For a non-football follower like myself, one of the best parts about the Super Bowl, is seeing the commercials. Also, the appetizers…we can’t forget about Super Bowl appetizers. Companies gear up far in advance to make their brands and commercials stand out in the crowd of creativity, in just 30 or even 15-seconds.

While I thought this year’s round of commercials only had a few spotlights, I was particularly drawn to Microsoft’s “We All Win” commercial. If you haven’t seen it yet, click here for a smile.

Super Bowl commercials are big, bold, bright show-stoppers, which have taken all directions including humor, extravagance, “cuteness,” and sentimental or impactful. Hot actors and actresses, beer and parties, adorable puppies and sweet young kids…the goal is to get our attention quickly and to leave a lasting impression (to do something to make the millions of dollars worth it).

So, why do I point out Microsoft this year?

Marketing and advertising have been criticized more recently for their lack of inclusivity, and rightfully so. More specifically, the criticism comes from the singular way men and women are portrayed, how the “ideal” human is expected to act and look, and how certain brands create these “perfect” characteristics and lifestyles. However, the industry is much less inclusive than we realize. This goes beyond just adults and gender. Maybe, this is because our products and are messages are both not inclusive enough for an incredibly diverse population, which is diverse in more ways than many of us know and understand.

Microsoft used valuable Super Bowl time with one of the greatest audiences in the world, to showcase normal kids and normal parents. Kids with difficulties, and parents just trying to figure it all out…these are real people. Not only has the brand developed products fit for a new range of consumers, but they are showing normal people in their ads. Imagine the kids sitting at home watching these commercials, who finally felt they belonged to something important. All kids want to play games and have fun, and all kinds of kids and families should be shown. This overarching concept is something that could and should be applied to many industries.

Microsoft’s commercial truly warmed my heart, and opened my eyes to a greater problem we experience in marketing and advertising. Are we doing enough to show different kinds of people? Adults of all kinds, kids of all kinds, people living different lives…are we trying too hard to portray the “ideal” and missing out on a much greater impact?

Rewind three years…I was thinking about what I would write for my graduate school admissions essay. The question was something along the lines of “why do you want to pursue business” or “what are your goals in the business field”…those questions that seem super easy at first until you realize you have to go soul searching and maybe start praying to get some genuine, sophisticated words together. I was talking to my dad on the phone from school in Oneonta, and we were talking about all my previous jobs, trying to think of something creative (since the soul search in Oneonta’s winter season was impossible). I remember saying, “I don’t know what they want me to say, I just want my job to have a purpose beyond the office.” I wanted to have an impact beyond the 9-5, working for a company who could create a greater impact beyond making money to exist.

Gerber Baby’s FIRST baby with Down Syndrome.

So, now that I see companies like Microsoft, Aerie, Gerber Baby, & MORE who are breaking the norm of who showcases brands…I want to join what I think is an important movement in marketing. Let’s get rid of the “ideal” and replace it with the “real.” No one should have to fit into a cookie-cutter personality they see on the screens or in advertisements. I am so happy to see this change already beginning in a lot of industries, both in marketing and product development. I am even more excited to see this change continue to expand, where I believe the impact will truly be tremendous. Kids seeing and accepting kids of all kinds, adults accepting the differences they grew up with…the effect is limitless.

There are so many stories to be told.

Thank you, Microsoft, for re-opening my eyes to what made me so passionate about my career early on. And thank you to all the companies and teams who have already started changing the way we portray people. In the end, “We All Win.”

Bean

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