3 of Our Favorite Ads that Aired During the Oscars
The 91st Oscars, aired on February 24, 2019, remain a prime advertising event due to its large live audience and high viewer engagement, with top product categories from 2016-2018 including technology (26%), automotive (16%), media/entertainment (9%), and retail (9%), and major advertisers such as Samsung, AT&T, GM, Google, and Johnson & Johnson consistently buying ad spots, alongside a broader group of 12 companies including Mercedes-Benz, Verizon, Walmart, McDonald’s, GE, Honda, and Netflix advertising in both 2017 and 2018.
The 91st Oscars aired on Sunday, February 24th, 2019, at 8pm on Walt Disney’s ABC. Despite declining viewership and ratings over the years, the television network actually sells more ads on Oscar Sunday than on any other day of the year, according to Forbes.
There are two potential reasons for this:
- 1.
The Oscars ceremony attracts a large live audience.
- For example, 2018’s broadcast was seen by more than 26 million people. Advertisers want direct access to consumers’ attention.
- 2.
Engagement for the Oscars is high.
- EDO, a TV measurement and analytics firm, reported that individuals who viewed ads during the Oscars telecast were 77% more likely to engage online with the respective brands compared with viewers who saw a similar ad during the network’s regular prime time. If something captures consumers’ attention like that, marketers are bound to jump on it.
Which product categories and companies chose to advertise during the Oscars over the past 3 years?
Top Product Categories Advertising During the 2016 – 2018 Oscars Ceremonies
The 14 separate product categories that advertised for the last three Oscars ceremonies included:
- Technology industry (26%)
- Automotive industry (16%)
- Media and entertainment (9%)
- Retail (9%)
5 Companies Advertising During the Oscars From 2016 to 2018
- 1.Samsung
- 2.AT&T
- 3.General Motors Company (GM)
- 4.Google
- 5.Johnson & Johnson (J&J)
While these companies advertised all three years, many others only committed to advertising in the last two Academy Awards Presentations.
12 Companies Advertising for the Oscars Between 2017 and 2018
If you look at companies who advertised during both the 2017 and 2018 Oscars ceremonies, the list grows to twelve:
- 1.Samsung
- 2.AT&T
- 3.General Motors Company (GM)
- 4.Mercedes-Benz
- 5.Verizon
- 6.Google
- 7.Walmart
- 8.Johnson & Johnson (J&J)
- 9.McDonald’s
- 10.General Electric (GE)
- 11.Honda Motor Company
- 12.Netflix
The average number of commercials for each of the 2016, 2017, and 2018 Oscars was 37. Running commercials during the Oscars is important to these brands. Many companies, such as Samsung, Google, and Walmart, use their ad buy to touch on timely social and political issues or unveil new creative.
Some of Our Favorite Ads that Aired During the Academy Awards from 2016 – 2018
1. Samsung
In an ad from the 89th Oscars, Samsung speaks to the younger film generation with the slogan, “Do what you can’t.” The company addresses relevant social concerns about who the younger film generation is, their goals, and how they differ from previous age groups. The brand uses American YouTube personality, Casey Neistat, as its spokesperson. Neistat highlights that the new generation doesn’t have big award shows or huge budgets, but they have their phones, duct tape, parking lots, and guts. The message: when told they can’t, their answer is, “Watch me.”
2. Google
This commercial aired during the 2018 Oscars, the same year the Me Too Movement gained prominence. While reintroducing its technology, Nest, Google also touched on this topic in the ad and in its end motto, “it starts at home.” In the ad, before a young boy leaves for the high school prom, his dad lectures him via Google Nest about treating his date with respect and not making assumptions.
3. Walmart
Some commercials that air during the Oscars are like mini movies. Walmart’s ad for the 2018 Oscars is one of them. It promotes imagination and showcases new creative. In the ad, written and directed by Dee Rees, a girl flying a spaceship is shot down, lands on a desert-like planet, and combats a monster. She makes it into a cave, which turns out to be a Walmart box. Her enemies were her sister and mother, who was calling her to bed.
With its large live audience and high engagement rate, the Academy Awards is a great place for brands to advertise key products and creative, as well as attract and build a list of loyal customers. Companies can engage with and cultivate long-lasting relationships with consumers by touching on relevant social and political issues that they care about.
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