An established ad exec was recently asked what makes a successful Super Bowl advertisement, to which he replied 'Successful ads hold a mirror up to ourselves and have a value system with which we can identify.' While this may elegantly explain the success of certain ads, and the increasing level of sophistication that consumers are alleged to demonstrate each year, it does not explain our continuing suceptibility to talking babies, animals doing people things, celebrity endorsements, and scantily clad models.
In 1929, an ad exec in NYC convinced a number of women to defy taboo by publicly lighting cigarettes at an easter sunday parade as a demonstration of their indepdence. This 'Torches of Freedom' rally led to an entire generation of female smokers and years of profits for the tobacco industry. Those who have been casual viewers of Super Bowl performances since the early 2000s often recall one involving a wardrobe malfunction that is among the most memorable. And in 2016, a billionare who has a history of disparaging remarks toward women, muslims and latinos without remorse still managed to capture the imagination and gossip circles of the American people as a leading contender for the Republican nomination for president.
Effective messages provoke our heart or our mind, and some manage to do both. They focus in on certain ideas, norms or institutions and portray aspects of them as absurd or ripe for change often through hyperbole. They might even use nostalgia to provoke the naivety or imperfect taste of our former selves. Changing the beliefs that govern our behaviors is essential to creating any effective, long term change. And if we don't feel a need to share our interpretation of a message with others, then it may not instill within us a need to change in the first place.