Super Bowl Advertisements: Companies That Don't Yank Consumers' Chains Will Boom

We've seen companies diddle with various marketing strategies throughout the years, but products sell best when they aren't crammed down consumers' throats.

Headed into the Super Bowl, otherwise known as "The Big Game" for advertisers, we've seen companies try a comedic approach or a bottom-line plan of attack.

There is no formulaic way to come away as the top advertiser of the Super Bowl. In fact, you could make the argument that companies that mix it up have a better chance of succeeding.

But one thing's for certain: If you treat consumers like they're idiots, you're going to get burned.

How often have we seen advertisers tell us, "This is the best car in the world" when we know it isn't? It disingenuous at best and a downright lie at worst.

Consumers don't like feeling as if they're being fooled. The companies that arouse genuine emotion and do so candidly blow the competition away.

Just look at Volkswagen's "The Force" commercial last year. A child wearing a Darth Vader costume tries using his special powers throughout the day, then comes away amazed when he's able to turn on a VW (unbeknownst to him, his parents use the remote).

How did that commercial make you feel? It brought you back to the times when you were a kid and your dreams were endless. It also made you feel like Volkswagen was like you, intrinsically still dreaming.

That's how consumers want to feel when watching a Super Bowl ad. We all know companies are trying to sell their products, but if they can create a natural connection with the viewer, that's where they boom. Consumers feel as if this company is about more than the bottom line—in short, this company has a heart.

So, when you're looking back to the Super Bowl commercials that struck a chord with you when all is said and done on Sunday, remember they all had a similar element: they made you forget they were selling a product while making you want to buy one.