The reviews are in. Alexa, Tide, Doritos, Jeep, and Australia walked away as marketing’s big winners this year, according to numerous analyses and listicles following the Big Game. As human consumers, we can’t help but make our own personal ranking of Sunday’s advertisements. We know what to expect, too. The good, the ridiculously bad (remember puppy monkey baby?), and the funny.
Each year may seem like a same-commercial-different-day situation – a shiny car ad here a tug on the heart strings there. But this year, let’s take a take a look at how the voice community reacted to Alexa losing her voice, the absence of Google, and the subtle appearances of AI.
Alexa and Google
First, a refresher. Two years ago Alec Baldwin, Jason Schwartzman, Dan Marino, and Missy Elliot joined Alexa at a house party.
Alexa 2016
Both Amazon and Google ran ads in Superb Bowl 2017. Remember these?
Google Home 2017
Amazon Echo 2017 (1 of 3)
Doritos. Drones. Drama. The perfect recipe for the big game. #JustAsk Alexa #SB51 pic.twitter.com/5sMvM5O6mU
— Amazon Echo (@amazonecho) February 6, 2017
Amazon Echo 2017 (2 of 3)
Grab the tissues. Your girl just made the best play of the big game. #JustAsk Alexa. #SB51 pic.twitter.com/wR4CYzk0EO
— Amazon Echo (@amazonecho) February 5, 2017
Amazon Echo 2017 (3 of 3)
A snack stadium. A Boston Terrier. What could possibly go wrong? #JustAsk pic.twitter.com/X1tdofFot9
— Amazon Echo (@amazonecho) February 5, 2017
All 4 spots are good, but a year ago a fraction of the viewing audience owned either device. While still true this year, the reach was much bigger and will continue to grow for game LIII. What else stands out in the Amazon vs Google match up?
Amazon was ready. 2017 was so last year, and it showed in the marketing plan. For example, this year Amazon leveled up its marketing by:
- Including celebrities with unique voices spanning inclusive demographic targets
- Releasing short teasers with purposeful timing
- Putting Bezos on the big screen
- Publishing a blog post about why the Alexa commercial won’t wake up your device during the game
- Holding back on announcing Amazon HQ2 to let the rumors swirl
- Running a follow-up commercial after game coverage had concluded
And it looks like it worked – according to USA Today, Alexa “won” the Battle of the Pigskin, with consumers reacting most positively to their ads.
What about Google? In 2017, the Home brought people together and made the smart home seem warm and fuzzy. In 2018, a noticeable absence during the Super Big game – left us with a confounding feeling especially after Google’s blitz at CES just a month earlier.
From the Voice-first Community
I am actually looking forward to a #Superbowl commercial, mainly just to see if @Amazon really did find a way to stop my #Echo from going off during the #alexa spot. #VoiceFirst
— Brent Leary (@BrentLeary) February 5, 2018
Voice assistants weigh in on Super Bowl LII https://t.co/pjiizCrSon by @jordanrcrook
— TechCrunch (@TechCrunch) February 4, 2018
“Alexa, mute the Super Bowl, everywhere”
— David Low (@daviddlow) February 4, 2018
Uh-oh… https://t.co/umcEfu6gN5
— Tobias Goebel ? (@tpgoebel) February 5, 2018
Austin is Amazon HQ2 pick? https://t.co/V2tQdkFMwz
— Andrew Busey (@andrewbusey) February 5, 2018
And great post-game #SuperBowl Alexa Spot, er spot.
— Daniel Fell (@danfell) February 5, 2018
While we are at it, let’s also take a look at some metrics during the game.
Metrics
A mix of interesting stats from the game:
I saw my Alexa skill usage drop in half in the US during the Super Bowl – and a 7X spike for 5 minutes immediately after the Amazon Alexa ad.
— Joel Wilson (@WilsonJoel) February 5, 2018
Hers what happens when Matt Damon tells everyone to visit your web site during the #SuperBowl. @StellaArtois pic.twitter.com/mkG3lA8umf
— Lance Ulanoff (@LanceUlanoff) February 5, 2018
Honorable Mentions
Gordon Ramsey Skill
Amazon delivers on a celebrity voice.
Who says you can’t have me on your Alexa enabled device ?? Just say “Alexa, enable Gordon Ramsay” for me to finally be in your kitchen ! You can also enable it here: https://t.co/5XH96mNbd1 #GordonOnAlexa pic.twitter.com/NT77mYONvI
— Gordon Ramsay (@GordonRamsay) February 5, 2018
Oh, and we can’t forget about the actual game.
Congrats to the Eagles and for bringing home a win to Katie Ernst, Co-founder, Select A Story.
This is so exciting! First super bowl ever!!!
— Katie Ernst (@SelectaStory) February 5, 2018
What’s Next?
What will Amazon do next year? Will Google make a comeback appearance? How many more robots will we see as actors?
We won’t know for another year. One thing is for sure though. It’s good to see voice make a strong showing among the traditional advertising players. Move over beer and soft drinks, chips, fast food, insurance, and cars. Voice is coming for all of you.