Companies are shelling out millions of dollars for Super Bowl ads, and social media seems unimpressed.
The overall advertising strategy this year was to offer fun or humorous ads. The 2021 Super Bowl focused heavily on social justice and overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic.
But despite the hype, U.S. audiences seemed unimpressed by the ads.
They took to social media to criticize the expensive ads, saying they were boring and failed to take risks.
From Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus’ T-Mobile ad, to E*Trade’s set to Britney Spears’ “Baby One More Time,” people watching criticized the ad selection on social media.
Thousands of people tweeted to criticize the commercials as being boring or uninteresting.
“After a couple of years of blah #SuperBowl commercials, they put a lot of money towards star power this year. Haven’t seen one that has blown me away yet, though,” user @oregonprgirl tweeted.
“I’m gonna need more from these commercials,” said user @realbrittbaker.
As Coinbase’s ad of a bouncing QR code caught the attention of many, one user commented on how it’s a bad sign for the Super Bowl commercials overall.
“You really spent probably $3 million for a 30 second #SuperBowl ad to have a QR code bouncing around like a Microsoft screen saver? Super Bowl commercials are officially dead,” said user @RealMattBarbato.
The decline in Super Bowl ads could be indicative of how divided the country has become.
As the U.S. become increasingly fragmented by ideological divides, it’s tough to find common ground and please everyone.
The ads, which cost an average of $6.5 million, may or may not be the smart investment they used to be for reaching audiences.
Two bright spots? Zendaya’s Squarespace ad as Sally selling seashells by the seashore and Coinbase’s bouncing QR code seemed to garner positive responses.
The NFL is enjoying a resurgence in ratings.
This year’s games have been some of the most exciting in recent memory. 49 million people tuned in for the play-off games ahead of the Super Bowl.
Viewership for the Super Bowl was expected to exceed 100 million people.
