What makes something a flop?
Not the kind of flop that Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is prone to do, but a flop in the world of advertising?
Brands airing Super Bowl ads have a lot riding on their investments — roughly $7 million for a 30-second spot for the 2025 big game. So there’s a lot of pressure to get things right.
Associate Professor of Advertising and Public Relations Matthew Pittman often tells his students that a commercial that’s controversial or disliked in the moment shouldn’t necessarily be considered a failure. In fact, enragement drives engagement. So if one of the goals of advertising is to keep the brand top of mind for consumers, a hated Super Bowl ad still accomplishes at least one goal. He then shares his submissions for five of the biggest Super Bowl advertising flops. Read more at The Conversation.
UT is a member of The Conversation, an independent source for news articles and informed analysis written by the academic community and edited by journalists for the general public. Through this partnership, we seek to provide a better understanding of the important work of our researchers. Read more of our articles published by The Conversation on the UT news site.
—
MEDIA CONTACT:
Cindi King (865-974-0937, cking126@utk.edu)