Advertisements for Bud Light Lime and GoDaddy.com may have scored the most viewers (according to Nielsen) in the most-watched Super Bowl of all time, but from our perspective, not surprisingly, the true victors were the brands who used this estimated $100,000-per-second forum to communicate their commitments to social and environmental issues.



Pedigree’s Adoption Drive commercial (#7 on USA Today’s Ad Meter) was humorous and endearing and a nice alternative to the heart-wrenching animal adoption spots we’re most used to seeing, but as the Good Concepts blog notes, it may have been more successful with a more direct call-to-action for consumers. GE’s smart grid technology ad (#28) featuring the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz was inventive and nostalgic, if not exactly actionable. And Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes spot (#36) was simple, actionable and community-oriented, a shift we’re beginning to see in many programs as companies reassert their role as good neighbors in times of turmoil. Kellogg’s also put consumers right in the driver’s seat for its cause program, something our research has found is important to 84 percent of Americans when they support cause-related campaigns.

As a whole, the three cause-minded spots were successful because they were simple, largely engaging and well-aligned with the upbeat, effortless tone consumers expect from Super Bowl ads.

But we want to know what you think. Did this year’s cause-related marketing spots score a touchdown or fumble the ball? Take part in Cone’s poll to share your opinions. We’ll share results on the What Do You Stand For? blog.

Click Here To Vote! (or visit us on Facebook)

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Update:

The results are in, and 100% of respondents agreed that this year's cause-related Super Bowl ads were a touchdown!  However, we must disclose that there were only seven participants- a slow start for our first poll, but thanks to those seven for participating! 

Have a burning question? Let us know!  We will be posing questions to our readers regularly.