Kellogg Super Bowl Advertising Review Ranks The Big Game’s Commercials
Some American’s watch the Super Bowl to witness modern day gladiators go to battle on the gridiron for the games ultimate prize. Others tune in for the soul purpose of watching the commercials.
A recent article from Bloomberg BusinessWeek describes how more than 50 MBA students at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management watch the game together, focusing not on who will hoist the Lombardi Trophy at the game’s conclusion, but rather because their marketing professors tasked them to judge which company has the best advertising game.
Most Super Bowl parties feature Prop Betting and Game Boxes, but this one will keep scores on advertisers and how well they put their brand out to the millions of Americans watching across the country,
The annual Kellogg Super Bowl Advertising Review keys in on the business impact of each ad. And no, the funniest ad is not the one that will be considered the winner, students evaluate the strategic value of each ad, asking themselves if the commercial will help build the business and strengthen its brand? This is done by using a six-part framework to judge each ad, considering factors like attention, distinction, and linkage between the creative and the brand.
This year, The Review gave Microsoft, Cheerios, Heinz, Volkswagen, Butterfinger and Budweiser/Bud Light ‘A’ grades for their advertisements, while heavy hitters like Coca-Cola, Beats Music and GEICO fell short.
This is the 10th year that Kellogg has tasked students with the Super Bowl Advertising Review with the intention on developing students’ abilities to apply critical marketing concepts in real time. With teaching business in today’s day and age, especially in the realm marketing and strategy, simply learning concepts isn’t enough; students have to understand how to apply the ideas and develop the confidence to lead.
