Volunteer Culture

The Best Superbowl Commercials of All-Time

To be honest, I was not as impressed with the Superbowl Commercials on Sunday night’s game as I have been in year’s past. You would think for Superbowl 50 they would pull out some big guns, but there were only a few that really grabbed my attention. 

As Church Media guys, sometimes I think we look too much at what other churches are doing to get ideas. How many times have you surfed the web to check out the latest songs or media content from Elevation, Newspring, Hillsong, Church on the Move and others? I worked at Newspring, and I know the staff at these churches and let me tell you – although the teams at these churches do look at other churches, that’s not where they primarily get their inspiration. Most churches that are executing services at a very high level are watching awards shows, concerts, motion graphics on network television, and yes, the half-time show and commercials from the Superbowl each year.

Innovation and inspiration to spark your creativity can came come from a lot of places. Let me encourage you to look and watch artists that are great at their craft – whether they are believers or not. Producing faith-based content for churches, ministries, and non-profits, I want my work to be really really good. And I always want to get better. I watch a lot of interviews and behind-the-scenes clips with producers, directors, actors, and other artists. I love candid interview settings with shows like Inside the Actor’s Studio, Larry King, Charlie Rose, Shatner’s Raw Nerve and other outlets where you are not getting a sound byte, but actually learning about an artist’s craft. It’s in these interviews that you get a sense of how an artist works.

Conservatives and Christians in Hollywood have a reputation of being treated differently because of their views. Actors Kevin Sorbo, Kelsey Grammar and others have been very public about how their beliefs affect the kinds of jobs they can get in Hollywood. I’m fascinated by people like Mark Burnett, Jerry Bruckheimer and other Conservatives that continue to focus on making great content and letting their work speak for itself. If we make stellar content, we will earn respect and a voice.

All that to say, let’s make great content. And let’s be okay learning from masters of our craft.

In that spirit, the Marketing and Production teams that create Superbowl ads are certainly at the top of their game. And although we may not have millions of dollars to spend on air-time, we can still learn from the creativity and innovation that goes into the production of Superbowl spots. Below are a few of the best Superbowl commercials of all-time:

CARL BARNHILL
Creative Director / Owner
[twelve:thirty]media | Columbia, SC
twelvethirtymedia.com

Carl Barnhill has served on staff at some of the largest churches and organizations in the country. He served as Media Director at Precept Ministries International, directing the television and radio program Precepts for Life with Kay Arthur, broadcasted to over 98 million homes around the world. He served as Video Production Director at Pinelake Church in Brandon, MS, where he produced media content for four campuses, as well as led volunteer teams.

He most recently served as Video Coordinator for Newspring Church in South Carolina. Newspring has 10 campuses across the state with a weekly attendance of over 35,000. At one campus alone, the number of consistent volunteers serving in media production tripled, under his leadership.

He currently serves as Creative Director and Owner of [twelve:thirty]media, a company that serves churches and ministries all over the world through motion graphics content and church media coaching.