Blogger: Rachel Kent
It’s always so much fun to talk about the Super Bowl ads, but I think that we can learn something from them to help with our writing as well. Now I have to confess, I didn’t see the beginning of the game, and I missed the last few minutes too, so I haven’t seen all of the ad,s but I saw enough to get a good idea of the quality. Most were pretty awful this year, but there were a few gems. I liked Dodge Ram’s God made a farmer, Budweiser’s Clydesdale brotherhood, the Oreo library fight, and the Kia space babies.I’m not a fan of the ones that use sex or sex appeal as a marketing technique, and there were SO many that did this year. The “favorite t-shirt” one comes to mind. I don’t even know what that was advertising. I guess it was a clothing company.
We like Super Bowl commercials that touch us on an emotional level the best–they need to either be funny or heartwarming, and the best commercials are the ones that connect with the most people on this personal, emotional level. That is something to keep in mind when you are plotting your books, too. You want to write the best book possible that will appeal to people on an emotional level.
It’s also important to know your audience. I think the Dodge Ram people did this the best for the Super Bowl even though it wasn’t my favorite ad. The Dodge Ram trucks appeal to the same people who would like an advertisement that idealizes the farming lifestyle. My favorite commercial of the night was the Budweiser one, but I don’t drink Budweiser beer. I just like horses, and the ad evoked an emotional response for me (I actually teared up! They totally got me.). I don’t think that Budweiser is appealing to their core audience as well with their advertising, though their ads are memorable. An author needs to keep his or her readership in mind when writing a book so that the book can be as powerful to the reader as that Dodge Ram ad would be to a farmer.
Which commercial was your favorite and why?
Which was your least favorite and why?
What emotions did those ads appeal to? What emotions does your WIP appeal to?
Rachel, I know that we should know what makes our writing unique, or able to stand out. If a writer believes they can appeal well to their readers on the emotional level–that can look like a million different shades. How do you describe that? I think I’m getting at something different than branding, but this has been on my mind this week. I’d love some clarity as it connects to your “emotional connection” thoughts.
I think that understanding your audience will help you to find the right emotional connection. If you’re writing for moms, the mothering-instinct emotions will be the strong ones. If you’re writing for snowboarders you are looking to connect with adrenaline junkies. Those readers will want intensity. That sort of thing.
I’m writing historical=vintage nostalgic junkies/shabby chics.
Lol! Your audience is probably a bit more broad than the nostalgic shabby chics, but I love that description!!!
Great thoughts, Rachel. I actually didn’t watch much of the SB or the ads, but did watch the Dodge one on YouTube later. It’s very good to think about how to emotionally involve the reader, and really, we have to hook them from the beginning. That can be so difficult to do, especially since you can’t give all the backstory, etc., right up front.
It is very hard! That’s why writing is such a labor of love. Thanks for commenting, Lindsay!
Ooo, good stuff here!
My favorite was the Oreo ad. My hubby and I just laughed! They were speaking my language–chocolate and books. 🙂
Two ads I loathed? The “2 Broke Girls” ad with stripper poles, and anything with GoDaddy. I’m really tired of sleazy advertising.
I agree, Jill! I saw one Go-Daddy ad, and it was one too many. Yuck.
I know, Jeanne! It seems as if the commercial should have something to do with what the company is trying to sell! Ugh!
I agree! Those ads were too much!
Jill, I completely agree. My 11 year old daughter just wrote an editorial for school about exactly that. She found several sources strongly urging the removal of those kinds of adds during family programming, including the American Academy of Pediatrics. We’re a big football family, and sex-driven or violent adds are always aired during the games. We have to switch channels because we have four little sets of eyes and ears. So awful, so old.
I agree with Jill, GoDaddy gets two thumbs down for me.
I liked the bullied kid picking his own football team because I tend to root for guys like that. And I cried at the Clydesdale one (and watched it about a dozen times the next day). I’ve always loved that song. Double bonus.
~ Wendy
Oh, I liked that one too, Wendy! You know you’d be on my team. *cracks knuckles* And the clydesdales always make me cry. 🙂
Did you vote to name the baby horse? I wanted to, but didn’t. I’m sure Clyde was suggested a few times and I’m not more creative than that. 😀
I’m with the others. Why must advertisers push the sexual innuendo during what many still consider to be the family hour? It’s hard to explain to our teenage daughter “rights” and “wrongs” when adults are the ones who put out that morally repulsive stuff (and yet, they should know better!)
My favorite commercial was the Dodge Ram advertisement. We’re not farmers (though we live in an area surrounded by hayfields), but it really appealed to my emotion. Of course, I really hold Paul Harvey in high esteem, too.
I think it appealed to the pride of being an American too. It was a very good commercial. I won’t ever own a Dodge Ram though–not my kind of car. 🙂
We don’t have broadcast television, so I didn’t see any of the commercials or the SB. And I just can’t get myself motivated enough to click through and see them online. But, I can say that I’m finding myself feeling sorry for my protagonist in my WIP. He’s in a situation that is not his doing in the least, but he’s suffering rather severe consequences from it. I’m trying to work in some heroic qualities in how he handles it because I don’t want readers to think he’s pitiful. When I’m the reader, feeling sorry for a character only endears him to me and makes me want to see how he handles the situation. But sometimes it seems so hard to know how other readers perceive characters.
Some of my clients have run into this on their first drafts. The protagonist is just not likable for one reason or another. Some are too whiney or too pushy. It’s hard for the author to see it because he or she knows this character personally and can defend the character’s intentions. The trick is showing the reader that character’s heart. It’s not always easy!
Rachel, what a great post. 😉 I only saw about half the game, so I missed most of the commercials you mentioned. I’m going to watch them when I’m done here. 🙂 I loved, LOVED the Jeep one. I believe the message was so good. Maybe it’s because my husband is retired military, but it brought a tear to my eyes.
I disliked the GoDaddy commercial I saw. There were a couple of others that dealt with voo-doo magic that I wasn’t thrilled with. One it took two viewings to “get it.” Of course, I just may be a bit slow, too. 🙂
I hope my book appeals to hope in tough circumstances–whether struggling relationships or unmet desires. 🙂 Does that make sense?
I didn’t get the voo-doo ones either, Jeanne. I can’t even remember what product they were selling!
“I hope my book appeals to hope in tough circumstances–whether struggling relationships or unmet desires. Does that make sense?”
Makes sense to me! And I agree about those voo-doo ones. I don’t remember the Jeep one. I’ll have to look it up.
The jeep one, I believe, was welcoming home members of the armed forces who have served overseas. It was a heartwarming ad.
We had fifteen children in our house on Sunday night, so I didn’t get time to watch any commercials! It was a zoo here. 🙂 But I understand the value of emotional connection. When I was pregnant with my second daughter I bawled like a baby watching a Cheerio commercial about a grandma seeing her grandson for the first time. It resonated with me (and having little ones, I was their target audience). In my books (I write historical fiction), I know my target audience is middle-aged women, maybe with children, yearning for the simpler times of eras gone by. They want to believe there is still good in the world, that love wins, that evil is destroyed and there is hope for the future – the “future” they are living in right now. The best way to evoke those emotions are to give them exactly what they want – but only after they’ve walked through the journey with the characters, fighting their battles, because then the prize is more sweet.
“The best way to evoke those emotions are to give them exactly what they want – but only after they’ve walked through the journey with the characters, fighting their battles, because then the prize is more sweet.”
Great way to put it! Thank you!
I didn’t watch the SuperBowl, but there’s been a lot of buzz about the SuperBowl ad for the Viking miniseries coming up in March on the History Channel. I know that those who write Viking novels in the CBA (as well as Medievals in general) are thrilled to see the Viking star is “on the rise.” And the cool thing is that it looks like it shows how Vikings came to the New World (North America), which is also what my novel is about. So hope springs eternal for books written in this time period.
Oh my, I didn’t know about this! Sounds really interesting. The History Channel does put a lot of effort into making their miniseries pretty engaging. Even though it seems that those are the only programs that have anything to do with history on the channel anymore! 🙂
Ooo, I’m so glad you mentioned this. I like Vikings! I’ll have to keep an eye out for the mini-series!
I don’t remember this one either! I’ll have to look it up. Vikings are fascinating. I hope the time for your book is around the corner!
Thanks, Rachel! I’ve gone ahead and written a contemp suspense in the meantime, in case my Vikings don’t “fly” soon. And yes, the series looks pretty epic!
Rachel, I agree. Knowing your audience and being able to touch emotions is a writers goal. And I think we can learn a lot from well-executed advertising.
My favorite ads were the Dodge commercial and the Budweiser. We have been farmers, we know that lifestyle and we love horses and know their devotion to those who raise them.
But I think the real reason those commercials appealed to me was because of the “story” element. They weren’t flashing a product embellished with colorful sound and photo bites…these commercials used technology to portray a heartfelt story. I think as writers we hope to be storytellers…to connect with our readers in a genuine, heart-to-heart way.
I love this quote by Eugene Peterson, the author of The Message Bible:
“There are never enough storytellers. There are a lot of people who want to write stories but they don’t want to go through the discipline, the agony, the immersion in life it requires to tell the truth with all of this. I think writing is one of the sacred callings. I wish, in fact, that the church would ordain writers the way they ordain pastors and professors. Give some dignity to this work of the imagination.”
Thanks again for a thought-provoking post.
It is true that those ones did have the story element. It appeals to me too.
Great quote from Eugene Peterson! Thanks for sharing!
I watched neither the super bowl, nor YouTubed any of the videos. There’s just…..something about the fact that ultimately, regardless of the production cost or quality of the commercial, that they fundamentally manipulate emotion to sell a product.
I think that is a key point to remember when crafting our own stories; are we TELLING a story, and the way that the characters, story, etc. affect the reader comes from conveying truths; or are we trying to SELL the reader on the characters and story, customizing the story and characters to get the highest emotional return, no different than any other product which intentionally manipulates the audience?
I love your distinction between “telling” and “selling” a story, Larry–thanks!
Glad to have been of service! 🙂
It’s a fine line. You can tell stories all day long, but if no one is buying or reading them are you really accomplishing what you need to with your writing?
I don’t think that appealing to a readership is manipulating readers, but that’s my opinion. This is something I’d love for others to weigh in on too!
I’m not sure of the fine details of the advertising world anyway, but I’m in no way manipulated to buy a Dodge Ram, a Kia Sonata, or Budweiser because I liked the advertisements. I’m not a fan of those products at all, but I did enjoy the commercials. I might buy Oreo cookies, but I like them already anyway and I certainly didn’t rush out to buy some after the game. 😉
And I don’t like football either. I went to my brother’s house for the food and family time.
Anyone else with an opinion about the telling and selling of a story? I’d love to hear it!
I’m weighing in on the “selling” side. We want readers to “buy into” our stories, to believe our characters are real, to invest themselves in the outcome. Everything we do as writers (of fiction at least) is an intentional manipulation of the reader, but that isn’t a bad thing.
When I sit down to read a novel, I want the author to make me feel things. I want to be intrigued, or thrilled, or worried, or delighted. If I don’t feel an emotional connection to something in the book, I’m not likely to get past the first chapter, let alone finish it. The only way the author is going to draw me in is by plucking my emotional strings. That, is manipulation.
Yes, we are storytellers. But we are also story sellers.
Oh, I didn’t mean there’s anything wrong with literally “selling” a story, as in making money: but in regards to accomplishing what I want with my writing, I hope that I’m able to convey truth, give people something to think about, and show a level of quality that the art form is capable of, and have a story that readers enjoy: without having to approach writing it from a perspective of fundamentally structuring the story and characters around artificially instilling in the audience some sense of meaning or depth to the work that isn’t there; or having them experience artificial feelings, in that the fullness of the feelings they could experience through the story and its characters would be a pale shadow of what it could have been if I achieved conveying something real.
I feel that it is my responsibility as a writer not only to the craft to pursue that, but my responsibility to myself to have my name stand for something better.
“Everything we do as writers (of fiction at least) is an intentional manipulation of the reader, but that isn’t a bad thing.”
I wouldn’t agree with that, Elissa. When I write, I care only about conveying the truth of the world as I view it, and how the characters in that world come to the choices and perspectives that they hold. With that much work to do, there’s no way I could then try to view it from the perspective of some theoretical audience, and change or alter characters and parts of the stories from such a perspective! It’s already hard enough to know what the characters are going to do and where the story will go, and I at least “know” those characters, unlike the (often fickle) desires of the marketplace!
Oh, when it comes to marketing the story, NOW I start to focus on the market and how to convey to readers that they would like to buy the book! 🙂
Larry,
I think it’s a matter of our personal interpretations of the word “manipulate”. If readers care about a character we’ve created, we’ve manipulated their emotions. That’s how I see it, anyway.
Rachel,
I watched less than half of the super bowl at a party with my kids, and during one particularly risqué add I had to tell my 11-year-old son to look away. That shouldn’t have to happen during a football game! But, enough ranting. The ad I liked the best was the farmer one. We live rurally. We aren’t farmers, but my husband would love to be. We also don’t own a truck, but how my husband wants one! He is the bull’s eye of that target audience. And you are so right to tie that to the “advertising” we do for our books through our blogs, etc. We need to write, tweet and post stuff that makes our target readers’ hearts sing.
I know what you mean! My 7-year-old nephew was watching with us and I was uncomfortable with the thought of him watching some of the ads and also the half-time show.
For the handful of commercials I saw, the Dodge ‘God Made a Farmer’ was my favorite. A GoDaddy ad drudged up an old fear of cooties, and I actually covered my eyes. 🙂
My current WIP appeals to the emotions associated with loss and heartache, and the determination to fight for the ones you love. It is very focused on relationships between family and friends.
It sounds like your book has a broad audience! That’s great!
I was a blathering, sniffling spazz by the end of the Bud commercial.
“And the horsey remembered him? Waaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!”
Amazing, isn’t it?
I think I’ve only cried during one other commercial before and it was a Hallmark one.
I’m surprised that I can get so emotional in 2 minutes!
I liked those too, Rachel! And I liked the Jeep one that was really patriotic. The one with the Clydesdale made me tear up. LOL And is it just me, or are the Hardee’s commercials getting sleezier and sleezier? I hate those commercials. They’re so offensive, and I wouldn’t eat at Hardee’s if it was the last restaurant on earth. Just sayin’.
They still have Hardees? I’m in the upper midwest, and all of ours went out of business…
Melanie, I don’t ‘do’ sports shows so I have to let my husband fill me in on the commercials. He pauses the tv when a good one is on and calls me into the room! I’ll take your word for the Hardee’s commericals as I haven’t seen any–so I won’t be going to Hardee’s anymore. I’m all about boycotting places that do offensive things. They will not be getting my money. I’m sure they’ll really be hurting! haha …
I’ve never been to Hardee’s, but I’m not going to start going now!
I love this post, Rachel, especially because it’s so unique. Who would think we would be talking about Super Bowl ads on a blog about writing?
The Budweiser one was definitely my favorite. I write historical fiction set in the mid-1800s, and the Little House books are some of my favorites. I have to admit, if I read a romance novel, I like it to have a cowboy in it. I’ve lived in New England my whole life, but there is something about the settling of the west and the rugged cowboy that appeals to me.
The GoDaddy commerical was the worst. Without being too graphic, if they had just gone for one kiss instead of that disgusting display, I would have been okay with it.
Hopefully my current WIP appeals to the emotions of loss and grief, but also to the desire to belong and the joy of finding your own place in the world.
Thanks for this great post. Totally loved it.
“Who would think we would be talking about Super Bowl ads on a blog about writing?” Every former or current advertising copywriter reading this thread is crying right now…it was writing advertising that made me fall in love with words, and language, and cadence, and alliteration!
So sorry, Adelle. I was thinking more Super Bowl than copywriting, but of course, you are correct.
Loss and grief followed by hope is a story that will have a wide readership. Love it!
No TV where I live, but I used to be in advertising so I couldn’t resist looking at the commercials online. I don’t know if I saw them all, but the main thing that comes to my mind is I don’t remember what most of them were selling.
I remember the one with the over-the-top kissing, and I have no idea what it was selling. Was that the GoDaddy everyone says they hated?
I liked the one with the kid picking up his team, and remember it was selling a car, but I can’t possibly tell you what car.
But… the Jeep one, the Budweiser Clydesdale one, and the Dodge Ram one… those I remember. Was it because they were a bit longer than the usual commercial? Or was it because they really resonated with me?
As I said, I used to work in advertising, so I know they’re going for the emotional response. And yes, it’s definitely something we writers need to do as well if we want our writing to resonate with our audience.
The kissing one is the GoDaddy ad. Yuck.
And I do wonder about the length. Perhaps that does make a difference?
Thanks for weighing in!
. . .Sorry to say – I didn’t watch the Super Bowl. I watched the Puppy Bowl instead. I must say, it was great!
My dogs love the puppy bowl. They go crazy watching the other pups. I get them on Netflix occasionally. We don’t have TV either.
I have to make a confession – I didn’t like the Clydesdale ad!
Maybe it’s because I’m an ex Ad Gal who is now a writer, but I felt not just emotionally connected, I felt emotionally manipulated. It seemed to jump the shark, so to speak, trying to tug at my heartstrings and exceeded plausibility to the point of being ludicrous.
But yet…I loved War Horse and cried buckets.
What can I say? I am fickle.
Paul Harvey is always a win, IMHO.. I love the commercials during the Super Bowl, I always have, but I really miss the days of a good cat-herding round up. (Anyone? Anyone? Please tell me someone else remembers…)
You can always tell you’re in a room of advertising executives during the Super Bowl. We talk during the game, but the room goes dead silent during the commercials.
It’s funny, but I actually was anticipating liking the Bud commercial so that might have been part of why I liked it so much. I like the horses! I was ready to be manipulated.
🙂 I think when you are ready to be critical about an ad you are less likely to be manipulated by it. Same thing with books, but if you want to like it you are more likely to.
Oh! And I can’t even bring myself to watch War Horse because it looks sad. I’m sure I’d love the movie, but I don’t want to cry. lol.
Oh, but you must. The ending has some much schmaltz you’ll think you’re in Gone With the Wind.
CAT HERDING was EPIC!!!
And absolutely brilliant.
Why yes, I am totally 32 years old.
Huzzah! I am still relevant. Phew.
“Maybe it’s because I’m an ex Ad Gal who is now a writer, but I felt not just emotionally connected, I felt emotionally manipulated. It seemed to jump the shark, so to speak, trying to tug at my heartstrings and exceeded plausibility to the point of being ludicrous.”
Indeed! That’s another facet to what I tried to convey in the difference between “telling” and “selling” a story.
Readers today are so savvy that if they become aware of a book (or movie, tv show, etc) trying to manipulate them, they’ll probably….look for something else. Or tell their friends and circle of influence not to bother with your product.
And in a market already crowded with writers trying to literally sell their product by often trying to “sell” the reader using the same manipulation as other products, how can one make ones’ own product stand out from the rest if they try to “sell” a similar product?
Find the itch and scratch it. What is it that your book is going to do for the reader? What is the need your book is going to fulfill? Figure out what your reader wants or needs, and then tell them, and tell them how you’ll be able to meet that need. Easy peasy. (HA!)
I loved the Dodge ad! I felt like my grandfather was telling me a bedtime story. Beautifully done!
I loved the Dell Ad. It wasn’t funny, but the whole thing reminded me of the creative process of a writer. So cool! The Oreos and M&Ms were my next favorite.
My favorite was the Ram truck commercial about farming. We’re full-time farmers and it struck home. I know many people who thought it was a good ad. Many of them are not farmers, but everybody participates in Agriculture. If you eat, you experience the product of farming. Oops- I think I’m standing on a soap box. 🙂
The Clydesdale ad was well done. I really liked it! The Budweiser Company has a history of good ads for the Super Bowl.
Any of the tasteful ads beat out the ridiculous ones. The model and the geek was gross. Just saying…
I agree with Cheryl. To demonstrate what Super Bowl ads can teach us about writing a book is amazing. Very creative.
The Bud and Dodge Ram commercials were my favorites as well. I am not a farmer, but I loved the tone and dignity of the ad, especially after seeing so many raunchy ones during this Super Bowl. I liked the Clydesdale commercial because, like you, I love horses. Also, the story was sweet and I like happy endings. Having said that, I think, as a story, the ending was too predictable. HOWEVER, the ending gave us (at least us sentimental people) what we wanted and, thus, was immensely satisfying.
My novel centers around the feeling of having a dream that everyone tells you shouldn’t or can’t pursue and the passion and frustration that goes along with that as you try to ignore the negative voices and deal with obstacles as you work towards your goal. It also explores the loving someone who is going down a dangerous path and how hard it is to navigate caring without controlling or alienating.
Blessings!
After agreeing with all your posts, I couldn’t add much until you got to the CAT HERDING. Now talking cats, you’ve got my attention. My WIP cozy fiction is a “cat mystery” where the cat helps solve the mystery, so, paraphrasing the above conversation, my cat not only has to grab the reader’s interest by TELLING the story and SELLING the concept, I have to capture the reader’s interest with the mystery,love, and emotion as seen through the cat’s eyes. Perhaps my cat should do all this with the help of a Clydedale. LOL.
The SB was during Sunday evening church, so we recorded it to watch afterwards. We fast-forwarded through all the ads, unfortunately or fortunately. Sometimes I would stop for movie ads, but this time I had to get to the end. Go Ravens! That was close.
In addition to the ones you mentioned, Rachel, I enjoyed the Doritos Goat commercial.