Stay on top of emerging Big Game ad trends as they unfold in our Super Bowl 2024 Ad Center, which features the latest teasers and pre-releases.
Kawasaki launched its first-ever Super Bowl campaign recently, and its playful ode to the mullet is number one with a bullet. As of the writing of this post, its new ad for the Ridge side x side sits at the top of the chart for “Attention” among all Super Bowl pre-release creatives that have aired to date, according to iSpot Creative Assessment data.
In addition to winning over audience attention, the 45-second spot quickly sped to the number two position for both “Humor” and “Likeability” – right behind Hellmann’s “Mayo Cat” in each ranking. Both are important creative elements that can drive brand affinity and loyalty by showing personality and connecting through positive emotional appeal.
Kawasaki delivers all that and more, mixing in clever CGI to magically adorn a series of characters with the business-in-the-front, party-in-the-back hairstyle popularized by rock stars of the 1980’s but – let’s face it – never really went away. Pairing the infamous traits of the mullet to the features of the Kawasaki Ridge was a smart move for the brand, whose spot is clearly already a winner with TV viewers.
“Mullet” is one of several Super Bowl ads from Goodby Silverstein & Partners. It features brand ambassador and Kawasaki owner “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. As our previous posts in this series demonstrate – the use of celebrities and humor in Super Bowl advertising is on the rise. Star power, and the ability to have a little (or a lot of) fun without offending an audience, are both powerful ways to break through the clutter and score points with the year’s biggest TV audience.
We can’t wait to see where the Ridge takes us next. Tune into our 4th annual post-game Super Bowl webinar for an instant reply of all the ad action, including a closer look at winning creative, audience insights and top trends.