The REAL winner of the Super Bowl

Now that the Superbowl craze is somewhat over and we’re done recovering from Usher performing one of the greatest halftime shows we’ve seen in a while…. I want to talk about the real winner of last Sunday Night’s football game.

And I know you’re probably assuming I’m going to rant about Taylor Swift, Beyonce or Kanye’s epic non-Superbowl ad, Superbowl ad.

But I’m not. Well I am going to mention Beyonce, but she is not the star of the show this time.

In my humble (not so humble, actually - because I am really good at what I do) opinion, the real winner of the largest advertising event in the US was Verizon. And I am genuinely surprised that more people are not talking about it.

In today’s Million Dollar Lesson, I am going to break down the genius that was Verizon’s ad collaboration with Beyonce and what it means for brand storytelling.

In case you missed the ad, I’ll attach it below so you can catch up. Just make sure you come back to keep reading…

Beyonce is known as one of the music icons of our time. She is also known for having elaborate (or even surprise) album roll outs and launches.

The concept of the video was Beyonce seeing if she can “break the internet” and Verizon proving that they have the strongest internet in the world. We were all shocked at the end of the Verizon commercial when Beyonce hints at a release of new music.

Verizon choosing to attach its brand directly to the launch of her new album was genius for many reasons.

1. It is 2024. Consumers are smarter than ever and most of us naturally hate being advertised to. Our brain naturally puts up a “wall” when we feel we are being sold something. This Verizon commercial did not really feel like a Verizon commercial at all.

And that brings me to my second point

2. The majority of brands understand the power of storytelling. And the majority of brands are also doing storytelling all wrong.

According to the book “Building a Story Brand” by Donald Miller, all stories tend to follow the same framework:

1. A main character (hero)

2. A problem

3. A guide (sidekick/mentor)

4. A plan (given to hero by the guide)

5. Hero is called to action

6. Hero avoids failure

7. Hero succeeds in the end

This is the simplified version, but you get the point. Most stories you read in books or watch in movies/shows will follow this exact framework. And the same goes for when a brand tries to incorporate storytelling in their marketing.

According to Donald Miller, the #1 mistake brands make is thinking that they (the brand) are supposed to be the main character and hero of the story they are telling.

The greatest brands in world understand this one thing: They (the brand) are NOT the main character/hero of their brand story. The Customer/Consumer is the character/hero. The brand is just the guide/sidekick.

The hero of a story is someone the audience roots for, identifies with, and wants to see succeed. In good marketing, the hero is the customer, not the product or the brand.

The hero has a problem and the guide helps them solve it.

And this is exactly what Verizon did when they made Beyonce and her new music the center of attention for their Superbowl ad. They showed their authority while centering their consumer. Their message was clear, easy to understand and so damn good that we all will remember it years later.

By positioning the customer as the hero and the brand as the guide, companies can create more engaging, compelling messages that resonate with their audience.

And this is something that Verizon did so well that I would pay big money for a masterclass from their marketing team on how this concept came to life.

See you at the top!

-Sierra Nicole