Deepika Agrawal 
Super Bowl commercials are a cultural phenomenon of their own alongside the popularity of the football game itself in the US. The television ads put up by various companies including automakers during the broadcast of the game garner widespread viewership. This year, while many automakers chose not to pump in millions in Super Bowl advertisements, the likes of Volkswagen, BMW, Hyundai, Toyota and Kia took a plunge.
Among the carmakers who participated, Volkswagen scored the highest in terms of viewer engagement with an ‘engagement index’ score of 1,694, as per a study by EDO – a platform that measures the immediate impact of TV advertising. Overall, the automaker’s ad titled – An American Love Story – ranked third, only behind the ads for Wicked and Deadpool & Wolverine.
Kia stood at 20th position with an engagement index score of 361 while Toyota Tacoma commercial was placed 28th with a score of 246. BMW’s ‘Talkin’ Like Walken’ commercial was the clear loser with a score of 158 and put in 41st place. Apart from the carmakers, other top participants included Poppi soda, online retailer Temu, Dunkin’ and Skechers.
Volkswagen’s commercial was a nostalgic take of the brand’s journey in the US market, commemorating its 75th anniversary. The ad traced its journey from the Beetle to the ID.Buzz. It transports viewers back to 1949 when the first Beetle (Type 1) arrived at the port of New York and how eventually it became an icon for the masses. The catchy title – We shape the metal. You shape its soul – won many hearts at the Super Bowl tournament. The 60-seconds ad also celebrated the brand’s presence in classics like the Herbie films, The Simpsons, and Star Wars.
The German automaker’s stint at this year’s Super Bowl commercials marked the brand’s return to the spot after a hiatus of 10 years. Commercials at the Super Bowl are known for their user engagement, cinematographic quality, unpredictability, surreal humor, and use of special effects. It also often features celebrity cameos. The industry widely tracks the biggest winners and losers of the Super Bowl commercial spots.
