Fictional characters in the 2021 super bowl
How advertisers at the Super Bowl LV embraced fictional characters
The Super Bowl is one of the most coveted prime-time slots for global advertising. Over the last few years, I’ve been keeping a close eye on the creative choices made by brands and their advertising agencies when it comes to Super Bowl campaigns - and I’ve been pleased to see many brands leveraging fictional characters to engage audiences.
In 2019’s Super Bowl LIII, we saw Lassie, Looney Tunes and Free Willy appear in a Mercedes campaign, and Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw starring alongside The Big Lebowski’s ‘The Dude’ in an advertisement for Stella Artois.
And then, in 2020’s Super Bowl LIV, fictional characters took centre stage in many of the prime-time slots, most notably with Bill Murray’s Groundhog Day character, Phil, appearing in Jeep’s advertising campaign.
Although the 12 months leading up to the 2021 Super Bowl is not what any of us had expected, we remained confident that brands would continue to harness the power of fictional characters in their advertising at the Super Bowl LV - and we were far from disappointed!
Fictional characters in 2021 Super Bowl advertisements
An array of much-loved fictional characters, from film and TV, starred in 2021’s Super Bowl ads, utilising the existing emotional connections audiences have with these characters. Here are our favourites…
Sesame Street characters in DoorDash’s ‘The Neighborhood’
Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Grover and their puppet companions from Sesame Street featured in this 60-second musical number for DoorDash. With a jaunty bespoke song and an engaging backdrop, DoorDash emphasise the variety of options available through their delivery service - and end with reminding customers that $1 from every order goes to the nonprofit behind Sesame Street, Sesame Workshop.
Wayne and Garth from Wayne’s World for UberEats
Wayne’s World characters, Wayne and Garth, star in this tongue-in-cheek advertisement alongside rapper Cardi B to encourage viewers to ‘eat local’. Using the latest trends juxtaposed with the 90s context of Wayne’s World, the 60-second slot is a creative mash-up of past and present, encouraging viewers to support their local restaurants by ordering from UberEats.
Edward Scissorhands for Cadillac
Reprising her role as Kim, Winona Ryder stars in this 90-second campaign for the latest Cadillac model. Starring Edgar Scissorhands, Edward Scissorhands’ fictional son, the campaign sees Edgar struggling to get to grips with twenty-first-century life, before revelling in the hands-free driving of the Cadillar LYRIQ.
SpongeBob SquarePants and Oikos
Yogurt brand Oikos utilise SpongeBob SquarePants alongside NFL players and fitness instructors showing their ‘ugly face’ - the face athletes make during training. Dubbing the grimace “ProFace”, Oikos’ 30-second spot during the Super Bowl livestream is promoting their ‘Pro’ yogurt.
The power of fictional characters at the Super Bowl
As licensing agents, we’re always thrilled to see major brands incorporating fictional characters into their advertising campaigns - and the prime-time campaigns running at Super Bowl events often set the trend for the wider advertising community. Fictional characters have a proven track record of capturing viewer attention, tapping into existing fan bases, leveraging nostalgia and prompting people to engage with, share and talk about the campaigns.
We’re firm believers in the power of fictional characters in advertising and are always pleased to see major brands, who spend millions of dollars on Super Bowl campaigns, utilising character licensing to engage their audiences.
Licensing fictional characters in advertising
As licensing agents for ViacomCBS, the Rights Holders for the SpongeBob SquarePants character, we were pleased to work alongside Oikos to secure the use of SpongeBob SquarePants in their ‘ugly face’ campaign. Managing the entire licensing process, including negotiations, approval processes and creative approach, we’re able to make the advertising process simple and straightforward for brands and their creative agencies.
If you’re looking to make a splash with your next advertising campaign, even if it’s not a prime-time Super Bowl slot, we can help! Fictional characters are incredibly powerful and our unique experience in the advertising and licensing industry has proven invaluable for many brands looking to reach and engage new or existing audiences.
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