
These spots are, in fact, one of the highlights of the game. An estimated 117 million viewers not only watch those highly valued 30-45 seconds but then engage with the brand through social media and commercial activations.
For example, Pringles “Stuck In” spot was released earlier in the week as part of an integrated marketing campaign inspired by the statistic that 43% of the consumers have had their hand stuck in the can at some point. This project was driven by The Lift’s Senior Producer, Magali Sagarra, and portrays the story of a young man that gets his hand stuck in a can and how he spends his life coping with it.
These commercials also help us understand the historical moment of this massive media event, situating us in a contemporary context where crypto and tech advertising converges with traditional products, giving the future a nostalgic twistIn a Variety article, the author asserts that this year’s Super Bowl commercials were aimed at GenX viewers since “cutting-edge products and services were all presented with calls out to the recent past”.
Another Super Bowl spot we had the opportunity to collaborate with, was ‘Welcome to Irish Spring’ which was considered #7 on the top 10 Super Bowl Ads by AdWeek.
For The Lift’s Fuad Abed, Irish Spring was a unique and interesting project with a nice mix of nationalities in the team: Norwegian directors, Irish producers, and a Mexican crew.
Portraying Ireland’s countryside in a tropical weather country was a real challenge; As a child, Fuad spent a lot of time in Hausca, a small town near Mexico City with a mining past, enchanted oyamel forests, and basaltic prisms. This location provided the perfect setting for what the team had in mind.
Fuad’s participation in this year’s Super Bowl ads extended into another project: TurboTax. This advertisement, which was filmed entirely on set, was done by what Fuad considers a dream team: Alex Prager (Director), Matthew Libatique (DP), and Roberto Bonelli (PD). This project was a strong collaborative effort where creative minds complemented each other and strengthened one another’s ideas. For our Senior Producer, “It was a really magical experience and it was incredible to watch Bonelli and Prager make a scale model of New York”. This project is a real combination of artwork and artisan skills.
As we stated before, advertisements aren’t just commercial spots to promote a product or service, but they situate the viewer in a specific context and at a specific time. The ‘Kayak Deniers’ spot is the perfect example of this, with the skit playing off of controversial COVID-19 deniers. When Pepe Aguirre took this project for travel agency Kayak, he didn’t know it was going to be aired during the Super Bowl but he enjoyed working with Mike Warzin – who’s great sense of organization, professionalism, and energy made this project as enjoyable as the winter weather in Mexico.
Last but not least, the Avocados from Mexico, a funny commercial that heads back in time to the days of the Romans, with groups of people tailgating outside of the Colosseum and with special participation from comedian Andy Richter. Antonio Thibaut, The Lift’s producer for this spot, endured the challenge of production during the fourth wave of the pandemic in Mexico. With different heads of departments getting sick, pre-production during Christmas, and strict health protocols to work with, this commercial came through with an excellent outcome, with wardrobe and art design the real stars of the project.
It was a great, albeit challenging, year for Super Bowl commercial production, and the impressive outcomes speak for themselves. We are so proud of the amazing work our team and our collaborators have completed during this time and are excited for what next year’s big game has in store!