Kellogg students watch commercials during the Super Bowl at the Allen Center Atrium in Evanston, Illinois, February 4, 2018.
Photo by Jim Young for Kellogg
Like millions of others, I grew up watching the Super Bowl with family and friends huddled in the living room yelling at the TV.
But this year was a bit different. Last night, I was surrounded by 65 students and faculty at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in front of a massive projector, and the room was completely silent. No one moved during the action, and the room erupted during the breaks. But don’t be fooled: the action was the advertisements, and the break was the game.
Welcome to the 2018 Kellogg Bowl, also known as the Kellogg School’s Super Bowl Ad Review.
Huddled up with the ADPLAN framework
ADPLAN Framework
For the past 14 years, a select group of Kellogg students has spent Super Bowl Sunday analyzing the year’s Super Bowl ads. Leveraging summer internships as marketers for Starbucks, Amazon, P&G, Instagram, PepsiCo, and more, Kellogg students have less than 10 seconds after each ad to submit their grade using the ADPLAN framework.
Unlike other ad rankings that measure popularity, ADPLAN evaluates spots based on their strategic ability to build the business. Developed by Kellogg professors Tim Calkins and Derek Rucker, the ADPLAN framework is founded on six key metrics. Attention, Distinction and Positioning measure whether the spot grabs our attention, stands out and establishes a clear target, category and benefit. Linkage, Amplification and Net Equity evaluate whether viewers will remember the brand, receive it positively, and connect it to the brand’s existing identity.
OUR WINNERS: TIDE AND AMAZON
The two advertisers that stole the show at the 2018 Kellogg Bowl were P&G (Tide) and Amazon (Echo).
“For me, Tide was the MVP of the Super Bowl,” according to Professor Rucker. A clear benefit was established (stains), linkage was clear (Tide, Tide, and more Tide), and it creatively leveraged P&G’s equity by using famous Old Spice and Mr. Clean spots as material. “I’m spending the first five seconds of every ad wondering if it’s a Tide commercial,” added Professor Rucker. “Great for Tide; not so great for other advertisers.”
“I saw the Amazon ad early,” said Professor Calkins, “and thought, ‘That’s the ad to beat.” The spot established clear benefits by portraying multiple usage occasions, wouldn’t let you forget it was for Alexa and Amazon, and was consistent with Amazon’s net equity by using a style similar to previous campaigns: humorous vignettes of customers using the product in their daily lives.
Kellogg students watch commercials during the Super Bowl at the Allen Center Atrium in Evanston, Illinois, February 4, 2018.
Photo by Jim Young for Kellogg
OUR LOSERS: SQUARESPACE AND T-MOBILE
The two advertisers that left us jeering with “F” grades this year were Squarespace and T-Mobile.
To its credit, Squarespace was consistent with its net equity. Unfortunately, that equity is confusing and bizarre. The spot presents no target, category, or benefit, and the call to action to visit their website was a tall order for time-crunched viewers. Look to competitor Wix’s Super Bowl spot for an interesting compare and contrast. “Wix won’t win any prizes for that ad,” said Professor Calkins, but “it showed the brand, the frame and the benefit.”
Most advertisers steered clear of hot button political issues, raising the stakes for those that did. And T-Mobile got burned. The 60-second spot followed a line of babies as it pinballed randomly between politically charged statements before displaying “Are you with us?” and, inexplicably, the T-Mobile logo. It elicited confused looks and laughter. I have a feeling Sprint and Verizon reacted the same way.
Experience of a Lifetime
Rob Pothier
During the event, Professor Calkins stepped away from our table to take an important call. We later discovered that it was the New York Times asking for quotes for their live Super Bowl coverage. It is experiences like these that showcase the global impact of Kellogg’s focus on experiential, collaborative learning experiences, and something that I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to partake in this year.
Thanks to the 2018 Kellogg Bowl, I know I’ll never look at a Super Bowl commercial the same way ever again.
Rob Pothier is a second-year MBA student at the Kellogg School of Management, where he’s majoring in marketing. At Kellogg, he has conducted independent research on university branding, engagement, and mental wellness, and is the recipient of the 2018 McGowan Fellowship. After graduation, he will become an Associate Marketing Manager for PepsiCo.
DON’T MISS:
Kellogg MBAs Pick The Real Winners Of The Super Bowl
The Super Bowl Winner? Mr. Clean, Say MBAs
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