Super Bowl 2020 Ad Roundup

Super Bowl 2020 Ad Roundup – Touchdowns & Fumbles

At Age of Majority, it’s one of our favorite times of the year – SuperBowl! While we’re looking forward to the big game, we’re just as excited to view the new and exciting commercials that arrive along with it. The annual event has become as important to the advertising world as it is to the sports world, bringing some of the best, most talked about ads of the year. Below we round up a few of our favorite spots (we call them “touchdowns”), and some we think missed opportunities (“fumbles”), at least when it comes to connecting with the Active Ager.

Touchdown:

Doritos feat. Sam Elliott

This year, Doritos is celebrating the number one song of the year: Old Town Road by Lil Nas X. In an homage to Western cowboys everywhere, the first spot features Sam Elliot reciting the song’s lyrics in a crowded saloon. In another spot, he engages in a dance battle with the young rapper, Lil Nas X. These spots are a hit by resonating with snack lovers of all ages, incorporating a hit song and introducing younger audiences to the older legendary actor.

Fumble:

Audi feat. Maisie Williams

In an obvious attempt to attract younger consumers, Audi took an interesting approach in advertising their electric cars. The spot features 22-year-old Maisie Williams of Game of Thrones fame stuck in traffic belting out “Let It Go” from Disney’s Frozen. The youth-oriented focus is no surprise: Audi has been actively attempting to scoop up younger consumers for years. The fumble here lies in the fact that one of Audi’s largest consumer bases is the older consumer – a significant purchaser of luxury cars.  In fact, in this ad an older consumer literally takes a back seat. Surely there is a better way to engage older and younger drivers together without alienating their most important group of buyers.

Touchdown:

Amazon feat. Ellen Degeneres & Portia de Rossi

Amazon tapped Active Aging power couple Ellen Degeneres and Portia de Rossi (OK she just turned 47) to star in its SuperBowl campaign. The spots showcase the two using the Alexa virtual assistant seamlessly and effortlessly improving their day-to-day lives and making mundane tasks easier. The main slogan of the campaign, “What did people do before Alexa?” mirrors the question many tech-dependent young people now ask older generations: “How did you survive before ______ ?” In flipping this notion on its head and positioning Amazon Alexa as an integral part of the couple’s life, the spot shows just how fast generations of all ages have adopted this new tech. It shows how marketers can recognize the tech-savviness of older consumers in a way that’s relevant to younger ones too.

Fumble:

Genesis feat. Chrissy Teigen & John Legend

Car brand Genesis wants to redefine the meaning of luxury in this new campaign featuring the popular celebrity couple, Chrissy Teigen and John Legend. At a posh party the couple chats up an older couple about an ice sculpture, contrasting the older couple’s “stuffier” style with Legend and Teigen’s laidback style. It’s topped off with the tagline “old luxury gets a wake-up call”.  We see the fumble in how the commercial delivers humor at the expense of the older, apparently stodgy, couple. Again, the ad runs the risk of turning off (or at least failing to connect with) a huge consumer base. Consider that as many as 57% of new cars are purchased by people 55+.

Touchdown:

Facebook feat. Chris Rock & Sylvester Stallone

There’s no denying that Facebook has had a tough time over the past few years, especially with newer social platforms emerging and gaining popularity with younger consumers. The one demographic still actively joining Facebook? Those over 50 years old. For their SuperBowl ad, the company made a smart decision by choosing two actors (both 50+!) who are loved by all ages and who also reflect the true demographics of the social platform. So far, only teaser ads have been released for the campaign, yet we’re already impressed with the approach Facebook is taking to attract younger consumers, without alienating their existing (and increasingly older) consumer base.

Overall, this year looks to be a good one for Active Agers in SuperBowl ads, judging simply by their representation. A few additional honorable mentions go out to ads from Mountain Dew (feat. Bryan Cranston), Cheetos (feat. MC Hammer) and Little Caesar’s (feat. Rainn Wilson).

We can’t wait to see the full versions of these and other ads during the big game. Age of Majority wishes everyone a happy SuperBowl Sunday!