Pringles returns to Super Bowl with smart speaker spot, on-demand delivery

Brief:

Kellogg brand Pringles, which made its debut last year as a Super Bowl advertiser, is returning to the big game this year with a 30-second spot that features an "emotional" smart speaker and an “iconic song,” according to an announcement.
A six-second spot posted online shows a smart speaker saying, “I cannot taste Pringles. I can only order them.” The 30-second ad from agency Grey Group will air on TV and in streaming versions of the game during the second quarter of the Super Bowl on Feb. 3. The full ad can also be seen on the brand's social channes, including on YouTube and Pringles.com. The ad will be supported by marketing campaign including PR, digital, social media, e-commerce and product sampling.
Kellogg-owned Pringles also will urge fans in cities of the two teams playing in the Super Bowl to use Twitter on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 to enter a contest. Fans are asked to tweet for a chance to win a free Pringles 'Flavor Stack' delivery from Fooji at their Super Bowl parties.

Insight:

The Pringles ad for the Super Bowl is another indication of how popular smart speakers — which connect with mobile devices and specially equipped appliances — have become in the past few years among U.S. households. The voice of the smart speaker in the Pringles as well as the melancholy background music work together to give the impression that inanimate speaker is sad that it can't taste the snack food, an attempt to play on how consumers have integrated these devices into their lives while reminding viewers that they can order Pringles via the devices. Research indicates that shopping via smart speakers is growing but still remains less popular than other actions like listening to music or the weather.

Like Pringles' debut at the Super Bowl last year, this year's spot will showcase "Flavor Stacking," or combining differently seasoned potato chips that are easily stackable because of their uniform shape. Pringles said that its chips can be combined in 318,000 different "Flavor Stacks" that highlight the signature shape of its canister-packed crisps.

Stakeholders like advertisers are hoping the Super Bowl’s ratings this year may rebound from 2018’s decline to the lowest level in almost a decade. This month's Wild Card and four Divisional Round broadcasts averaged 30.4 million viewers and a 17.2 household rating, or a 10% gain from last year, according to Nielsen data cited by Ad Age. Better ratings will help advertisers recoup their investments, as they are paying as much as $3.2 million for a 30-second spot in the upcoming championship games on Sunday, Jan. 20, per Ad Age. Last year’s Super Bowl ads reportedly cost $5 million for a 30-second spot, and this year CBS is seeking between $5.1 million and $5.3 million for a package that includes a TV ad and some digital inventory, Variety reported.