Not only is the Super Bowl where Americans watch the very best pro football teams square off in a world championship game, it’s also where companies bring their “A” game when it comes to advertising. On Sunday, February 7, 2016, as the Broncos pulled away from the Panthers, a panel of Kellogg School of Management MBA students evaluated the Super Bowl 50 advertisements against rigorous, business-focused criteria to determine which ads were most effective in building the brand.
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 “A” grades to companies like Toyota, Doritos, Audi and Budweiser for their advertisements, while heavy hitters like Coca-Cola, Buick and Pokemon fell short. You can find complete results here.
This is the 12th 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 of marketing and strategy, simply learning concepts isn’t enough; students have to understand how to apply the ideas and develop the confidence to lead.