Everyone Watches For The Commercials

• Super Bowl ads showcase brands that rival the entertainment on the field and at the halftime show.

For advertisers and brands, there’s no more coveted spot than the Super Bowl. Every year is a chance to unite the best creative minds with the latest advancements in entertainment technology to capture the imagination of one of the world’s largest, globally connected audiences.

Creative teams at The Mill and MPC worked on many of the commercials shown during this year’s match-up between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons at Super Bowl LI. The event gives vast exposure to high-profile campaigns not only via the live broadcast but also on social media. According to the Nielsen Ratings for 2016, Super Bowl L had an average audience of 111.9 million viewers. Nielsen Social reported 16.9 million tweets sent about Super Bowl L – nearly a quarter of them about the commercials, which were live-streamed for the first time that year.  

With these staggering numbers in mind, these are some of the high-profile ads that The Mill worked on for the Super Bowl:

• Avocados From Mexico’s “#AvoSecrets,” which follows last year’s work on “#AvosInSpace,” features a hypnotic big game teaser starring Jon Lovitz and a “Top Secret” interactive site where a “NotsoSecret” society navigates the world of subliminal advertising and streaming media. 
   
• Intel’s “Brady Everyday” uses 360° Technology to show how content creators can make daily tasks look almost as exciting as the action on the field, as the New England quarterback starts his day and goes about his morning rituals. 
   
• Turbo Tax’s three-part campaign starts with “Humpty Fall,” which uses visual effects to create a broken Humpty Dumpty left in animated pieces after he falls off the wall while doing his taxes on a mobile phone. The series of ads also includes “Humpty Dance” and “Medical Expenses.”
   
• Wealthsimple’s “Mad World” creates an increasingly fast-paced world that had many on social media wanting to see a full-length movie version, believing the ad had the look and feel of a feature film trailer.
   
• Wix’s “Restaurant” features chef Chez Felix building a website for his eatery as it’s simultaneously being destroyed in an intense fight scene with Jason Statham and Gal Gadot that culminates in an explosive finish. The campaign continues with Wix’s “Food Truck.”
   
• Kia’s "Run" is a big game teaser that had Melissa McCarthy running for her life and viewers tuning in to the 3^rdquarter to see her attempting a “Hero’s Journey.”
   
• FX Networks’ “Swaddled” is a cryptic promo for Legion; it’s part of a campaign for the new series based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, which premieres a few days after the Super Bowl.
   
• He's a 10’s “4 Years” uses black and white to set the haircare brand apart from the rest of the field during the Super Bowl.
   
• Comcast’s “Everyday Awesome” is a dynamic commercial that illustrates the power that comes with a faster Internet.
   
• For Tide’s “Stain,” The Mill worked with Saatchi & Saatchi on their new multi-part campaign that launched during the Super Bowl, as well as a Tide “Promo” for Lady Gaga’s halftime show.
   
• Aflac’s “Surgery” is the company’s first ever Super Bowl spot; in typical comic fashion, the ad shows viewers the sacrifices they might have to make without insurance.
   
• World of Tanks’ “Real Awful Moms” and “Teensy House Buyers” promote the video game of tank battles exploding onto real life scenes.
   
• In Bud Light’s “Ghost,” Spuds MacKenzie is back! The much-anticipated spot features the original party animal returning to the scene as a ghost.
   
• GEICO’s “Getaway” is a humorous and clever spot that shows what might happen if you rely on an app to call a getaway car.
   
• Skittles’ “Romance” is a sweet spot where a teenage boy throws candy instead of pebbles at his girlfriend’s window, with humorous results.
   
• Sprint’s “Car” finds a frustrated father literally going over the edge to get out of a previous phone contract.
   
• LIFEWTR’s “Inspiration Drops” is PepsiCo's first ad for a new premium bottled water that fuses creativity and design. Labels will change several times a year to help new artists get discovered.
   

MPC worked their VFX and color magic on a number of Super Bowl commercials that have also generated a great deal of buzz this year. Having just come off another run of fun and inventive holiday ad campaigns, they were the go-to choice for a wide variety of brands looking to push the boundaries during the biggest game of the year. Here’s a look at some of them:

• Ford’s “Stuck to Unstuck,” shows a montage of colorful scenarios in which people find themselves in sticky situations, with voiceover from Bryan Cranston.
   
• Pizza Hut’s much-anticipated “No One Out-Pizzas The Hut (Oh My)” with George Takei is a humor-filled ad campaign the company launched with the top agency Droga5.
   
• H&R Block’s “Get Your Taxes Won,” is another successful ad campaign, this one starring Jon Hamm and directed by Simon McQuoid, who helmed the upcoming feature film, Mortal Kombat.

To watch all these great commercials from the game, be sure to check out the playlist below!