Super Bowl Special: Melinda Nugent

Will you be watching the Super Bowl this year? And if so, where?

We’re having our annual Super Bowl party at our house. My husband and son are both avid football fans so Super Bowl Sunday is a major event for us, whether or not their teams are playing. Everyone comes round for a day-long celebration, there’s pickup football, madden tournaments, grilling, libations, and trash talking.

What’s the best Super Bowl pre-ad campaign you’ve seen this year?

I am loving the Lexus ad with Lil Buck. It’s a great example of a simple idea perfectly executed. Really powerful and sparse at the same time. By far my favorite.

And your all-time favourite Super Bowl ad?

I may be a little biased, but I’d say my favorite would have to be the Lincoln, Halftime in America spot, which I produced for director David Gordon Green. I’m so proud of what we made, a powerful message wrapped up in beautiful filmmaking. I was struck by the controversy and debate it provoked too. It reminded me that in this business, we really do have people’s attention, and we need to be mindful of how he wield that power.

What’s the most inspiring thing about the Super Bowl and why?

For me, more than any other event, it’s that one moment when everyone in America comes together and shares in an experience which is truly communal and unifying. From the athleticism of the game, to the spectacle of the halftime show, to the creativity of the ads - for a brief moment, it no longer matters if you’re from a red state or a blue state, you can even know nothing about football and still find it exhilarating. What other event offers so much to so many?

What’s the most significant change you’ve witnessed in marketing at the Super Bowl since you started watching it?

I’ve been watching the Super Bowl since I was probably six or seven, so I think the biggest changes would be the obvious addition of the pre-game build up to the Super Bowl ads, especially now the use of social media to build excitement early on. There are so many second and third screen experiences, the PR surrounding the ad is often more valuable than the 30 secs on air. Looking forward, one trend I’ve been noticing more and more, and that I have a feeling will be even more prominent this year, is the use of ads to convey larger, possibly political messages. I think ads, especially ones that will be seen by so many people, are becoming opportunities for something important to be said, rather than just a product to be sold.

Some of the biggest brands are sitting this year out due to a reported dip in ratings. How do you think this will affect the quality of the ads that do participate?

Of course the big brands have the resources to really spend on ads, but at the same time, most of my favorite and most creative ads from recent years have come from smaller brands (like No More’s powerful spot from two years ago (below), or Bai’s last year. We’ve seen time and time again that you don’t need a lot of money to make a really good ad, you just need a great idea. I’m hoping that a few of the big boys dropping out this year can make room for some newcomers who will really wow us.

Who do you think is going to win the Super Bowl ads?

There are two spots that will be contenders. Firstly, the Intel spot (below), which is using live POV footage from QBs during the game. Since Brady will be one of the QBs, it feels like a pretty obvious choice. The second is WIX, who have been getting a lot of hype from their announcement on FB live and Louis Leterrier directing, I think this will definitely appeal to Super Bowl fans.

What brands are you most excited to see? Are you excited about any newcomers?

I am most excited to see what Audi will offer this year. I loved last year’s The Commander spot. I’m just a sucker for beautiful cars and moving storytelling.

In terms of newcomers, I love the idea that American Lumber are using their slot to recruit, train and hire folks for their company. And 90 secs for an ad during the Super Bowl makes me think they have something compelling to share.