• by Peter Bavaro , Op-Ed Contributor, February 13, 2017

Super Bowl LI is in the history books, and so is the post-game analysis of the TV ads that performed the best, the worst and created the most buzz. Now it’s time to shift the conversation and look at what this year’s ads say about the trends in video advertising that will dominate 2017. The ads this year represented experimentation, exploration and an exercise in storytelling. As advertisers looked for unique and powerful ways to connect with the audience, they took risks and sought opportunities to showcase new formats into the broadcast. 

Here are three emerging trends that showed their face in Super Bowl ads and will likely be on the minds of marketers and advertisers for the rest of the year.

1. The Live Video Experiment Continues

Snickers’ bold attempt to produce a live commercial on advertising’s biggest stage was successful in that it occurred, but unfortunately fell a little flat and was somewhat confusing. The spot itself illustrated the pitfalls of shooting a live ad, but I felt Snickers missed an opportunity to tie the creative more directly into the real-time broadcast. 

That said, don’t count live video out for future tent-pole broadcasts. Live commercials have been part of television since its earliest days, and with Facebook, Instagram and Periscope having reestablished live video with a mainstream audience, consumers will expand their appetite for live experiences connected to their favorite brands. As the kinks get worked out, live video will be embraced as an ever-present business tool. The promise of live streaming for advertisers lies in the fact that it lets brands engage with audiences in a way that's immediate, direct and authentic.

2. Sequential Ads Engage with a Storytelling Mindset

Sequential advertisements made an impact this year. Tide, for example, unveiled a lengthy ad that set the stage for the story earlier in the broadcast, then delivered a nice pay-off with a :15 second spot that extended the storyline later in the broadcast. And as importantly, they integrated and introduced the premise of the spot (a stain on the announcer’s shirt) directly into the actual broadcast. This is great stuff — and represents how to really get creative with multi-channel and multi-format executions. 

Smart brands used the Super Bowl to initiate an on-brand and contextually resonant emotional connection with their audiences. To be most effective in building off their Super Bowl investments, these brands will also tap into the power of digital and mobile to deliver advertisements that also tie back to these storylines and themes. 84 Lumber’s ad asked you to visit Journey84 for the continuation of its story, which not only represents sequential ads but also extends the user experience and engagement across channels.

Sequential advertising should be a significant area of focus for those smaller brands that invested budgets into big Super Bowl ads to raise awareness. A great example is of the local ads Boston-based Shields MRI filmed with Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady. In a pre- Super Bowl ad he stored his four Super Bowl rings in a locker prior to his MRI. At the conclusion of the Super Bowl, Shields aired an updated version of the ad in which Brady added his fifth ring to the locker.

3. Native Advertising is Authentic and Captures the Present

A number of ads spoke to the power of native advertising this year, with brands like Tiffany and National Geographic creating advertisements that felt like a natural part of the Super Bowl viewing experience. If you recall, Tiffany’s pre-halftime show ad featured half-time performer Lady Gaga prominently and ran just ahead of her performance — a maneuver which essentially made it appear it was a backstory lead-in to the halftime show. 

Similarly, National Geographic’s spot which featured Albert Einstein playing a Lady Gaga song on the violin immediately following the show was also reminiscent of the native format that rose in popularity throughout 2016. 

BI Intelligence predicts that native advertising will drive 74% of ad revenue by 2021, so it’s no wonder marketers and advertisers are rushing to find new ways to make advertisements a natural part of the viewing experience for their intended audience.