WACO, Texas (Jan 23, 2023) – Commercials always are the most anticipated and talked-about aspect of the Super Bowl, but the expanding digital landscape requires advertisers to use more authentic and nuanced strategies to reach consumers. Advertising executive and multicultural media expert Tyrha M. Lindsey-Warren, Ph.D., clinical assistant professor of marketing at Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business, is a sought-after media commentator on the brands who win big during the game’s commercial breaks.
How do companies break through the noise and make a lasting impression on viewers? Lindsey-Warren – or Dr. Tyrha, as she is known – says the key is empowered storytelling. As a consumer behavior scholar, Dr. Lindsey-Warren’s research is rooted in narrative transportation theory – in other words, storytelling – that exudes the emotion of empowerment and its impact on consumer attitudes, behaviors, purchase intention and message recall.
“There is a growing space for cleverly crafted and positive storytelling that can break through the clutter and competition and get the attention of Millennials, Gen Z and Alpha generations in an authentic and meaningful manner,” Lindsey-Warren said.
At the top of every year, Dr. Tyrha always enjoys exposing the juniors and seniors in her advertising class to the joys of storytelling in advertising by way of the Super Bowl commercials. By leveraging the Super Bowl as an “edutaining” entry point for student learning, Dr. Lindsey-Warren finds it to be a fun and wonderful way to bring many advertising lessons to life for her students, including branding, consumer targeting and segmentation, social media campaign analysis, and more. To that end, here are Dr. Tyrha Lindsey-Warren’s top picks for the best Super Bowl commercials over the past five years.
COUNTDOWN TO THE SUPER BOWL:
DR. TYRHA’S TOP 5 SUPER BOWL COMMERCIALS FOR THE PAST 5 YEARS
#5: Company/Brand: AMAZON
Title of the commercial: “#BeforeAlexa” (With Ellen Degeneres and Portia de Rossi)
Year it ran in the Super Bowl: 2020
Link to the commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLUwmnPJIGk
Ad Agency that produced the commercial: Droga5
Dr. Tyrha’s rationale as to why this ad is so good: In my opinion, this was a wonderfully creative and clever introduction of the Alexa product by Amazon. The nostalgic storytelling in the spot humorously does make you wonder and realize how “did” we all live “before Alexa?” The commercial is multigenerational, incorporates women extremely well, and is so funny!
#4. Company/Brand: NFL
Title of the commercial: “Bring Down the House!”
Year it ran in the Super Bowl: 2022
Link to the commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PhfMtZce1k
Ad Agency that produced the commercial: Co-directed by Peter Berg of Film 47 and Arthur Mintz of Swaybox Studios
Dr. Tyrha’s rationale as to why this ad is so good: In 2022, the NFL creatively leveraged the power of animation to get our attention with this wonderfully told story with children as the lead Talent and set in a situation that all families can relate to! The spot is so much fun and keeps you guessing as well as laughing with Grandma saving the day in the end. The commercial is multigenerational, multicultural, and incorporates women and girls extremely well.
#3. Company/Brand: MOUNTAIN DEW & DORITOS (OWNED BY PEPSICO)
Title of the commercial: “Doritos Blaze vs. Mountain Dew Ice” (with Morgan Freeman and Peter Dinklage)
Year it ran in the Super Bowl: 2018
Link to the commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2tyVjEuqcY
Ad Agency that produced the commercial: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners
Dr. Tyrha’s rationale as to why this ad is so good: The “in your face” storytelling of this commercial – performed exquisitely by acclaimed actors, Peter Dinklage and Morgan Freeman, and accompanied by the perfect voiceover narrators in Rappers Missy Elliot and Busta Rhymes – is so much fun and truly unforgettable! The commercial also cleverly makes you pay attention to the presentation of the products being promoted as well as compels you to wonder as to “when did you last have a Mountain Dew and some Doritos?” This commercial is multicultural, multigenerational, multibodied, and incorporates women well and UBER memorable!
#2. Company/Brand: NFL
Title of the commercial: “The 100-Year Game”
Year it ran in the Super Bowl: 2020
Link to the commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJjiIuH1VnY
Ad Agency that produced the commercial: 72 and Sunny
Dr. Tyrha’s rationale as to why this ad is so good: If you love the game of football, you have to love this ad that celebrates the fun and contagious spirit of the game. Truly, this commercial has something for everyone who loves the game of football! The unassuming opening of the ad’s storytelling set at an awards banquet and led by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell quickly evolves into a fun and rambunctious game of football with NFL players of all ages in their tuxedos destroying the ballroom with their play. The musical hip-hop soundtrack alone for the spot is amazing, current, and supports the action of the storytelling extremely well. This spot is multigenerational, incredibly diverse in age ethnicity and more, as well as weaves women and girls into the spot ever so cleverly. A truly memorable ad and so much fun!
#1. Company/Brand: Mr. Clean (OWNED BY P&G)
Title of the commercial: “Cleaner Of Your Dreams”
Year it ran in the Super Bowl: 2018
Link to the commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozuWoZITX3Y
Ad Agency that produced the commercial: Leo Burnett
Dr. Tyrha’s rationale as to why this ad is so good: Every year I show this commercial to my Advertising students at Baylor University and they absolutely LOVE this ad! The storytelling of this commercial leverages the animated Mr. Clean in such a clever manner, while showing the product benefits at the same time, and not being “in your face” with the product’s selling proposition. The music and the dancing accompaniment to the storytelling all help to bring an emotional connection to the viewer, especially the female audience. Plus, the spot is just super funny and so much fun! Every time I see this ad, I want to run and buy Mr. Clean. And, I tell my female students every year that when they get older, they are going to LOVE a man who can clean a house!!!!
Additionally, this was an incredibly smart move by P&G to put this ad in the Super Bowl. This is due to the fact that the “current and future market power of women – as a whole and by segments – is undeniable and truly cannot be ignored by marketers, especially the NFL.” Today, women influence more than 80% of all consumer spending; 89% of the financial decisions are made by women; and globally, women control more than $20 trillion in worldwide spending. In addition, nearly 24.3 million African American women are brand loyalists and cultural trendsetters who have influence over the $1.2 trillion in Black spending power. And, Forbes reported in 2018 that “women constituted about 49 % of the 108 million-plus people who watched” that year’s Super Bowl – and they paid closer attention to the ads!
ABOUT TYRHA M. LINDSEY-WARREN, PH.D.
Tyrha M. Lindsey-Warren, Ph.D., is a marketing scholar, business executive, artist and entrepreneur.
As a consumer behavior scholar, Dr. Lindsey-Warren’s research is rooted in narrative transportation theory (i.e., storytelling) that exudes the emotion of empowerment and its impact on consumer attitudes, behaviors, purchase intention and message recall. She also studies health edutainment, multicultural media and advertising, as well as movies and entertainment.
Dr. Lindsey-Warren is an expert in effective communications strategies for leaders, multicultural communications and marketing. She speaks nationally on these topics for Americans for the Arts, The Junior League, Public Relations Society of America, Black Data Processing Associates, and in her undergraduate/MBA classes at Rutgers Business School, Baruch College and Baylor University.
She received her B.S. in radio/TV/film from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. and her M.B.A. with a concentration in marketing from the Peter F. Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University. She received her Ph.D., with a concentration in marketing and minor in international business, from Rutgers University.
As managing director of L.A.I. Communications (Lindsey & Associates International Communications), she has over 15 years of experience working in marketing and public relations, the arts, entertainment and non-profit arenas. L.A.I. clients include Bishop T.D. Jakes’ International Faith and Family Film Festival at MegaFest, CURLS, Fairweather Faces, National Leadership Commission on AIDS, The Domestic Violence Hotline, UMADAOP and Nepperhan Community Center.
Dr. Lindsey-Warren started her career working in Hollywood for the likes of Quincy Jones*David Salzman Entertainment, NBC, Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and Edmonds Entertainment, both in the development of television and film ideas and properties. Most recently, she served as Director of Public Relations for UniWorld Group, the longest-standing multicultural advertising and communications agency in the United States.
She volunteers as a board member for Iris House in Harlem, New York, which is an agency dedicated to helping women of color with AIDS; and Jazz Forum Arts, which presents nationally renowned jazz artists in the Greater New York City area.
Dr. Lindsey-Warren is an accomplished jazz singer who has performed around the world. She is married to Sidney Warren.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.
ABOUT THE HANKAMER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business strives to further God’s kingdom through the realm of business, using God-given gifts and academic talents to do so. Faculty and students conduct purposeful research and participate in experiential learning opportunities, all while operating in a Christ-centered mission. Undergraduate students can choose from 13 major areas of study. Graduate students can earn their MBA on their terms, either through the full-time, online or a Dallas-based executive program. The Business School also offers three Ph.D. programs in Information Systems, Entrepreneurship or Health Services Research. The School’s top-ranked programs make up approximately 25% of the University’s total enrollment. Visit hankamer.baylor.edu for more information.
