You're A Brand, Act Like It
As advertisers, we are paranoid that everyone hates us.
Endless data tells us that young people deeply despise brands, and we have responded by being try-hards. With the Super Bowl looming, there is an overwhelming pressure on brands to make work that is cool, shocking and innovative.
Don’t get me wrong, there are some brands that have the ability to act more like a creator and less like a brand (hello, Liquid Death), but for most of us with long-standing brand names to promote, we don’t have the invite to the party. So, let’s give ourselves a comforting reality check: based on what has worked this past year, I think that all gen Z really wants to see this Super Bowl season is for brands to act like brands.
Brands are inherently cringe. And, the most successful brands right now are owning the cringe by being self-aware and making a meme out of themselves. Brands that poke fun at themselves are met with more trust from the next generation. So, let’s look at three undeniable cringy traits that brands can own with a fun and modern spin.
Cringe #1: Old-Fashioned Advertising
Gen Z’s craving for an escape is inciting an obsession with vintage ads. Nostalgic TikTok reminisces about what advertising used to be. #OldCommericals on TikTok holds over 14.4k posts.
Brands are finding success through inspiration by what they have done in the past. Pepsi, Burberry and Burger King have all launched new logos that go all in on a retro aesthetic. Rather than trying to minimise and hide their branding with simple Helvetica white typeface logos, brands are finally embracing being bold, colourful and distinctive again.
Instead of reinventing advertising, some are keeping things efficient by recycling notorious ad moments. Silk’s ‘Nextmilk’ campaign paid homage to a beloved favourite, reminding us of the power of the simple, memorable image in the 1990s “Got Milk” campaign.
Jingles annoyed consumers in the very best way throughout last year. Uber One’s ‘Diddy Don’t Jingle’ remade iconic bops to clearly communicate the benefits of the subscription service. Burger King went back to the basics with a new ‘You Rule’ jingle inspired by their own iconic 1974 “Have It Your Way” commercial. The blatant annoyingness of the jingles captured gen Z’s attention on social organically.
After an era of doing away with mascots, brands are getting back to embracing the wackiness that comes with having a personified version of the brand, and gen Z is eating it up. Mascots are having a MOMENT. Grimace stole the world’s heart as he took over McDonald’s social for the day. Duolingo’s unhinged owl continues to keep young people following a brand page. Jack in the Box has embraced people making a meme out of the Jack Box character, giving into the thirsty comments on TikTok and adding him to the sexiest man alive list.
Cringe #2: SO. MANY. CELEBRITIES.
The key to celebrity partnerships is making sure the idea is rooted in a brand truth and not centred around the celebrity only. There is pressure in the modern ad world to shock consumers with a celebrity partnership they could never guess. But, 2023 reminded us of the power of perfectly matched partnerships. We have seen brands excel by picking a person that seems like an obvious yet genius choice. Sweetgreen created an iconic photoshoot with Renee Rapp, Jack in the Box created a Munchie Meal with Snoop Dogg, and Hilton brought in their very own Paris Hilton.
On top of this, brands were unafraid to break the fourth wall and call out the clear attempt to win people over with a beloved personality. The Dunkin’ Ben Affleck (and later Ben Affleck & Ice Spice) campaign is a perfect example of this. They created a series of meta ads with Affleck talking about how he was hired by Dunkin’ and brainstorming what he can do to sell iced coffee. Rather than attempting to jolt us with innovation, the brand was 100% real.
I’m excited to see brands partnering with the people that just make sense instead of choosing people to make the brand look younger. This Super Bowl, give me more of Kevin Bacon x IHOP and less of John Travolta x Miracle-Gro.
Cringe #3: Referencing Your Own Inside Jokes
We are in an era where many brands are stealing share from creators and subcommunities in an attempt to appear hip and culturally relevant. However, brands know themselves best. When a brand plays up their own cringe by making a mockery out of themselves, they create a moment 100% ownable to them.
Some of the best creative work last year was ignited not by pop culture references but by brand references. E*TRADE brought back their 2000s babies and Paramount Plus continued to own their mountain last Super Bowl. Why look outwards when you can be inspired by yourself? We want Jake from State Farm! We want Clydesdales! We want Dr. Rick!
This can culminate in grounding yourself in the simplest, dumbest insights. Rather than finding cultural tension, some brands have found success grounding themselves in the most obvious, basic parts of their product. Cheetos owned the orange dust, Doritos owned the triangle, and Pringles owned the can. Sometimes just talking about the most “no duh” part of what makes you, you, is worth the conversation.
As an agency gen Z-er, I am often looked to as the person to modernise brands with the most absurd, wild, risky ideas out there. Everyone looks to gen Z-ers to invent the unknown because gen Z feels like a tough, cynical customer. But I am here to tell you that we don’t need you to overthink things. Gen Z is all about refusing to be something you’re not: hence the pro-cringe movement. If you are owning your flaws, we respect it. TLDR; don’t be afraid to highlight your “brand”-ness and recognise the meme that is advertising.
Rather than trying to reinvent what advertising is, take a look back at the Super Bowl ads you loved growing up. Frankly, a lot of the cringe-inducing tactics used in those will probably still get buzz with a slight modern twist. I am hoping we see some retro-feel ads, jingles, weirdo mascots, perfect celeb partnerships, insider references, and simple & stupid insights.
And frankly, I would just love to see another baby nut livestream.
