The cost was daunting: With well over 100 million viewers expected to tune in this year, NBC charged just over $5 million for each 30 second spot. So advertisers were careful about which messages they showcased on the biggest TV platform of the year.
Even so, many of the spots felt handcuffed or held back — so cautious about drawing a laugh or provoking viewers that the primary reaction was just, well, disappointment.
Last year, we saw nods to the nobility of immigration or gender equality or civil rights. Not this year. Perhaps because of fatigue over real-life political battles, marketers this year seemed to tone down the snark and avoid anything with a whiff of a political statement, beyond the idea that it’s a good thing to deliver clean water to people in developing nations and communities ravaged by hurricanes.
Read this story now for free
To continue reading, sign up for our newsletter and get unlimited access to WABE.org
You can select your preferences for news and local content. We will never share your email address. Learn how your newsletter sign-up will support WABE and Public Media
