Thursday, February 6, 2014

Bowled Over?

For some, Super Bowl Sunday is a day to hang out with friends, fill up on chips and salsa, and trash-talk whatever team your buddies are rooting for with a bit of friendly banter. However, there is much more going on to the Super Bowl than just what’s happening on the field. For marketers, Super Bowl Sunday is a key time to show off unforgettable ads that will go viral and be talked about throughout the country after the big game.

This year’s Super Bowl telecast of the Seattle Seahawks' victory over the Denver Broncos was the most-watched television event in U.S. history, drawing 111.5 million viewers on Sunday night. At $4M for a :30 second spot plus production costs (which can go up a $1M), there are heavy expectations and the stakes are high.

How do you build your brand and create buzz outside of television on the big day? Market guerilla-style. Doritos scored big with its guerrilla-marketing stunt, which consisted of 50 fans, dressed in orange jackets at the Super Bowl, staged to look like one large human Doritos chip. These prime seats weren't given away; unsuspecting New Yorkers were asked to do something "bold," like get a hug from a hippie, a haircut from a bad barber or help a sensual senior citizen create an online dating profile. Those “bold” enough to take on the challenge were rewarded and blown-away with big game tickets. Brilliant! Check out a making of the chip.

Collectively, the Superbowl commercials were not that exciting. Pressed to create buzz, more than half the Superbowl ads were released on YouTube the week before the big game, which trumped much of the hype. Overall, the vibe was definitely more “feel-good” and optimistic, which is a welcome tone to set for the year.

With a captive audience and an incredible opportunity, it’s a shame that most Super Bowl ads focus on outlandish antics and rarely promote the actual company or product they are selling. This often in results in funny ads that may be very entertaining, yet have absolutely no brand recall, which is ultimately a waste.

Here are my take on some of the best and the worst Superbowl ads:

EXCELLENT

Volkswagen, "Wings": Dad’s VW Passat odometer passes 100,000 miles and he tells his daughter that every time a VW hits that mileage mark, a German engineer gets his wings. This hysterical remarks on the durability, longevity and superior engineering of its cars in an entertaining way and effectively points out that it has more vehicles on the road with that mileage milestone than any other brand. Awesome.

Radio Shack, “The Phone Call": "The 80s called. They want their stuff back." RadioShack pokes fun at itself in this self-deprecating spot. Throwback eighties icons including Twisted Sister, Erik Estrada, Hulk Hogan and Chuckie, reclaim their outdated merchandise to make room for new products. Nostalgia works. Fabulous, attention-getting launch-pad for the brand as it updates its image and its stores.

Microsoft, “Empowering": Narrated by Former NFL player Steve Gleason who has Lou Gehrig's disease and uses technology to overcome his disability and communicate with his son, this beautiful and inspirational spot focuses on how people rely on technological innovations in their lives and how it helps the greater good. Emotional and empowering, great new direction from Microsoft.

Hyundai, "Dad's Sixth Sense": Dad uses his intuition and reflexes to repeatedly save his son from mishaps and near-death experiences. "Remember when only dad could save the day?" When the kid starts driving and gets distracted by a girl, the Hyundai Genesis automatic emergency braking system takes over and protects him from a potential accident. "Count on Me" song in background. Fab spot targeting parents.

GOOD

Budweiser, "Puppy Love": A Lab puppy falls in love with a Clydesdale. When the puppy is sold, the horse runs after him and the “best buds” are reunited. Not the most original concept and no mention of beer, but yes, the puppy was darn cute and the spot was memorable and pulled at everyone’s heartstrings. I do like how they hit it home with “Best Buds”.

Jaguar “British Villains’ Rendezvous": Spot positions the F-Type Coupe it as the “sexy bad boy” car. Star power celebs, Ben Kingsley, Tom Hiddleston and Mark Strong play Bond-like villains and describe themselves and the attributes of the new F-Type Jaguar. "We're more focused. More Precise. Always one step ahead. With a certain style, an eye for detail and obsession with power." Fun spot is on-message and sells the car.

Sonos, “FaceOff”: The speaker company created a breathtaking spot. Making sound visible by color was very effective. It made me want that sound system.

Kia, "The Truth": Known for entry-level vehicles, Kia wants to change consumer perception and introduce a luxury car, the K900. The spot features Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus, from "The Matrix", who offers a couple a choice of two keys, if they choose wisely, they will never look at luxury—or Kia—the same way again. The challenge is that it’s big stretch to associate Kia with luxury. But it’s fun introduction and got people’s attention.

Wonderful Pistachios “Stephen Colbert”: Spot features Stephen Colbert in character, promoting pistachios. Special effects transform Colbert’s head into a cracked open pistachio. Brands rarely use celebrities well, and I they actually did a good job here. It feels like something Colbert would actually do on his show.

Beats, "The Right Music": Ellen DeGeneres stars as a modern-day Goldilocks in search of just the right playlist to fit her mood and location, which she finds with the Beats app, a streaming music service available through AT&T. It communicates the product benefits in a fun way. Notably, after debuting the ad, Ellen gave everyone in her studio audience an LG one so they could try it.

GoDaddy, "Body Builder": Stampede of body builders –including spokeswoman Danica Patrick—races down a street to a spray tan salon found online. When the owner sees group storm her store, she whips out her spray gun, "It's go time.” Great line. Spots elevates the brand’s previously sleazy image and shows it’s starting to mature and take business seriously. Well, sort of...

Heinz Ketchup, "Hum": This spot observes people at various occasions hum the song, "If you're happy and you know it," as they hit the bottom of their ketchup bottles. It concludes with an empty-bottle flatulence joke, giggles around Grandma and closes, “Where there’s happy, it has to be Heinz”. It’s a very family-friendly, feel-good commercial and the brand's first Super Bowl ad in 16 years.

Doritos, “Time Machine": This home-made spot features a kid landing an adult’s Doritos by tricking him into believing he’s entered a time machine. This funny ad was the winner of Dorito’s annual Super Bowl commercial contest and was made in 8 hours for $200. Seriously. This spot proves crowdsourced commercials can be just as good as the big budget ones.

T-Mobile, "No Contract, No Worries": Ad exploits Tim Tebow’s inability to get an NFL contract and promotes T-Mobile’s “no contract” message. "Contracts are limiting," says Tebow. It highlights the advantages of his life and all he has been able to accomplish (like delivering a baby, tackling Bigfoot). Great product information by T-Mobile and good humility on Tebow’s part. But non-football fans may have missed the joke.

Cheerios, “Gracie”: Cute commercial brings back the interracial family. The father uses Cheerios to tell his daughter a baby brother is on the way, and she bargains for a puppy. Sweet, touching moment around breakfast. I preferred the other commercial (where she learned the Cheerios were good for your heart and poured them on his chest when he was sleeping.) But kudos for bringing back the family and keeping it adorable.

Bud Light, "Epic Night": Over the top, bud light commercial using a regular guy off the street and what happens to him on a crazy night involving models, limos, llamas and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The perfect beer for whatever happens. It’s outlandish. But likeable.

BAD- What Were they Thinking?

Audi, “Doberhuahua”: The all-new Audi A3 is "designed without compromise." Because compromising can lead to a freaky Doberman and a Chihuahua hybrid dog-monster. Not even ASPCA spokeswoman, Sarah McLachlan can stand it. Ridiculous. How does that sell Audi? Why did you do it, Sarah? Why!? (I hope they made a big donation.)

Chobani,"Bear": A bear ransacks and destroys a store but wants to pay for his yogurt. “A cup of yogurt won't change the world, but how we make it, might." Huh? Their message is completely lost. The absurd spot and makes no point. C’mon guys. You can do better than that!

Dannon Oikos, “The Spill”: Full House star John Stamos stars as the sexy hunk who spills yogurt on himself in the hopes his female companion will lick it off. Full House” roommates Bob Saget and Dave Coulier spoil the day. Fellatio allusions with a family show cast with. Really? It may drive reruns of Full House...

SodaStream, "Sorry Coke and Pepsi": My, how we have evolved as a culture: The myopic mindset is that all that’s needed to make a winning spot is to have a gorgeous celebrity suck on a straw, disrobe and strut and look sexy. So contrived! What a waste of Scarlet Johansson.

Carmax, "Slow Clap": In this spot our hero is applauded by Sean Astin, star of the sports cliché movie, "Rudy." Most people will likely have missed this reference and the joke. Will this make anyone think of Carmax when they need a car?

Squarespace, "A Better Web Awaits": Spot for this web design firm highlights what’s wrong with the web. But it doesn’t tell you what Squarespace is or why you need it.

Bud Light, "Cool Twist": The entire spot is beauty shots of the bottle with the package redesign and new twist-off cap. What a waste of money; it would have been better spent in-store at the point of purchase.

Axe, "Make Love, Not War": Spot features North Korean and Iranian dictators, Russian soldiers and U.S. soldiers in Vietnam who would rather make love and not war. Over-the-top even for Axe, known for its cheesy spots that at least sell the product better than this one.

Maserati, "Strike": Quvenzhane Wallis, star of Beasts of the Southern Wild delivers a monologue against catastrophic visuals. “We have prepared. Now we strike,” Perhaps this spot centered could work for American Red Cross, The World Health Organization or a beneficial charity that helps children or the needy. But to use the disconnected themes of Beasts to sell a high-end Italian luxury car? What a miss-step.

For your handy reference, creative referenced above can also be seen in one place at Smarti's new Pinterest page.

What do you think? Weigh in!

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