Can an $8 Million Super Bowl Ad Drive Brand Conviction?

Theoretically, yesterday’s Super Bowl showcased the best the advertising business can muster. A collection of funny, poignant, clever, ingenious, slick, nostalgic, wildly expensive commercials that were conceived to bring their advertisers a wealth of marketing metric riches: awareness, credibility, recognition, recall, fame, and fortune. 

As the votes are tallied and that question answered, we’d like to add another to the fire: Did any of yesterday’s commercials go beyond attention, and drive real Conviction for what was being advertised? 

Understanding Conviction in a Brand 

Brand Conviction goes beyond attention; it’s about fostering a deep-seated belief and trust. Conviction happens when consumers feel personally connected with a brand. This drives loyalty, as consumers who have Conviction are more likely to purchase the product again, recommend it to others, and stand by the brand during moments of adversity. 

Super Bowl ads, with their vast reach and highly engaged audiences, provide an ideal platform to cultivate this kind of deep-seated trust. But how does this happen, and what makes a Super Bowl spot capable of achieving this? The answer lies in the four key attributes of a High-Conviction brand: Emotional, Practical, Personal, and Causal. 

1. Emotional: Establishing a Deep Connection 

To foster Conviction in a brand, emotional engagement is key. Super Bowl ads are particularly effective at sparking strong emotional reactions, whether through humor, nostalgia, or heartwarming storytelling. When a brand can evoke an emotional response, it taps into something far beyond logic or reason—it connects to a person’s feelings, identity, and values. 

For example, Snickers’ “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” campaign tells a story built on a universal truth: Feeling hungry makes you cranky. The campaign has been deemed one of the most successful on TV, driving a 15.9 percent sales lift in its first year. A brand that can consistently tap into emotions, especially those that align with the values of their target audience, is on the path to building lasting Conviction. 

2. Practical: Demonstrating Real-World Value 

Conviction is not just about feeling good; it is also about trusting that a brand delivers real-world value. Super Bowl ads that focus on practical benefits can enhance Conviction by highlighting a product’s effectiveness, usefulness, utility, and reliability. Brands that integrate practicality into their Super Bowl spots do more than show off a product—they show consumers how it fits into their daily lives, solves problems, or improves their routine. 

Instacart knocked this out of the park last night with their spot featuring famous mascots being delivered to a home via Instacart. Showing practicality in a humorous way with the help of the Kool-Aid Man, the Energizer Bunny, and more, this approach gives consumers confidence that the brand isn’t just a fleeting trend but a solution they can depend on for the long haul. 

3. Personal: Tailoring the Brand to the Individual 

Conviction is strongest when a brand makes consumers feel personally seen and understood. High-Conviction brands go beyond mass-market appeal by personalizing their messaging to resonate with individual needs, desires, and identities. This could involve connecting a product to a lifestyle or cause the consumer values deeply or demonstrating that the brand recognizes and respects the diversity of its audience. 

Take Booking.com’s ad from this year’s Super Bowl. Their spot, featuring the Muppets and travelers in less-than-ideal travel situations, demonstrates Booking.com’s motto of “having something for everyone” in a relatable and humorous way. By creating a bond where the consumer feels personally connected to the brand, Booking.com shows it understands real-world customers, fostering a sense of loyalty and trust with its audience. 

4. Causal: Aligning the Brand with a Shared Purpose 

Today’s consumers are more attuned to the broader world around them and expect brands to take stands on important social, environmental, and cultural issues. The causal aspect of a brand’s identity refers to its alignment with a greater purpose or cause that goes beyond profit-making. Conviction is strengthened when a brand demonstrates a commitment to something larger than just selling a product—it is about making the world better or at least contributing to positive change. 

Super Bowl ads that unite audiences around a shared cause resonate deeply with consumers, creating lasting emotional connections. The NFL’s Somebody commercial exemplifies Brand Conviction by celebrating inclusivity and community while fostering a powerful bond with viewers. The ad follows NFL athletes Demario Davis, Arik Armstead, and Adam Thielen as they engage with various communities in New Orleans, showcasing how sports can empower children from all backgrounds. Featuring children from New Orleans' Big Brothers Big Sisters, InSideOut, and Special Olympics programs, the spot amplifies the message that everyone can be somebody—as long as they have someone to guide them. This commercial further reinforces the NFL’s commitment to initiatives that uplift and support the next generation. 

Conclusion: The Power of a Conviction-Building Super Bowl Ad 

Super Bowl ads, with their massive reach and cultural significance, hold immense power in shaping consumer beliefs about a brand. However, to profoundly move beyond simple awareness, the biggest ideas must engage on a deeper level. They must drive Conviction. The brands that excel at this are those that appeal to the underlying Emotional, Practical, Personal, and Causal need states of their audience. 

By tapping into these four attributes, a Super Bowl ad can transform a brand from something consumers are merely aware of into something they genuinely believe in and trust. In this way, the Super Bowl remains not just an opportunity for a brand to shine for a few minutes, but a unique platform to build long-term, meaningful relationships with consumers. When done right, it’s a chance to create lasting Conviction in a brand that goes far beyond the spectacle of a 30-second spot. 

At BUNTIN, Conviction is what we do, who we are, and how we operate in building brands and growing our clients’ businesses. Give us a shout. Super Bowl budgets welcome–but not required.