Recap: 2020 Super Bowl Ad Panel

On February 6, the AMA Wichita Chapter gathered at the Petroleum Club for the annual Super Bowl Ad Panel. Moderator, Jillian Carrol, Good Day, Kansas Host for KSN News, did a great job of keeping the panelists in line and on topic.

The panelists included:

Sean Cash, Professor of Business Management and Marketing Management at Friends University, brought the perspective of his students and academia.

Nathan Ebert, Chief Business & Strategy Officer at BG Products, Inc., provided his perspective as an above-average sports fan and slightly above-average Joe (his words – not ours 🙂).

Mandy Fouse, Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications at WSU Tech, shared her findings of the social media impact the ads had.

Luis Rodriguez, President of KeyCentrix, LLC and Partner at Method Productions, gave his take on the ads from a videography and stylistic perspective.

From the start, the panelists were jovial and welcoming, bringing a fun and lighthearted atmosphere to the room.

The panel kicked off the discussion with first impressions, and those seemed to be as different as the varying personalities on the panel itself.

Mandy believed that there was a good mix of entertainment and inspiration. Sean and Luis felt that many were mediocre and pandering – trying too hard to play on the emotional appeal. And Nathan, well, the above-average Joe felt the ads were average at best.

Some of the favorites from the discussion were Smaht Pahk – Hyundai, Tom Brady’s Big Announcement – Hulu, “Groundhog Day” featuring Bill Murray and Bushy-Tailed Buddy – Jeep, and Loretta – Google.

Now, some of the least well-reviewed were Tribute – Planters, #MakeSpaceForWomen – Olay, The Heist – Porsche, Audi Presents: Let it Go – Audi, and the The Cool Ranch Long Form featuring Lil Nas X and Sam Elliott – Doritos.

With panelist comments ranging from “unmitigated dumpster fire” and “you don’t poop on Grandpa” (be sure to ask Luis about that!), it was easy to see that everyone had strong opinions about these commercials. It was hard to not be entertained and educated by such a well-informed panel.

Big thank you to the panelists and moderator that made the event such a success, and we look forward to next year’s Super Bowl Ad Panel!

Sydney Anderson
BG Products, Inc.