Super Bowl 2018: Eric Springer, Innocean North America

 

Eric Springer
Chief Creative Officer INNOCEAN USA
In a few words, can you tell us who you are and what your job title is?
My name is Eric Springer, I’m the Chief Creative Officer of Innocean North America.
The current price for a 30 second slot is over $5 million. In your opinion is the spend worth it?
Absolutely. Unless your entire marketing budget is $5 million, then you will get fired. Companies get roughly 6 times a year to be a part of the national conversation: Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Championships, Stanley Cup, Oscars and Grammy’s. I push everyone to take the stage, grab the mic and tell people what you want them to know and think about your company.
Is there a demographic you believe Super Bowl advertisers have failed to target or a business sector that is underrepresented?
Not that I can think of. Especially over the last few years, it feels like a true melting pot of people, purpose and brands with northstars. But there’s always room to be better. There are no perfect people or perfect advertisers.
Who do you think is the ‘brand to watch’ at this year’s Super Bowl?
Well, Hyundai of course.
Do you think advertisers can benefit from taking a political/social stance in the Super Bowl?
If it unites and doesn’t divide. A wise human once said: “it’s not about the blue states, or the red states. It’s about the united states."
Are there any fumbled opportunities that come to mind when you think of past Super Bowl advertising?
Everybody drops the ball. The key to failure is to make it fast and put it behind you. The key is to not dwell on it.
Eagles or Patriots?
Rams. Come on, I’m from LA.
What is your favorite Super Bowl ad of all time?
Easy. Fed-Ex from years ago when they had the tagline “When it absolutely, positively needs to be there over night.” So genius. When their Super Bowl commercial came on, it was just the old school color bars that came up on screen, like you just lost TV reception or the station shut off. Yes, TV stations used to shut off, they weren’t always 24/7. Then, just when everyone watching the Super Bowl thought their TV went out and were going into a state of panic, along the bottom of the screen, in a subtitle, read Fed-Ex’s tag: “Should have used Fed-Ex. When it absolutely, positively needs to be there overnight.”

 

Eric Springer
Chief Creative Officer INNOCEAN USA