But not all brands can successfully execute comedy, nor should they.
“You can’t crowbar humor on a brand where it doesn’t belong,” says Phil Schaffer, senior director of marketing, Pop-Tarts, which will make its first foray into the Super Bowl this year, with a funny spot starring “Queer Eye” star Jonathan Van Ness.
Going for laughs has also become increasingly harder thanks to an overall heightened sensitivity, which has forced many brands to play it safe. This has resulted in “bland” creative, says Peter Dabolll, CEO, Ace Metrix.
“They are all doing 30 different political correctness checks to make sure there’s nothing remotely controversial,” he says. “But sometimes you need a little edge to make things funny.”
Those Super Bowl ads considered the funniest or most buzzworthy pushed the boundaries of taste, says Tim Calkins, professor of marketing at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Business. He points to CareerBuilder’s chimpanzee-themed ads and GoDaddy’s risqué commercials featuring half-dressed women, adding those “wouldn’t fly in today’s environment.”
Hyundai Chief Marketing Office Angela Zepeda admits it is a challenging time to execute humor. "So many things back in the day that were the funniest to say you can't say any more," she says. "The point of humor is to call things out, poke fun at something and say what people are thinking."
The automaker actually received backlash for its 2019 ad starring Jason Bateman playing an elevator operator. The ad compares car buying to dreaded activities like getting a root canal, taking the middle seat of an airplane, or attending a vegan dinner party. Car shopping occupies the bottom floor, but Hyundai positions its retail experience as superior by zooming the elevator up.
Organizations like PETA berated the automaker for making fun of vegans. In response, Hyundai posted a recipe for beetloaf online.
Gaggle of celebrities
Tapping multiple stars who span generations and cultural divides, and cramming them into one ad, seems to be the strategy of at least several Super Bowl advertisers as they look to appeal to the approximately 100 million people who will tune in to the Big Game.
Katie Couric will appear alongside YouTuber Lilly Singh in Olay’s spot (not to mention comedian Busy Philipps, Taraji P. Henson and retired NASA astronaut Nicole Stott). Actor Sam Elliott, known for his roles in Westerns, is seen reciting lines from Lil Nas X’s song “Old Town Road” in a Doritos teaser. “Real Housewives of New Jersey” stars Teresa Giudice and Caroline Manzo will rub elbows with Kim Chi and Miz Cracker from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” in Sabra’s spot. And Hyundai tapped celebrities with roots in Boston, including actors Chris Evans and John Krasinski, comedian Rachel Dratch and Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz.