Super Bowl Commercials 2021: How Jeep and Fiverr Perform Could Predict Future of Politics in Ads

Any marketer watching the Super Bowl saw the stark contrast between Jeep and Fiverr’s ads. If you slept through the Big Game like Robinhood’s entire creative team did…

• Jeep’s ad, titled “The Middle,” featured Bruce Springsteen in the middle of the country explaining how the US needs to become “the RE-United States of America” after a polarizing election season.
• Fiverr’s ad poked fun at former President Trump’s Four Seasons Total Landscaping debacle last year.

So, which worked better? It’s complicated.

Jeep in one corner

Back in November, I wrote a story about why Gap’s election week “unity” post received so much negative feedback.

• At the time, “middle-of-the-road” messaging didn’t really work—Edelman’s global Spring 2020 Brand Trust survey said US brands are 4x “more likely to gain [consumer] trust than lose it when they ‘take action’” on social issues.

But it might not be that simple anymore: While it’s too soon for any real data on the topic to emerge, there’s a chance consumers are more receptive to brands that choose not to take a stand under President Biden, who ran an entire campaign based on unity.

For instance, replies to Marketing Brew’s #SuperBrewLV tweet asking which ad users preferred included:

• “Jeep wins because they captured the moment that the US is experiencing right now—Fiverr focused on a quick win for humor rather than the fact that its service is also in need during this time.”—@RoxanaKate
• “The Middle! Told a story, tapped into emotion, relevant to current political environment, and hit on psychological fundamental needs”—@KannonMarketing

And Fiverr in the other

If we’re following the Edelman report’s logic, this commercial should perform better with audiences because it took a side.

For instance, some respondents to Marketing Brew’s tweet implied they see anti-Trump ads as anti-racist ads, whereas middle ground could mean taking the side of the oppressor.

• “I’d choose @fiverr’s clever dig at 4 Seasons Landscaping over finding ‘middle ground’ with white supremacy.”—@lauraaoris
• “I really appreciate how Fiverr nodded to a political moment & made it feel light while remaining on brand. I feel like Jeep was trying too hard. Like...wow, y’all really want me to make peace with people who hate me? That’s the call to action?”—@BigDeEnergy

Looking ahead: Maybe, as one Twitter user put it, “if anything can unite the country it's Bruce Springsteen and a Wrangler”…and not a Gap hoodie.