Touchdowns & Takeaways: Inside the 21st Super Bowl Ad Review
This content was originally published in Poets&Quants.
The Super Bowl may crown a champion on the field, but for Northwestern University’s Kellogg MBA students, the real action happens between the plays. While millions debate the best game-day snacks, Kellogg marketers are breaking down brand strategies, evaluating storytelling tactics, and predicting which ads will score big — or fumble. For 21 years and counting, Kellogg students have gathered to experience the Super Bowl not just for the football but for the ads. Armed with the Kellogg ADPLAN framework and a keen eye for persuasion, Kellogg students turn America’s biggest night in advertising into a live case study, where commercials compete for more than just views – they fight for marketing glory.
From fans to marketers
Growing up, the Super Bowl was never about the game for us (we see you, football fanatics!). Our eyes were glued to the unforgettable ads (and, of course, the halftime shows). As kids, we laughed at the talking animals and celebrity cameos. As we moved through college and into our careers, we became even more fascinated by these commercials — especially as their price tags soared and their creative approaches took unexpected twists. Mesmerized by the consumer psychology of advertisers and the strategies through which they connect with audiences, we both felt a magnetic pull towards the world of marketing and brand strategy. This pull, along with a general fascination of brands and how they establish themselves, motivated us to come to the best marketing school in the world — Kellogg.
Long before we arrived at Kellogg, we had been keeping a close eye on the iconic Super Bowl Ad Review (SBAR). As soon as we got here, we knew we had to be part of the Kellogg Marketing Club’s Signature Events team to help shape one of the school’s hallmark traditions!
Kellogg: A true marketing mecca
The Kellogg Marketing Club is an integral part of the marketing experience for MBA students. Whether it’s hosting the Annual Kellogg Marketing Competition, prepping first-years for highly coveted marketing internships or leading events with CMOs and industry leaders, our 44-person leadership team is constantly at work.
As part of the Signature Events Committee, our team is tasked with bringing the Super Bowl Ad Review to life in collaboration with Professors Tim Calkins and Derek Rucker and the wider Kellogg marketing and logistics teams. The planning process for the Super Bowl Ad Review begins many, many months before the big day. Our team meets with the previous year’s Signature Events team before they graduate, and we continue to stay close to the professors and Kellogg contacts in order to ensure a smooth event.
Our Signature Events Committee plays a big role in ensuring that we have a vetted panel of students that range across various programs, all coming from some level of marketing background (professional or academic). This year’s event saw overwhelming interest, with 200+ applications for just ~70 spots! Students faced fierce competition for a chance to rate Super Bowl ads in real time, blending creativity, strategy, and marketing expertise.
ADPLAN: The secret weapon
To ensure that each ad is evaluated with precision and depth, panelists are trained on the ADPLAN framework, a research-based tool developed by Kellogg professors Tim Calkins and Derek Rucker. ADPLAN goes beyond simple popularity rankings, focusing on strategic effectiveness rather than just humor or creativity.
On game day, students are given just 10 seconds to grade each ad on an A-F scale. Once a score is submitted, there’s no changing it. These grades are compiled to produce SBAR’s final rankings.
Super Bowl Ad Review energy: The big night
This year, from the moment students arrived at White Auditorium, the excitement was palpable. The evening kicked off with SBAR-branded swag, giving attendees a few moments to settle in, meet their tablemates, and strategize before Professors Calkins and Rucker took the stage.
With a giant screen at the front of the auditorium, students mixed, mingled and snacked on game-day favorites — Chicago’s famous deep-dish pizza, nachos and Kellogg-themed desserts — while debating which brands would dominate. However, the moment the commercial breaks hit, the room snapped into focus, with students pulling up their phones and tablets, eyes on the screen, ready to score.
What makes SBAR such a thrilling experience is that students must evaluate and submit their ratings immediately. No rewinds. No second chances. Adrenaline spiked as everyone raced to capture their thoughts in real time. At times, one could hear the whole auditorium erupt into laughter, or better yet, gasp or yelp in unity as they were taken aback. Take, for example, the Coffee Mate ad, which Professor Rucker addressed to us.
“Coffee Mate broke one of the often-golden rules of advertising: Don’t be off-putting when people are trying to enjoy an event,” he told us. “You can see the creative pitch behind it, but the moving tongue provoked a visceral and negative reaction from our panel.”
Then, as the game resumed, there would be a brief moment to catch a breath — until the next commercial break, when it started all over again. Overall, it was a roller coaster of a night, and the panel was excited to learn who would score the touchdown (win) and who would fumble (lose) based on panel rankings.
Read the original article in its entirety on Poets&Quants to see what Kellogg marketers thought of this year’s Super Bowl ads including those that were touchdowns and fumbles.