HighDive, Cutters Win Big at Super Bowl; ECD Patrick Burke Shares His Fave Ads of the Night

Super Bowl Sunday was a big night for HighDive. The agency’s Rocket Mortgage commercial, leaning on the lively charisma of Anna Kendrick and nostaglia of Barbie Dream House, claimed the crown as king of USA TODAY’s Ad Meter.

The 60-second spot – an eight-figure investment with ad rates going for $6.5 million for 30 seconds — scored a 6.82 rating among voters, according to USA Today. Ad Meter, in its 34th year, ranks commercials by consumer rating with panelists scoring each ad on a 1-to-10 scale.

HighDive also brought Lay’s “Golden Memories” spot with Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen to the party, and landed in the AdMeter Top 10. Collaborators for both star-studded spots included the fine folks at Cutters Studios.

So what did Patrick think of the rest of the lineup? Let’s get to it!

SCREEN: What was your favorite spot of the Super Bowl?

PATRICK: Since I can’t vote for our two spots (Rocket’s “Dream House” and Lay’s “Golden Memories”), I’m going to say Uber’s “Uber Don’t Eats.” Simple product message, amazing performances, terrific editing. People will remember it because it was hilarious, and not even realize that they also learned something about Uber. Pretty great.

SCREEN: What was your least favorite spot of the night or a spot you felt could have been more successful?

PATRICK: I don’t think I can call out a least favorite. Anyone who’s ever had a spot on the game knows how hard it is to get to that moment. Months of late nights and long weekends, every decision made under a microscope 10-times stronger than a typical TV ad. If you made it through that gauntlet and had your concept run on the game last night, congrats. This year, Valentine’s Day is on the 15th because today is nap day. Your significant other will understand.

SCREEN: What would you like to see more or less of in terms of advertising in next year’s Super Bowl?

PATRICK: I thought it was a nice balance this year. The spots that took a serious tone did it very tastefully. I loved the Toyota spot, in the first quarter, and also the Google Pixel spot. And it was also nice to see comedy come back strong. I think we were all tired of brands pandering to us “in these trying times.”

SCREEN: Any final comments as we wrap up?

PATRICK: Matthew Stafford played with the lowly Lions for 12 years and he now has as many Super Bowl rings as Aaron Rodgers. That’s not really about ads, but it needs to be said.

And speaking of “comedy coming back strong,” let’s take a look at HighDive’s hilarious Rocket Mortgage spot starring Anna Kendrick.. and Barbie!

Congratulations to the teams at HighDive and Cutters Studios on a stellar Super Bowl, and thanks for stopping by, Patrick!