Sometimes, what you don’t see during the Super Bowl commercial spots can create just as much—if not more—intrigue in the days following the rundown.
Brands have come to realize this “show me more” collective mindset too, and have acted accordingly using extended cuts of the commercials.
Of course, an extended cut is nothing groundbreaking in entertainment. But it does signal that some brands have adapted to the Super Bowl commercial world’s monetarily rugged conditions.
And when considering that 30 seconds of space can cost upwards of $6 million, it makes sense to add a little stretch to the dollar by producing more in-depth versions of the Big Game ad that fans can watch online.
Plus, it’s been a hit.
As we head into our post-Super Bowl coverage of the 2021 commercials—including the USA TODAY Ad Meter Replay Ratings—we’ll be rewatching a lot of spots, weighing in again along with all the fans.
To help, we’re checking back in with AdBlitz, a YouTube exclusive, to see which extended cuts are gaining the most attention.
Here’s what we found…
Paramount Plus: “Sweet Victory”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG0jvqAfiKA&list=PLjncHZSg0GNHexPqzhlkGhsjZ05XYpn_g&index=13
Paramount Plus dropped four spots on Sunday, with the last culminating in a star-studded reveal atop Paramount Mountain. That was only 60 seconds, though. This 1:30 cut has even more twists and turns…Way. More.
REWATCH the entire AdBlitz playlist here
Disney Plus: The Falcon and The Winter Soldier
https://youtu.be/IWBsDaFWyTE
Trailers also present a tricky navigation during the Super Bowl because of the timecrunch. For instance, the second cut of this Disney Plus release ranked 30th (out of 57) in the USA TODAY AD Meter ratings.
But the extended cut is racking up views on YouTube’s AdBlitz.
It will be interesting to see how the spot does in the Replay Ratings…
Fiverr: “Opportunity Knocks”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XelsNvpibpQ&list=PLjncHZSg0GNHexPqzhlkGhsjZ05XYpn_g&index=19
Fiverr jumped into the Super Bowl commercial ring as a first-time contender with its spot that featured the now pop-cultural famous Four Seasons Total Landscaping. The 30-second commercial that aired during the game didn’t land with Ad Meter panelists and finished 43rd.
But this extended cut has a few more unexpected pop-ups here and there and has gained the attention of quite an impressive number of people.
General Motors: “No Way Norway”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCy-a_E2I3s&list=PLjncHZSg0GNHexPqzhlkGhsjZ05XYpn_g&index=31
Five seconds of Will Farrell can send the digital world into a sharing frenzy, escalating view counts into rare territory. So it’s not a surprise that this extended version of GM’s ad is doing so well.
The original finished sixth in the USA TODAY Meter ratings.
NFL: “As One”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SilS_vq4XOw&list=PLjncHZSg0GNHexPqzhlkGhsjZ05XYpn_g&index=33
The NFL has typically performed well in the USA TODAY AD Meter ratings, even winning it all in 2019. However, like the 2021 game, this year’s spot didn’t turn out to be an all-time great. Whether it was the airtime (heading into the fourth when Chiefs and causal fans might have changed the channel), or the Vince Lombardi footage and visual effects fell flat, the ad just made the top 20 (19th) in the USA TODAY Ad Meter ratings.
This cut that runs an extra 40 seconds hasn’t been overlooked on AdBlitz, though, which is a perfect example of how the extended creations can work a little magic.