A New Era in Super Bowl Messaging -- Gender News Weekly

If Super Bowl XLIX was amp8220The Super Bowl That Caredamp8221 as named by Jack Myers then this year wasnamp8217t quite up to snuff It lacked the strong meaningful and positive messaging demonstrated from a wide range of brands in last yearamp8217s commercials including Dove MenCareamp8217s Real Strength Toyotaamp8217s Being a Dad Is More Than Being a Father and Alwaysamp8217 awardwinner Like A Girl amp160While this positive messaging about fatherhood and changing gender dynamics was perhaps accelerated by the Ray Rice case including the launch of the NFLamp8217s No More campaign against domestic violence and sexual assault these ads seemed to point to a purposeful transformation in Super Bowl commercials that did not quite carry over year for yearInstead brands returned to humor or at least attempted it and an overreliance on celebrities some worked some didnamp8217t Not to say that there werenamp8217t a few standouts among the headaches of Mountain Dewamp8217s muchtalkedabout Puppymonkeybaby and the NFLamp8217s Super Bowl Babies I wasnamp8217t quite sure whether to laugh at or be appalled by those twoamp160 While few and far between the ads below reflect the positive and productive messaging that should be present on such a large stageAXEamp8217s amp8220Find Your Magicamp8221For years AXE has told the masses that its spray makes men chick magnets and had women appear as brainless objects in its creepy and misogynistic commercials Yet in a surprising rebrand its Super Bowl spot below was both daring and inspiring offering a welcome take on a more nuanced and modern masculinity one that embraces individuality and diversity The voiceover asks amp8220Who needs a six pack amp8230 when youamp8217ve got the nose the suit the brains the booksamp8221 It even features a man in heels a meaningful and delightful LGBT shout out My favorite was a bearded burly man with kittens Whatever character the viewer identified with the messages were clear Masculinity and manhood are changing and AXE has finally risen above stereotypeamp160amp160amp160amp160MINI Cooper DefyLabelsIs anyone else in love with this commercial It actually does what the title suggests walking through the stereotypes that could be associated with the MINI Cooper amp8220chick caramp8221 amp8220gay caramp8221 amp8220young professionalamp8217s caramp8221 and breaking them down What makes it resonate the most however are its frontandcenter celebrities who have also defied labels throughout their careers Tennis champion Serena Williams and openly gay soccer player Abby Wambach This makes their delivery of amp8220this is a amp8216chickamp8217 caramp8221 and amp8220this is a amp8216gayamp8217 caramp8221 all the more powerful and presents a tribute to everyone who doesnamp8217t quite fit inHyundaiamp8217s RyanvilleWhile I wouldnamp8217t necessarily categorize this spot as meaningful messaging Ryanville featuring two women driving through a town in which everyone is Ryan Reynolds turns the male gaze on its head Instead of men gawking at and objectifying women the numerous Ryans are the sex objects so much so that the caramp8217s new autobrake feature has to step in for the very distracted driver and passenger Whether you like this ad or not it was one of the few that directly targeted women We can finally say buying cars is no longer just for dudesNFLamp8217s No More amp8220Text Talkamp8221While not as powerful as last yearamp8217s campaign which launched following the Ray Rice scandal the NFL has continued its No More initiative pledging to put an end to domestic violence and sexual assault Featuring a text exchange between two female friends the spot asks viewers to not be bystanders when they recognize signs of abuse Amidst a slew of humorous commercials the NFLamp8217s PSA certainly stood outJeepamp8217s amp8220Portraitsamp8221 and amp82204x4 Everamp8221Jeep had two memorable and impactful spots which unlike many other ads featured equal female representation and diversityamp160 In amp8220Portraitsamp8221 Jeep presents a blackandwhite montage of famous and ordinary people evoking the brandamp8217s bluecollar roots It ends with the powerful line amp8220We donamp8217t make Jeep You doamp8221 We still have a long way to go when it comes to both female and racial representation and itamp8217s inspiring to see ad spots that have a healthy mix of diversity amp160For instance women were excluded from a quarter of this yearamp8217s spots and in 64 of the total 55 commercials women did not have a speaking role Timeamp8217s Motto reportedamp160amp160amp160A Loser Snickers Stirs ControversyA Snickers spot featuring Willem Dafoe dressed as Marilyn Monroe from amp8220The Seven Year Itchamp8221 stirred a Twitter outrage as some online users called it out for being transphobic and employed the hashtag NotBuyingIt The main problem many users argued was the tagline amp8220Youamp8217re not you when youamp8217re hungryamp8221 which transforms Dafoe back into the iconic Monroe skirt blowing up from the grate amp8220Hey Snickers have a Snickersamp8221amp160Upworthy tweeted amp8220You get a little transphobic when youamp8217re hungryamp8221Letamp8217s Talk About HalftimeThe halftime show was perhaps the most politicallycharged performance at a Super Bowl to date and has since sparked both praise and a surge of criticism Beyonceamp8217s allfemale allblack dance crew dressed in outfits that honored the Black Panthers were in obvious salute to the Black Lives Matter movement cuing outrage from many including Rudy Guiliani Other fans applauded an incredible performance because Beyonce can do no wrong Coldplay also sent a message to national viewers celebrating LGBT rights by cloaking the stadium in rainbows and having the fans spell out the message amp8220Believe in Loveamp8221 an uplifting tribute to marriage equality that many would have never expected to see at the most popular sporting event in AmericaThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillageMyersBizNet management or associated bloggers

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A New Era in Super Bowl Messaging -- Gender News Weekly

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Connor Zickgraf

Empowering Women in Media: Insights from Industry Leaders (Video) - By E.B. Moss

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Connor Zickgraf

Empowering Women in Media: Insights from Industry Leaders (Video) - By E.B. Moss

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