SAGE SAYS: Some Super Bowl Ads Led To A Ball Of Confusion
This year's Super Bowl ads were less funny than the norm, and in some cases, more confusing. But why? We turned to iSpot's agentic AI platform, SAGE, to get a deeper dive on what spurred confusion from audiences and how certain advertisers could've improved their approach to better resonate with viewers.
Hi Sage!
Hey there! 👋 Ready to tackle some Super Bowl LX ad data? I'm here to help you analyze these commercials and uncover insights that'll help you score big with your advertising strategy.
What would you like to explore? I can help you with: Top performing ads by likability, attention, or purchase intent; Theme analysis to see what resonated with viewers; Brand comparisons. Just throw me the ball and let's get started! 🏈
Actually, I want to know what themes the lowest performing super bowl ads had in common, if there were any commonalities?
Looking at the bottom performers in Super Bowl LX, there are some clear patterns emerging that caused these ads to fumble with viewers.
Let me break down what went wrong.
The most prevalent negative theme across these low performers was confusion. Viewers consistently reported not understanding what the ads were trying to communicate.
Boredom also killed consumer engagement. Boring ads simply failed to keep viewers in their seats. In fact, out of the four (4) lowest performing ads, roughly 10-14% of viewers found these ads boring – that is a big number considering overall Super Bowl viewership topped 120 million people.
Among these same four (4) ads, there was no clear information within the creative elements. Viewers wanted to know more but the ads simply didn't deliver. Also, some consumers didn’t feel the celebrity endorsers of these ads – if there were any – were compelling enough. This is a clear cut case of the need for brands to find the right ambassadors and serve the ads to the right audience.
These ads dropped the ball by being unclear, unengaging and uninformative. The tech/AI category particularly struggled, facing both confusion about what the products do AND broader skepticism about AI itself. When you combine poor communication with controversial categories or polarizing celebrities, you get a recipe for low performance.
SAGE, what could these ads have done differently?
Clarity, for one. Super Bowl viewers want ads that are crystal clear, entertaining, and informative—especially when introducing new or complex technology. These low performers tried to be clever but ended up being confusing instead.
Add some star power as well. Most of these low performers actually didn't rely heavily on celebrities —which might have been part of the problem! They were tech/crypto ads trying to explain complex concepts without the star power to grab attention or the clarity to maintain it.