The Super Bowl of Marketing Wasn't So Super

Watching the Super Bowl on TV can actually be better than being there at the stadium. You get analysis, instant replays, and a play clock right in front of you. You also get the chance to use the restroom during commercial breaks without having to stand in line. But who wants to leave while the most anticipated ads of the year are on?

With the Super Bowl quite often being the most watched television broadcast of the year (yesterday's attracted 164 million viewers), it's no wonder that advertisers were willing to shell out $4 million for a 30 second spot on top of the cost of producing the ad itself.

Brands and advertising agencies spend months and millions to creating memorable, entertaining spots to increase brand awareness, drive buzz and ultimately boost sales. Given that it's become the Super Bowl of marketing, it was disappointing that this year ads were mediocre at best. Many were likely forgotten as soon as the game resumed.

I think the majority of the ads missed the boat. Some were interesting and some were weird. The celebrities were either misused or not well utilized. Only a few were memorable. The majority of the ads will have bad brand-recall.

Here are a handful of spots I found noteworthy:

GoDaddy, "YourBigIdea.com" Concept: Everyone sits around and talks about big ideas, but whoever gets the website addresses and executes first, wins. This is a departure from the company's usual tacky, low-brow ads. Cognizant of negative perception, this may be an attempt at re-branding targeting a more sophisticated clientele.

Audi, "Prom" Concept: Nerdy kid borrows his Dad’s Audi and gets nerve to kiss his dream girl, which leads to a black eye and total happiness. Since all car ads tend to be similar, this showed a “brave”, bold and ownable positioning for Audi.

Budweiser Black Crown: "Coronation" Concept: With no low-end guys on the couch, Budweiser is marketing a refined beer for a more sophisticated crowd. It clearly carved out a new “smooth and distinctive” positioning and higher end image for new beer.

Hyundai almost scored, but fumbled on the goal line:

Hyundai, "Team" Concept: Bullied kid recruits a tough team to play football. I thought it was super cute and fun, but I didn't see the payoff for Hyundai. What’s the point? I get "teamwork" for the Super Bowl, but is it ownable for Hyundai? Will anyone remember this was a Hyundai commercial?

Then there were the ads that were just "wrong:"

GoDaddy, "Sexy Meets Smart" Concept: Model kisses unattractive geek to show the company is both sexy and smart. I felt uncomfortable and a little grossed out. There was nothing sexy and it certainly did not feel smart. Failure on both counts.

Oreo, "Cream or Cookie" Concept: A debate about whether the cookie or cream part of the oreo is superior turns into a violent ruckus in the library, while everyone oddly keeps whispering. Violence? It’s a happy cookie! It’s a rip off the old Tastes Great/Less Filling Beer commercial, but not nearly as well done. If it was done ad nauseum decades ago, why do it again?

On the other hand, the real marketing highlight came by way of Oreo's social media savvy. When the power went out, Oreo tweeted "Power out? No problem," along with an image of an ad showing an Oreo and the line, "You can still dunk in the dark." The tweet caught fire and, the last time I looked, had been retweeted more than 15,000 times and with the same image on Facebook getting more than 20,000 likes. That means that the most powerful bit of marketing during the advertising industry's most expensive day may have been free.

By virtue of appearing during the Super Bowl, these ads will receive attention from the media and blogs generating more views and exposure worth millions. That's great, but after the viewing, does anyone remember the brand? What is the brand's real return on investment?

Did it make a positive change in a potential customer’s perception? Did it lead to sales? These questions matter. Ads can be really fun, interesting or smart, but, it your target is unable to remember the brand name, it's a failure in my book.

Television has its place as a tool in a marketer’s arsenal, but for $4-5M for 30 seconds, it better blow me (and, more importantly, the target customer) away. For that budget, you can have an amazing, integrated PR program, strong digital advertising campaign and still a broadcast advertising throughout the year and beyond. Just sayin..

This year’s 34-31 Ravens win over the 49ers demonstrated what happens when things come together. The Ravens were not favored to win. But they were aggressive, gave it their best shot and made the Niners play catch-up for pretty much the entire game. Most of the marketers exemplified the opposite.

On and off the field, players have just one shot to it right when the stakes are high.

Next Year. Go Jets!