Perhaps in an effort to join Super Bowl viewers together or simply to avoid painful backlash, Big Game advertisers have been leaning into \u201cSafe\u201d humor<\/a> (the least offensive type) at increasing rates since 2017. A trend toward celebrity nearly mirrors this effort at broad connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, advertisers have sacrificed storytelling with this turn toward humor and celebrities \u2013 particularly since 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Understanding the impact of different elements on brand recall is crucial in evaluating Super Bowl ad effectiveness, with narrative storytelling<\/a> emerging as a powerful tool in cementing Brand Recognition* among viewers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n iSpot\u2019s all-industry Creative Assessment<\/a> database includes up to 500 verbatim comments per ad that, by virtue of being completely unprompted, reveal the strongest visceral reactions to the creative for each viewer – a lens into the most impactful aspect(s) of the work. As the chart above reveals, the proportion of Super Bowl ads in which viewer comments mentioned an ad\u2019s Narrative* has dropped precipitously to just 15% in 2023. But at what cost?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Super Bowl ads engaging through storytelling have consistently delivered better breakthrough* vs. relying on celebrity (by an average of 9%). This statistic holds true regardless of the number of ads relying on narratives each year. In other words, viewers do not appear to tire of ads that tell great stories, even when up to 42% of ads within Big Game programming engage with this approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Super Bowl ads delivering a narrative to viewers are more likeable than those without a clear storyline, and markedly more likeable than those with celebrity year after year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some brands create narratives featuring celebrities that come at us with an unexpected story related to the brand\u2019s ethos and win big – lest you forget Snickers\u2019 2015 \u201cThe Brady Bunch<\/a>\u201d Big Game ad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps surprisingly, though, only one of the top five narrative creatives also used celebrity (and just one in four of the top twenty) suggesting it is not only possible, but generally advantageous both to brand budgets and viewer impact, to focus on the narrative. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Notably, the top-performing creatives featuring celebrity narratives often leaned towards football-related personas. This aligns with the learning that the impact of celebrities in Super Bowl ads is consistently elevated when they appear as themselves, portray a character, or engage in a job\/hobby they are recognized for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Top Story-Led Super Bowl Ads Featuring Celebrities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2019 Super Bowl: Verizon \u201cFirst Responders: Coach\u201d<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Featuring: NFL Head Coach Anthony Lynn<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/hub-cdn.ispot.tv\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/29161656\/image2-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe Shift Away From Narrative<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Impact of Narrative vs. Celebrity in Super Bowl Ads<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/hub-cdn.ispot.tv\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/29160911\/image8-1024x317.png\")
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSuccessfully Weaving Celebrities into Narratives<\/h2>\n\n\n\n