Content material remains to be king within the Tremendous Bowl.

Whereas the highlight may shine just a little brighter on the few automakers who determined to make a pitch on promoting’s largest stage, manufacturers should not assume that simply being there will likely be sufficient.

The 4 spots from General Motors, Jeep and Toyota will nonetheless have to ship in the event that they need to make an imprint on customers.

In reality, with individuals social distancing because of the pandemic, the dynamics of how the sport is considered may change this yr. With crowded Tremendous Bowl events out of the query for a lot of, client consideration on the adverts might be even larger as a result of they could not have “mates and distractions happening” that would take their focus off the display, mentioned Satya Menon, managing accomplice for the ROI apply at Kantar.

Kevin Krim, CEO at analytics agency EDO that may measure on-line search exercise after adverts air on TV, would not suppose the smaller variety of auto manufacturers will routinely translate right into a larger-than-normal surge in engagement.

Final yr, eight manufacturers jumped into the Tremendous Bowl fray and ran eight spots. EDO knowledge discovered that Tremendous Bowl viewers in 2020 have been six instances extra prone to seek for one of many manufacturers being marketed than they’d throughout different primetime broadcasts.

“The inventive content material issues a lot,” Krim advised Automotive Information. “It is received to be the appropriate mixture of auto, and a real, real, genuine model message. After which, more and more lately, you bought to again that up with superstar or some actually sizzling, huge flashy idea.”

Krim added that if a star is not concerned, an advert would should be “excessive in its visuals and it is music and all that. These are the methods you, as an auto model particularly, can ship actually efficient inventive within the Tremendous Bowl.”

GM goes the superstar route in its two adverts with huge names akin to Will Ferrell, Kenan Thompson and Winona Ryder and Jeep is enlisting iconic singer Bruce Springsteen.

Krim mentioned the Tremendous Bowl remains to be one of the best funding manufacturers could make on TV.

So why are huge sport staples akin to Hyundai and Kia sitting out?

Hyundai has concocted a sequence of well-received adverts through the years, together with final yr’s humorous “Smaht Pahk” spot starring actor Chris Evans that touted the Sonata sedan’s know-how.

Regardless that the model is making ready to launch its redesigned Tucson crossover in April, it felt it may showcase the car otherwise. Hyundai advised Promoting Age, a sister publication of Automotive Information, that it needed to make a significant, sustained push for the Tucson by spreading its spending over many months. Saving on a Tremendous Bowl advert, the corporate mentioned, will assist the model perform that technique.

“This was a call primarily based on advertising priorities, the timing of upcoming car launches and the place we felt it was greatest to allocate our advertising sources,” the model mentioned in an announcement to Automotive Information. “Hyundai has a protracted and profitable historical past in producing memorable Tremendous Bowl promoting, together with constantly robust rankings within the USA As we speak Advert Meter and Ace Metrix, and we will definitely be again.”

Honda advised Advert Age that its new car launches this yr did not line up with the Tremendous Bowl timing, mentioned Ed Beadle, assistant vice chairman of American Honda’s advertising division.

Lexus, which hasn’t appeared within the sport since 2018, mentioned it can give attention to the digital realm this yr. The luxurious model advised Automotive Information it has had a “heavy presence” on YouTube, which can draw the eyeballs of these trying to watch the entire new adverts.

Starting Sunday, Lexus will take over the YouTube masthead on the location’s homepage and the AdBlitz part that serves as a hub for the most recent Tremendous Bowl content material. The automaker is pushing its IS sport sedan on the mastheads, which leads individuals to the IS web page on Lexus.com, the place they’ll configure fashions and discover a supplier.

The masthead will characteristic a particular new model of the model’s “Names” and “Vainness Plates” spots for the IS, which spotlight “individuals who totally embrace their passions.”

“This distinguished placement on YouTube offers Lexus mass attain with its IS goal buyer as they give the impression of being to go ‘all-in’ on the cultural conversations taking place across the Large Recreation,” the model mentioned in an announcement. “For the brand new IS, Lexus is focusing on its youngest, most numerous buyer but with a broad, but deep marketing campaign.”

Moreover, Lexus mentioned it has had pre-roll advert placements in official NFL movies earlier than and through Tremendous Bowl weekend.

Audi, which was hyping its electrified automobiles throughout the Tremendous Bowl lately, determined to sit down out.

The model mentioned because it “appears to be like to the longer term, we’re excited to share the subsequent chapter of our story … We have got extra to return.”

Volvo is once more leaping into the Tremendous Bowl dialogue with out operating a spot. The model is in search of to generate engagement across the “Volvo Security Sunday” marketing campaign, which pledges to present away $2 million value of automobiles if a security is scored. This ups the ante from final yr’s $1 million.

To enter the competition, individuals have to go to VolvoSafetySunday.com to configure a car or take a brief quiz that may make a advice. From there, contributors choose “Attempt to win this Volvo,” which provides them the prospect to be randomly chosen if a security occurs.

Deb Gabor, CEO of Sol Advertising, a model technique consultancy, mentioned Volvo’s effort to play on its security repute works right here and helps it stand other than the pack.

Gabor mentioned a whole lot of auto adverts, normally, are just about indistinguishable, however believes Volvo’s effort is “progressive in its personal means.”

Ford Motor Co. has had sporadic appearances within the sport and determined towards investing in a nationwide Tremendous Bowl spot. This yr, the corporate went with a regional ad strategy focusing on main markets that have been the exhausting hit by the pandemic, together with Southern California, Florida and Texas.

Ford’s marketing campaign, as an alternative of pitching automobiles, is urging America to complete robust because the well being disaster continues. The automaker, whereas asserting its regional advert method on Feb. 2, mentioned it is planning to distribute greater than 25 million free medical-grade masks over the subsequent 5 weeks. The decision-to-action marketing campaign will contact Michigan and Missouri as properly, the place Ford mentioned the corporate has a excessive focus of staff who can not earn a living from home.

Mark Truby, Ford’s chief communications officer, advised Advert Age, “Certain we may have achieved nationwide promoting,” however “we try to make the {dollars} we now have go so far as we are able to,” referencing its mask-making efforts.

Kia, which broke an 11-year advert streak within the Tremendous Bowl, went with an outreach message as Ford did. The Korean automaker mentioned it can “broaden its charitable initiatives in help of America’s youth.”

Gabor mentioned customers are more and more requiring that the manufacturers they purchase present them what their values and beliefs are.

Gabor mentioned the pandemic, the resurgence of the social justice motion after George Floyd’s dying in police custody in Might and a hotly contested presidential election solely accelerated this development.

“It’s only a very extremely divided public,” Gabor mentioned.

Gabor thinks it is doable the automakers who invested in spots will seize a larger “share of thoughts” than they usually would, however there are not any ensures.

“Remember that all the pieces about how persons are consuming this, and the way in which they interact with the Tremendous Bowl as a cultural phenomenon is totally totally different this yr,” Gabor mentioned. “I will be actually involved in what these outcomes seem like.”