Helmets Off, Headphones On: Lessons On Creativity From The NFL
The NFL is one of the largest global platforms for advertisers, offering a unique opportunity to connect with a diverse demographic of fans. System1’s Jon Evans interviews the NFL’s CMO, Tim Ellis, and Glenn Cole, co-founder of 72andSunny, to discuss how they transformed a ‘gladiators’ sport into an emotional, compassion-driven brand.
Tim Ellis, who began his career as an actor, understands the importance of showmanship and storytelling. With the help of their agency 72andSunny, these elements have become integral to the NFL’s brand identity. Their ambitious goal to shift the narrative around American football—traditionally associated with ‘gladiator’ imagery of helmeted players as larger-than-life warriors—has been made possible through strong trust and communication between the brand and agency. Both Ellis and Cole emphasize that a lack of trust is the biggest barrier to creating great work.
This episode offers valuable creative insights and strategies for NFL advertising, including:
- Super Bowl Advertising: A look at past top-performing ads and why they resonated so well.
- The Agency/Brand Relationship: How brands and agencies can maximize their partnership, with a focus on the role of consistency in fostering creative growth.
- Brands Are Like People: Strategies for connecting with audiences and unlocking the human side of creativity.
- The “Helmet Off” Strategy: How the NFL softened its image, making it more relatable and appealing to a wider audience.
- Emotional vs. Rational: The business case for emotional creativity and why prioritizing emotion is a winning strategy.
Catch up on the full episode here: Uncensored CMO, Spotify, Apple Music
How to Make a Great Super Bowl Ad
In a conversation with Jon Evans, Tim Ellis, and Glenn Cole, System1’s Test Your Ad results for past Super Bowl spots reveal key strategies to create standout ads on one of the world’s biggest advertising stages. Here are their tips, along with System1’s insights on top-performing Super Bowl ads to help elevate your strategy for Super Bowl LIX:
Glenn Cole, co-founder of 72andSunny – “It’s easy to see people get caught up in the hoopla of it, and I do see creative people get distracted by ‘I just have to entertain’ and you stop playing with your fundamentals, without remembering what got you there. Focus on what your brand really needs and treat it like any other media moment.”
Tim Ellis, CMO of the NFL – “Do something that is true to your brand but do something that [audiences] also don’t see coming. To do something different is important. We always aim to be the best ad.”
Lessons from Past Winners
Huggies ‘Welcome to the World’, Super Bowl 2021
- System1 Star Rating: 5.4
- System1 Spike Rating: 1.25
- System1 Fluency Rating: 97%
This memorable TV spot earned a Super Bowl ad trophy in 2021 by celebrating babies born on the day of the Super Bowl. At System1, we know that storytelling is a powerful way to win over consumers, and this narrative practically writes itself—being born on the same day as one of the world’s biggest sporting events creates an instant emotional connection. As Glenn Cole and Tim Ellis advise, combining your core brand identity with a ‘surprising’ twist is a smart Super Bowl strategy.
In this case, centering the ad on babies, family, and the challenges of parenthood perfectly aligns with Huggies. The clever twist is the timely Super Bowl reference, tying the brand into the excitement of the game. While babies naturally evoke emotion, the ad also taps into humor and expressive faces, known for boosting engagement and attention, which can lead to long-term commercial success.
Key lessons:
1. Forge a meaningful connection between your brand and the Super Bowl.
2. Embrace the fundamentals of emotional advertising: storytelling, characters, and humor.
3. Use relevant messaging to engage fans and attract a new audience of potential buyers.
Microsoft ‘We All Win’, Super Bowl 2019
- System1 Star Rating: 5.9
- System1 Spike Rating: 1.02
- System1 Fluency Rating: 14%
As uncovered in System1’s Feeling Seen USA report, brands that authentically embrace diversity can create a powerful emotional connection with both broad and represented audiences. Microsoft exemplifies this with their ad highlighting how their latest gaming console connects children with disabilities through gaming. In massive moments like the Super Bowl, which reaches a vast and diverse audience, leaning into themes of humanity and connection is highly effective and emotionally resonant.
While Microsoft’s ad doesn’t follow a typical Super Bowl theme, its message of inclusivity and connection strikes a deep chord with viewers. Storytelling and authenticity take center stage, with the product simply serving as a catalyst for positive change—helping make all children feel included.
Key lessons:
1. Appeal to universal human truths, like family, friendship, and belonging, to connect with audiences.
2. When promoting diversity and inclusion, focusing on one authentic story is more impactful than trying to showcase multiple stories briefly.
3. Emotional messaging drives long-term brand building effects as well as short-term sales, a crucial factor when launching a new product.
Disney ‘100 Years’, Super Bowl 2023
- System1 Star Rating: 5.3
- System1 Spike Rating: 1.72
- System1 Fluency Rating: 98%
Disney masterfully taps into its brand identity with a Super Bowl ad that reminds audiences who they are and how far they’ve come over 100 years. Fueled by nostalgia, the ad appeals to a wide demographic by referencing generations of childhood memories, evoking strong existing emotions. This magical campaign fits seamlessly into the Super Bowl, an event that also thrives on history and nostalgia. By aligning their message with a moment where dreams come true—both in storytelling and sports—Disney’s ad struck a powerful emotional chord, capturing the hearts of consumers.
Key lessons:
1. If you have a big message, don’t hold back—deliver it with confidence.
2. Emphasize what makes your brand special and how it has been part of people’s everyday lives.
3. Tap into the emotional intensity and excitement of the day, appealing to your audience’s sense of nostalgia.
Jeep ‘Groundhog Day’, Super Bowl 2020
- System1 Star Rating: 5.2
- System1 Spike Rating: 1.45
- System1 Fluency Rating: 94%
One of the most memorable celebrity campaigns from the Super Bowl featured Bill Murray in a remake of the iconic film Groundhog Day—but this time, with a brand-new Jeep. The ad is both heartwarming and familiar, bringing a comedic twist to a beloved cinematic classic. This is a great example of fluent innovation, blending the familiar with the new. As System1’s John Kearon explains in System1: Unlocking Profitable Growth, this approach is not only effective for product innovation but also a winning strategy for launching new products on a major stage like the Super Bowl. The key to success is balancing familiarity with novelty, typically around an 80:20 ratio—where brands should rely 80% on the familiar and 20% on the new. Jeep nails this formula, using the iconic Groundhog Day setting to launch their new model.
This strategy is especially effective when using celebrities. Showing them in a context that is familiar to their audience—like Bill Murray reprising his Groundhog Day role—ensures commercial success.
Key lessons:
1. Cultural classics are a proven way to win over broad audiences.
2. Prioritize familiarity over novelty, especially when launching new products.
3. Feature celebrities in contexts that are known and familiar to them for maximum impact.
Want to learn more about How to Win the Super Bowl?
There’s plenty more Super Bowl strategies to uncover! For the past five years, we’ve been compiling top-performing ads and analyzing what made them so successful. Our data and insights can help you maximize the potential of the big game too.
Be sure to check out more from The Uncensored CMO, where Jon Evans discusses game day commercials with industry leaders like David Droga, Mischief’s Greg Hahn, and representatives from brands such as Liquid Death, Amazon, and DoorDash. These conversations offer valuable strategies for creating standout Super Bowl ads and understanding what it takes to win over millions of viewers.