The Super Bowl: Political Brands a Mainstay
111.3 million people tuned in to watch Super Bowl LI, which though not record setting is still the third largest television event in history. The game marked the first comeback by more than 10 points as well as the first Super Bowl to go into overtime. The ads aired also marked a first in Super Bowl history, for the first time many were driven by political messages—a departure from past approaches that solely used wacky or hilarious skits.
Take for example Audi's soapbox-car racing ad (perhaps my favorite of the bunch), a touching visual narrative is backed by a father asking "what will I tell my daughter?" and then something like that despite her education, drive, or skills she will not be payed equal to any male counterpart. It ends by him hoping "maybe I won't have to" as the daughter looks into the camera walking back to an Audi after winning her race, then #driveprogress appears. Being this strong on the wage gap seems like an excellent statement for a mainstream brand like Audi, because it is highly political (tending on liberal & feminist) but it's not polarizing. No one could openly state that they believe their daughter should be payed less than their son for the same level of work, yet that inequity is present in our society and little is being done about it because the issue has been politicized. The ad does a great job of being provocative without alienating too many potential customers.
Audi #DriveProgress
Target: The young (<50) affluent male with a passion for quality and performance
Insights:
1. A political stance can differentiate an automaker, in this case addressing the wage gap shows Audi as forward thinking and youthful.
2. Everyone deeply wants the best for their children.
Purpose: #Drive Progress & as always "Progress through Technology"
Positioning: Mid range luxury automobiles/the modern "with-it" luxury brand (they know there is a wage gap)
Personality: Young, Accomplished, Deeply Caring, & Hopeful
Audi's Drive Progress ad also serves up everything we would normally want out of a car ad. No it doesn't show every glamorous angle of the A5, but we follow the daughter through hairpin turns in an intense soapbox race that evokes the same sense of victory and performance most car ads aim for. Also notable is the way the daughter wins—by braking. Rather, than just having a higher performance car she wins by skill and intellect. She brakes at just the right time, allowing two competitors to crash and spin out and then she presses on, just barely grabbing the crown. This is a different style of winning than say a Dodge Viper might try, and it reflects Audi's brand.
Throughout the Super Bowl we were hit with political stances by all kinds of brands as they take advantage of our current political climate to build their brands by becoming activists in their own right. Other key brands that did this are as follows: 84 Lumber, Buddweiser, Airbnb, Coca-Cola & Google Home.