• by Bill Alberti , Op-Ed Contributor, February 2, 2016

For millions of Americans, Super Bowl Sunday is like a holiday, a day for tradition, parties, food, drink, and, of course, the gift of football. But whether you’re a diehard football fan, a fun-loving party-goer, or something in between, there’s one game-day element that everyone appreciates: the commercials. 

Super Bowl spots have become as big as — if not bigger than — the game itself. According to a 2015 NRF survey, one-quarter of Super Bowl viewers say commercials are the most important part of the Big Game. And while 77% only see the commercials for their entertainment value, 20% say the spots pique their awareness of brand advertisers. How does that awareness translate? Last year, in the three months following their Super Bowl ad, Wix reported a 54% increase in revenue. In an interview, Wix’s chief marketing officer noted, that while difficult to directly link the Super Bowl campaign to revenue growth, it certainly helped.

Of course, the Monday after is abuzz with “Brand Bowl” winners and losers. Winners are the spots that strike the right tone, take risks and get people talking. The winning ads engage the audience in a way that shows the brand genuinely “gets” its customers. Losers are the ones that don’t. And because they’ve managed to blow an opportunity to engage their biggest audience, their image suffers.

The most successful Super Bowl spots have three characteristics in common. They are: 

Relevancy

Brands that make a meaningful connection to customers are often those that can get away with taking some risks with their ads. 

Using a well-known event or news story (if done right) can make a big impression. Most memorable was Budweiser’s ode to 9/11 with a simple gesture from their iconic Clydesdales — it symbolically aired only once. 

While being relevant to a timely event can create buzz, being relevant to an issue your consumers care about can also leave a lasting impression. Colgate will make its Super Bowl debut this year with an ad urging audiences to save water. Their spot will encourage viewers to turn off the water while brushing their teeth, aligning the brand with their customer’s environmental concerns in a time where sustainability is increasingly top of mind. 

Sometimes, the most relevant brand ads aren’t ads at all. Think the Oreo “Dunk in the Dark” tweet when Oreo reacted to an NFL stadium flub with a witty, gutsy message by acting fast and, more importantly, intuitively. The tweet has forever set the bar high. (And, by the way, it cost Oreo nothing.)

Empathy

Brands that demonstrate they feel and think like their customers, and share their customers’ values, are big Brand Bowl winners. Always’ #LikeAGirl, for example, celebrated female empowerment at just the right time, and the brand was widely lauded for it. 

On the opposite end of the empathy spectrum is Nationwide, whose 2015 spot, while certainly emotional, was a bummer at parties nationwide. It was anything but sensitive to the big (and obvious) elephant in the room: the Super Bowl is neither the time nor the place to conjure images of dead children. Nationwide suffered major backlash as a result and this year opted not to advertise during the game. 

Engagement

Ultimately, the ads that delight, surprise, or inspire viewers during game day are the ones that leave lasting impressions. For instance, (though in its final year), the Doritos “Crash the Super Bowl” contest has been a perennial favorite with viewers because it brings actual customers into the creative process. Doritos asks customers months in advance to pick their favorite commercial for the big game. For 10 years, customers have been the brand’s greatest inspiration. And this customer-inspired strategy has paid off: Frito-Lay North America CMO Ram Krishnan credits the campaign with helping Doritos grow “from a $1.54 billion U.S. brand in 2006 to a $2.2 billion brand today.”

The Super Bowl is the one time where people actually like advertising. Brands know it; it’s why they spend millions on one 30-second spot. Those that really know their customers are the ones that get the greatest return on that investment.