The Super Bowl Ad Review panel, featuring about 70 students who gathered to rate the ads. Kellogg photos
Every year, millions of eyes are glued to televisions around the world to watch the Super Bowl. At the Kellogg School of Management, we’re more interested in what happens during the commercial breaks. Now in its 20th year, the Kellogg Super Bowl Advertising Review (SBAR) brings together MBA students to evaluate the effectiveness of advertising during the big game.
As students, we came to Kellogg with a breadth of previous marketing experience across technology and healthcare, wanting to gain exposure to other industries and learn more about B2C (Business to Consumer) marketing, with a particular interest in advertising. Once we started our programs at Kellogg, we both prioritized getting involved in the Kellogg Marketing Club and were elected as leaders for the Signature Events team. We are passionate about building community and creating inclusive forums that foster diverse perspectives. As a result, we are grateful to manage a team of talented MBA students delivering on that vision through events like the Annual Kellogg Marketing Competition and the Super Bowl Ad Review.
Despite coming from different backgrounds, we share a common interest in building strong brands and a desire to drive impact through successful marketing. Supporting Super Bowl Ad Review was an exciting way for both of us to gain more exposure to this work, while advancing our leadership skills.
Kellogg Marketing Club Leads Sam Kallas, Meghan Peterson, Zaineb Lakhani,J imena Gonzlez Sainz
A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT
The preparation for SBAR started long before the big day. Kellogg prides itself on being largely student-led, empowering students to take ownership of major programs and initiatives. This was an amazing opportunity for us to take leadership roles and leave our mark on a signature Kellogg event.
We started early, meeting with Professor Timothy Calkins and Professor Derek Rucker, long-time hosts of SBAR. Working closely with such respected marketing experts was an incredible learning opportunity. With their guidance, we dove into the vision for the event and learned more about its impact in the past. Our team supported behind-the-scenes logistics, from panel selection to scoring the advertisements on the day of the event. To ensure the event was a success, the support of the Kellogg Marketing Club was integral, pulling in co-presidents Tiffney Kathir, Michael Chen and our team leads Sam Kallas, Zaineb Lakhani, Lynnea Young and Ali St. Clair. In addition, members of the Kellogg administration and media team were critical in amplifying our efforts and ensuring an unforgettable experience for the panel.
A SBAR participant watching a Super Bowl Ad and contemplating how to grade it
A HISTORIC SUPER BOWL AD REVIEW
This year marks a historic milestone, the 20th Anniversary of the Kellogg Super Bowl Ad Review. With millions of dollars spent on advertising campaigns, our ratings are based on the effectiveness of the ads in communicating a clear value proposition tied to the brand and product. It is not enough to depend on who books the hottest celebrity or garners the most laughs to determine success.
To develop the final ranking, Kellogg students leverage a strategic framework known as ADPLAN to score every ad on an A-F scale. The acronym, developed by Kellogg professors helps students measure each ad on its Attention, Distinction, Positioning, Linkage, Amplification, and Net Equity. Following the final ad (and in this year’s case, a thrilling overtime), the ratings are analyzed to produce the official ranking.
Events like these provide a unique opportunity for Kellogg students to practice what they are learning in the classroom and to network with classmates coming from a range of diverse industries and previous experiences.
The final results can be found on the Kellogg Super Bowl Ad Review website. Here is our list of winners:
Google: The Google Pixel ad caught and held our attention early on. Its blurred imagery was distinctive from other commercials, keeping you guessing until the storyline came into focus. This ad was memorable and showcased Google’s commitment to both tech innovation and inclusion via product features and benefits. Overall, this was an ad that resonated with both of us.
Doritos: Doritos has consistently been among our best rated ads and this year it happened again! Doritos Dinamita fired up the panel with an endearing city chase of two “abuelas” for Dorito´s new flavor, diving into a vibrant celebration of Latin´s culture with Jenna Ortega´s appearance as a finale. The ad effectively caught our attention in a distinctive way to introduce the new flavor while amplifying brand´s equity in a consistent way.
CeraVe: This unexpected ad surprised both of us. The delivery was unique, tying well-known celebrity Michael Cera to CeraVe, and introducing a creative play on words to commit this ad to memory. This ad did well on linkage, never leaving viewers guessing what this ad was promoting and humorously played up the clear benefits of the product.
Jimena Gonzalez Sainz is an MBA candidate from the 2Y Program at Kellogg (Class of 2024) majoring in Strategy and Marketing. Before Kellogg, she worked as Sr. Marketing Team leader at Eli Lilly & Company’s Mexican affiliate. Following graduation in June, she plans to go back to Lilly.
Meghan Peterson is an MBA candidate at Kellogg (Class of 2024) focusing on Marketing and Strategy. Prior to Kellogg, she worked in Product Marketing at Intel supporting their latest datacenter and artificial intelligence products. Following graduation in June, she plans to pursue a role in technology product marketing.
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