The 2023 Super Bowl between the Chiefs and the Eagles featured two spots from the “He Gets Us” people about Jesus. Was this a Hail Mary marketing effort? Welcome to the Marketing Accelerator Podcast featuring three insights in about three minutes. I’m Drew Dinkelacker.

The two black-and-white spots sent the powerful message that connected with viewers across the USA. Who would have ever thought that two commercials about faith would come in at #8 and #15 in USA Today’s Ad Meter rating of Super Bowl commercials. That is an impressive first-time showing for an advertiser in the Big Game.

So, why did this connect with so many people? During the most anticipated broadcast television event of the year…where there are commercials about the future just featuring EV cars that aren’t even in production yet and a fantasy world about avocados…up pops these black-and-white images that capture our attention and deliver a simple message that smoothly, get this, smoothly crosses generational lines, racial lines ,and political lines.

Theses spots are powerful because they are authentic and highly relatable. The spot featuring children being kind to one another ends with “Jesus didn’t want us to act like adults.” That’s basically a call-to-action to everyone to be kind whether you are a person of faith or not. “Jesus loves the people you hate” is a challenge, I believe, to people who claim to be Christians to remember to not only love thy neighbor but to love thine enemy. This subtlety seems to have been lost in today’s polarized world and is a message that needs to be heard.

Truth be told, I’m a person of Christian faith. I believe there is more to life than what we currently see. I believe in prayer. I believe that there is a creator. The world is such a remarkable place. When you see the sunset over the ocean, when you see the flight of an eagle soaring in the air, when you hold a new born baby in your hands, I just find it hard to believe that this entire existence is simply a coincidence. I believe there is a Creator, and Jesus claimed to be God’s son.

So, was this a Hail Mary tactic? Well, I frankly think that most advertising has a component of a Hail Mary pass to it. It is difficult to predict how the market will respond to your message, your offer or your call-to-action. Marketing efforts are often fraught with failure. You go too small, nothing changes. You go too big, and it could be a spectacular failure.

Here are my three Hail Mary takeaways for you to consider for living:

Number 1, for everyone: Be Childlike. The world needs more kindness.

Number 2, for Jesus followers: Remember, He loves the people you hate. That should be a challenge to you.

Number 3, for those who are undecided about who Jesus is, I would simply suggest reading the book of Luke in the New Testament at Bible.com. In 24 short chapters, you will get an authentic representation of who Jesus is from those who walked with Him.

Just remember. He Gets Us.

I’m Drew Dinkelacker