By Jack Hiltner
Lindsay Lohan & Planet Fitness
Lindsay Lohan ruled the early 2000’s entertainment industry and then the news cycles shortly afterwards. Gen-Z was raised with the knowledge of her iconic performance in “Mean Girls” and “The Parent Trap” and then cast aside as the film industry went on and she made questionable decisions. Regardless of her past actions, Super Bowl LVI season marked her return with her partnership Planet Fitness and highlighted the gym giant’s judgment-free zone mentality. Whether you’re a Lohan fan or not, you can’t deny that this pairing was brilliant. A redemption arc is one thing, but altering the public narrative is entirely new.
Rocket Mortgage & Barbie
Come on, Barbie, let’s go take out a mortgage? Rocket Mortgage’s Dream House commercial featuring Anna Kendrick and the decades-old doll Barbie was a stroke of genius. In the United States, the average age of first-time parents ranged from 26-31 and the average age of those taking out a mortgage was 34. In this advertisement, they were able to target a hyper-specific demographic and still have room to spare. By the time those kids are old enough for Barbies, the parents are entering the age range for mortgages and other financial decisions. Anna Kendrick’s comedic taste also communicated a mature message that kids wouldn’t understand, but parents could get a kick out of. All in all, Rocket Mortgage’s ad was top-notch and should be appreciated appropriately.
Coinbase
If you grew up with a DVD player that had the bouncing disc menu, you likely felt a sense of nostalgia when you saw that QR code from Coinbase. From perhaps one of the most confusing concepts came one of the most memorable advertisements. 15 seconds leave a mental imprint, but 60 seconds of pure silence and a black screen is downright uncomfortable, perhaps even enough to pick up your phone which is exactly what Coinbase was likely thinking about. Upon scanning the QR code, audiences were granted a free $5 Bitcoin credit if they signed up with an email. Coinbase didn’t have to pull out all the stops, all they had to do was rely on our discomfort with silence.
