Super Bowl Advertisers Gravitate to Humor in a Hard Time

Ad-agency executives say the country is looking for a reprieve from its problems, including the surging virus, an uncertain economy and political divisiveness.

“People want to laugh and they want to feel normal again,” said Susan Credle, global chief creative officer at Interpublic Group of Cos.’ FCB, which is crafting several big-game ads this year.

Candy-maker Mars Inc. will air a comedic ad in the first quarter of the game featuring its M&M candy characters.

Amid all the challenges, the emergence of vaccines against the virus that causes Covid-19 has helped consumers feel more optimistic heading into 2021, according to Mars Wrigley U.S. Chief Marketing Officer Sarah Long. People “want to smile, they want to be positive,” she said.

Comedy has long played a significant role in Super Bowl commercials, of course, but ad executives anticipate that more brands are likely to employ a humorous approach for Super Bowl LV.

In recent years, many Super Bowl advertisers have also aired emotional commercials or ads tackling heavy issues such as cyberbullying, domestic violence and gender stereotyping.

Ad executives are advising brands that they should choose more lighthearted approaches for the first Super Bowl to be played during the pandemic.

While Hollywood A-listers have become a staple of the ad battle in regular years, ad executives said there is also likely to be a notable increase in the number of celebrities enlisted this year, thanks in part to the pandemic’s disruptions to movie production.

“We are finding that celebrities who wouldn’t necessarily want to do commercials before are willing to be part of it because they are not working,” said Rob Reilly, global creative chairman of Interpublic’s McCann Worldgroup. McCann has enlisted a high-profile celebrity to appear in one of the Super Bowl ads it is creating.

Some agency executives said they would avoid nodding to the pandemic in their ad messages because people have been bombarded with “stay safe” or “we’re all in this together” ad messages for much of the year. “I think we have checked that box,” said Ms. Credle at FCB.

Still, advertising is often a reflection of what is going on in the world, and some brands will likely try to reflect the pandemic in some manner.

In 2002, companies struggled to figure out what tone to strike in the first Super Bowl following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Although many expected brands to mark Sept. 11 by blasting out patriotic ads, advertisers largely opted for more entertaining approaches intended to lift spirits.

A few advertisers did acknowledge the attacks. Anheuser-Busch aired a Budweiser spot that featured the brand’s Clydesdale horses trekking to New York and bowing in a respect as they faced downtown Manhattan. And job-search website Monster.com ran an ad featuring former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani saying “Thank you, America,”’ for “’all the help” New York City received after Sept. 11.

Marketers have plenty riding on their decisions.

ViacomCBS Inc.’s CBS has been seeking roughly $5.5 million for 30 seconds of ad time in the upcoming Super Bowl, roughly in line with commercial prices in the 2020 game, according to people close to the talks. That doesn’t include production costs, which include everything from special effects to the use of popular celebrities and can add another $1-5 million to the bill.

Many brands are willing to pay up to appear in the NFL championship because it remains one of the few ways to reach a mass audience live. The Super Bowl routinely drawing an audience that surpasses 100 million people. Still, several ad buyers said there has been some softness in demand this year because of the economic fallout from the pandemic. Marketing costs have come under increased scrutiny, as marketing is often one of the first things cut during a crisis.

Although the economy is largely the culprit for the lower demand, other factors are also at play. “There are some clients that are wary of doing an ad because of the mood of the country,” one ad buyer said.

Given the tension-filled climate, some agencies are examining their big game spots a bit more rigorously this year, ad executives said.

“Every marketer is being very careful right now because of all the tumultuous events around the world,” said John Patroulis, worldwide chief creative officer of WPP PLC’s Grey.

Avoiding creative fumbles, such as jokes that go too far or political references that don’t go over well, can be harder today because the divisiveness in the country has made it hard to predict which commercials will prompt backlash.

Mr. Patroulis said a Super Bowl ad that Grey is working on for Kellogg Co. ’s Pringles chips has been put through extra focus group testing this year to make sure it hits the right mark.

“You don’t want your ad to be misconstrued or be controversial,” he added.

Write to Suzanne Vranica at [email protected]