(Photo courtesy of socialmonsters.org)
Advertisers spent $2 million per 30-second spot for the 88th Academy Awards, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times. Despite the high cost of advertising, brands are eager to get their brand seen by millions of viewers. This year’s advertisers pulled celebrities, humor and mainstream culture to drive buzz to their brands. But did they work? What was the strategy behind the commercials? Here are four lessons learned from this year’s Oscar commercials.
Samsung Galaxy S7
Samsung went big during this year’s Oscars, tapping celebrities from William H. Macy to Lil Wayne to blend virtual reality with humor, to present the new Galaxy S7 Edge. The phone appeared in a large majority of Oscar commercials to connect the campaign of celebrity cameos together. Samsung also built upon previous commercials to show off the S7 Edge’s features, including its water-resistance and expandable memory.
In one spot, Lil Wayne pours champagne over his phone before dunking it into a fish tank. When his friend also tries to pour champagne over his own smartphone and it breaks, Lil Wayne points out that he doesn’t have the Galaxy S7 and throws him a new phone to use. Samsung shows off its features while mocking the celebrity, decadent lifestyle. But unlike some smartphones that retail for hundreds to thousands of dollars, just about anyone can afford the Samsung S7 and pour champagne over it if they really want to.
GE
GE continued its success from a past campaign that shows a GE programmer, Owen, defending his choice to work for GE instead of a startup. This year’s Oscars commercials show Owen’s friends and network vying for a job at GE with outlandish extremes. The campaign uses irreverent humor and pokes fun at the startup industry as GE tries to lure programmers to its company. GE focuses on the world-changing products and services it’s creating to attract startup workers who crave exciting, meaningful work.
Kohl’s
Kohl’s played on the concept of the emotional acceptance speech with an inspired ad campaign. Kohl’s showed everyday people playing with their families. In one spot, a mom gives an acceptance speech during a pretend tea party. In another, a daughter lets her dad choose the movie they’re going to watch, and he stands up and lip-dubs the acceptance speech given by Cuba Gooding Jr. after winning Best Supporting Actor in “Jerry McGuire.”
Kohl’s taps into the emotional connection audiences feel with the winners. The company effectively forges a connection with its customers and shows them its personality. Kohl’s establishes that it’s more than just a corporate retail giant, but a retailer with heart.
Bud Light
Comedians Amy Schumer and Seth Rogen teamed up to celebrate diversity in America while honoring the diversity of food trucks. In one scene, “The Martian’s” Michael Pena proclaims, “American is a nation of immigrants. A Korean taco of togetherness.” In some respects, the commercial poked fun over the lack of diversity at the Oscars. The comedic duo also touched on the political divisiveness of this year’s election.
Bud Light doesn’t take itself too seriously and knows its customers want a cold, refreshing drink. But the brand also caters to an audience that pays attention to current and cultural events. The commercial brings together the context of current events and humor, so it’s not handing down a heavy message.
