The Super Bowl sends a strong message of inclusion

However, the Super Bowl is one annual event I can never miss, not for its sporting significance, but rather for the entertainment value that the occasion provides at half-time and the advertising spectacle on display for the world to see.
Super Bowl LI was the greatest American football event ever witnessed, not only from a sporting point of view but from commercial and political standpoints as well. In the face of growing divisions in the United States, many brands used the event as an opportunity to take a stand, in which marketing and politics were somehow seamlessly intertwined into core messages.
All in all, 66 brands aired campaigns at the Super Bowl this year, and the total advertising expenditure was estimated to be around US$385 million (Bt13.5 billion), with the average spend per second at $160,000, according to Advertising Age – a record high in the Super Bowl’s 51-year history. You can safely conclude that the health of advertising is still solid.
What stood out most was the communication strategy that various brands decided to adopt, the message of “inclusion”. Beyond the spectacular performance by Lady Gaga during the half-time break, complemented by extraordinary audio and visual installations and flawless choreography, were the subliminal shots taken at the newly installed administration of President Donald Trump.
Before plunging into the stadium with a harness attached to her body, Lady Gaga quoted from the Pledge of Allegiance: “One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Despite not being overtly political, Lady Gaga got her message across – to 111.3 million people, according to Nielsen.
Some of the world’s largest brands also got in on the act.

Audi
Audi America’s “Daughter” campaign, with its commitment to gender equality, showed a soapbox derby, depicting the victory of a girl driver at the expense of a handful of boys alongside a narration about a gender battle that had existed for years. The one-minute spot ended with a tagline that read: “Audi America is committed to equal pay for equal work. Progress is for everyone.”
 
Budweiser
Budweiser, one of America’s most iconic beers, portrayed the story of a German immigrant named Adolphus Busch, making his way over to the US more than a century and half ago to chase the American dream. It spoke about the experience of discrimination he felt upon arrival to his adopted homeland. 
He met Eberhard Anheuser at a bar in which he was greeted by being told: “You don’t look like you’re from around here.” They formed a partnership that became Anheuser-Busch. The spot ended with a message that read: “When nothing stops your dream, this is the beer we drink.” The spot is called “Born the Hard Way”.
Whether the story was factual or fictitious, the spot rode on an issue as relevant today as it was a century ago. 

Airbnb
Even a former tech start-up like Airbnb got in on the act. Its 30-second spot called “We Accept” rendered a montage of different nationalities and religions, and in conclusion said “The world is more beautiful the more you accept” and hashtag #weaccept.

National Football League
The NFL itself was also vocal in its message of unity in a spot called “Inside These Lines”, which told a story about how achievement can be cultivated by a group of people, no matter what background they come from. The spot memorably ended with an aerial view of a map of the United States painted in white on grass at an NFL stadium.

Coca-Cola
Probably the most notable ad that needs to be mentioned in this article is Coke’s rerun of a 2014 Super Bowl spot called “America the Beautiful”. If you can’t recollect that ad, it sees a cast of people from diverse backgrounds singing “America the Beautiful” in various languages including English, Spanish, Hebrew and Hindi. Even back then, the controversial spot brought the worst out of people, as it did last Monday. But of course, it truly represented Coke’s multicultural reach across the globe via its message of inclusion.

84 Lumber
Another campaign worth mentioning but too controversial to explain here is 84 Lumber’s “The Journey Begins”, the conclusion of which can only be seen on its website journey84.com, as the broadcaster aired only a few minutes of an ad that could potentially create friction on a mass scale.
According to IPG Mediabrands’ social listening tool “Prophesee”, 84 Lumber’s was the most talked-about campaign, with just under a million mentions through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter globally across multiple languages.
 
Brand implications
The brands mentioned here had specific mandates. They wanted to protect their customer base regardless of race, gender or religious associations, or they wanted to use the occasion to expand their business beyond their core customer base. Either way, the ripple effect can be felt across the digital world as people engage online and express their own views organically.
In the end, it will take a monumental effort, comparable to New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s valiant display on the field and his team’s historic comeback, to bring about further change that can foster the message of inclusion, for the sake of humanity and, of course, greater business performances for your brands.
 
Pradon Sirakovit is associate director for corporate communication at IPG Mediabrands Thailand.