Overview of Rapid Response — "Super Bowl ads, Bad Bunny, and the business of cultural risk, with Autodesk’s Dara Treseder"
Bob Safian interviews Dara Treseder, CMO of Autodesk, in a post–Super Bowl Rapid Response episode. They review the night’s ads and halftime show, debate the role of celebrity and cultural risk in brand marketing, and cover leadership topics including AI-driven change, layoffs, Black History Month, and the value of joy as a strategic stance.
Main topics covered
- Super Bowl ads: winners, losers, and evaluation criteria
- Celebrity usage and return on marketing investment (ROMI)
- AI-themed ads and the broader AI marketing moment
- Bad Bunny halftime show: cultural impact for the NFL and Apple
- Brands and cultural risk: how and when to make statements
- Dara Treseder’s Black History Month post and personal reflections on race, fear, and patriotism
- Autodesk’s role with Team USA / Olympics
- AI, layoffs, and role evolution at companies
- Leadership perspective: joy as resistance and the ethics of speaking up
Key takeaways
- New ad evaluation lens: beyond Ownable, Relevant, Memorable — add Simplicity, Sincerity, and Statement-making. In 2024, ads needed to be simple, sincere, and say something to break through.
- Big winners: Anthropic (AI ad), Rocket (Real Estate ad with Lady Gaga song), and Pepsi (polar bear/brand rivalry). The Bad Bunny halftime performance was the night’s standout cultural moment.
- Celebrity spend is massive and often wasted: ~60% of ads used celebrities and ~$250M was spent on celebrity placements; many uses felt unnecessary or inauthentic.
- AI advertising felt overrepresented and uneven: many AI ads were mediocre; Anthropic was a clear standout. AI is here to stay, but nuance and creativity still matter.
- Many Super Bowl spots were forgettable — brands should sometimes sit out if they can’t meet the sincerity/simple/statement bar.
- Halftime show: Bad Bunny’s Spanish-language set was authentic and joyful, and a strategic win for the NFL and Apple’s global ambitions. Speaking authentically to core audiences matters more than trying to please everyone.
- On leadership and culture: making principled statements doesn’t require being partisan; leaders should “opine with a spine” and do so with integrity.
- Joy is strategic: Dara frames joy as resistance and a daily choice that strengthens teams and families during volatile times.
- On AI and jobs: technological leaps shift roles — AI will create new roles and evolve existing ones; layoffs are real and painful but part of broader transitions.
Notable examples and verdicts
- Anthropic: Highest-performing AI ad — provocative and conversation-driving (even elicited responses from competitors).
- Rocket (and Lady Gaga’s rendition of “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”): Praised for cultural appropriateness, strong insight tied to business strategy, and tonal fit.
- Pepsi (polar bear / Taika Waititi): Bold rivalry play that worked via self-deprecation and good execution (Autodesk customer Framestore credited for production work).
- Squarespace (Emma Stone): Simple, relevant message (domain name) — modest but effective.
- Dunkin’ (Ben Affleck): Authentic celebrity fit — example of celebrity done well.
- Levi’s: Simple, body-positive creative that cut through.
- Numerous celebrity-laden ads (Jon Hamm, Bowen Yang, Scarlett Johansson, Matthew Broderick): Often tried to reach “everyone” and ended up resonating with none.
Notable quotes / soundbites
- “Ownable, Relevant, and Memorable — and this year add Simplicity, Sincerity, and Statement-making.”
- “When you try to speak to everyone, you speak to no one.”
- “Joy is resistance.”
- “Making a statement as a business doesn’t have to be political — it can be a statement about your category.”
Recommendations (for marketers and leaders)
- Be selective: don’t run a Super Bowl ad (or big-spend campaign) unless you have something simple, sincere, and statement-making to say.
- Use celebrities only when the fit is authentic and contributes to the message; avoided gratuitous placements.
- Ground creative in business strategy and cultural context — execution without insight will be forgettable.
- For AI-themed communications: be honest about capabilities and risks; differentiation matters because many AI messages felt generic.
- Leaders should speak up authentically on issues they care about — do so with integrity, not vitriol.
- Prioritize joy and empathy internally: cultivate joy as a deliberate leadership practice to sustain teams through disruption.
Actionable checklist (quick)
- Before committing to a major ad buy:
- Can we state our message in one simple sentence?
- Is it sincere to our brand and audience?
- Are we making a clear statement (brand truth or cultural stance) we can stand behind long-term?
- Do we need celebrity at all — and if yes, is the celebrity integral?
- For AI/transformation planning:
- Map roles likely to evolve vs. roles to be augmented or newly created.
- Invest in re-skilling and transparent communication about transitions.
- For leaders addressing cultural issues:
- Speak from love and accountability; prioritize dignity and concrete actions within your sphere of influence.
- Model joy and resilience as part of organizational culture.
Quick summary for listeners who want the gist
The Super Bowl featured a few standout moments (Anthropic, Rocket, Pepsi) and a largely mediocre slate of ads. Dara Treseder urges marketers to favor simplicity, sincerity, and clear statements over celebrity excess or trying to please everyone. Bad Bunny’s halftime show was an authentic, unifying moment and a win for the NFL and Apple’s global positioning. On leadership, Dara emphasizes speaking with integrity about social issues, managing AI-driven change thoughtfully, and treating joy as a strategic practice.
Episode details
- Host: Bob Safian
- Guest: Dara Treseder, CMO, Autodesk
- Show: Rapid Response (WaitWhat)