Ries' Pieces

Super Bowl of Advertising - 2012

While the gridiron battle between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots was close, the advertising battle on the tube was not.

The Super Bowl battle for commercial success might better be described as a mixture of the old classics, the new stuff, the overly sexy and the over the top.

Here is my brief recap on the best/worst ads of the night.

 

The Old Classics

The Super Bowl isn’t for also-rans. The big game is best served by big brands that are category leaders and that support the game year after year with consistent themes.

 

Coca-Cola

The three polar bear ads delivered. The ads were classic storytelling for the whole family from the world’s most valuable brand. Coke combined its well-known Polar Bears with a football theme and its iconic bottle to produce a series of commercials that were both entertaining and memorable.

 

Budweiser

When Budweiser does it right, it gets it really right. The “Return of the King” and “Eternal Optimism” delivered on a recurring theme of the night. Times are tough, but Americans pull through so why not celebrate with a Bud? On the funny side, Bud also delivered with a Weego  rescue dog that fetches beers. An overused gag, but Bud found a way to make it fresh and fun. The misses came for the new brand called Bud Light Platinum. Nobody has heard of it and nobody knew they needed another line-extension of Bud. But when they find out that Bud Light Platinum has a higher alcohol than regular beer, the brand could have legs with young adults.

 

E*Trade

The talking baby is now a classic for the brand. Consumers love the creative which conveys the message that E*Trade is so easy a baby can do it. The brand has nicely evolved and continues to introduce fresh, new ideas. This ad talking about “Fatherhood” had a nice connection with the Super Bowl and family time.

 

Doritos

Getting customers to create winning commercials has turning into a successful Super Bowl strategy for the chip maker.  The Doritos contest has become a classic and much anticipated part of Super Bowl Sunday. As in years past, amateurs turned in some of the funniest laughs of the night. Man’s Best Friend involves a cat-murder, a cover-up and bribery. And Sling Baby, has granny using a baby slingshot to get some Doritos. I love the creativity and fun these ads deliver for a brand that is addictive with bold flavors.

 

The New Stuff

The Super Bowl can be an excellent place to launch a new brand. Apple famously did that with its Macintosh ad in 1984.

 

Skechers

Dogs and kids always attract attention in advertising. In this commercial, a cute little French bulldog takes to the greyhound track and wins thanks to his new Skechers Go Run shoes. The line promotes a more-natural running experience that is all the rage these days. The spot was particularly good as compared with last year’s revolting Skechers commercial featuring Kim Kardashian rolling around with a personal trainer.

 

Acura

Since 2005, car enthusiasts have been mourning the end of the NSX supercar. So Honda’s plan to return with a new generation of the NSX has gotten a lot of gearheads excited. This spot nicely uses Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno in an over-the-top story line about bribing the guy who is first line to get the NSX. The only problem is the car won’t be in production until 2015.

 

M&Ms

This spot introduced the new brown-color M&M character. Ms. Brown is smart and sassy. And using humor and a killer song makes this ad melt in your mouth not in your hands.

 

The Overly Sexy

Using hot girls to sell everything from boats to beer is taken right out of advertising 101. But several ads crossed the line and were more repulsive than seductive. When it comes to the Super Bowl and sex, there really can be too much of a good thing.

 

Teleflora

The oh-so-subtle “give her flowers on Valentine’s day and you shall receive” pitch. I’m sure guys would send that Victoria Secret model anything for a peck on the cheek. But as a women, I cringe at the transactional tone of the commercial. But I am looking forward to seeing what they are going to do for Mother’s Day.

 

GoDaddy

The entire marketing plan for this Internet registration site is creating a “too sexy” Super Bowl ad that will hopefully get banned, thereby generating a lot of publicity. This approach has gotten stale. Body paint? There is way too much porn on the Internet already, nobody needs to go to Go Daddy to see more of it.

 

H&M

Equal-opportunity nudity alert: David Beckham in his underwear! Goes to show you, naked men can flop just as easily as naked women. He is beautiful, but fast-fashion retailer H&M needs more than a naked Beckham to run a successful Super Bowl spot. How about an idea?

 

Oikos Yogurt

Full House hunk John Stamos eating Greek yogurt “9 ½ weeks style.” There is so much good to say about the sky-rocketing Greek yogurt category. Too bad they resorted to sex to sell it.

 

 

The Over the Top

Too many superbowl ads try too hard and do too much. More often than not it falls flat.

 

Century 21

Smarter, bolder, faster might be the name of the commercial, but it fails to deliver on any of those traits. The real estate company selected celebrities they felt embodied these traits. Smarter: Donald Trump, Deion Sanders. Bolder: Apolo Ohno. But where is the connection to selling houses? And “smarter, bolder, faster” is the last thing people say or think about after a visit with a Century 21 agent. They should stick to the Gold Jacket.

 

Kia

Over the top and loving it. This testosterone-fueled ad has a little of everything, hot girls, fast cars, cool bands. It is turbo-charged and might appeal to the young men in its demographic but the brand would have been better off if the commercial had first provided an understanding what a Kia is.

 

Pepsi

Pepsi was once the choice of a new generation. But with Coca-Cola beating them up and bumping Pepsi down to 3^rd place behind Coca-Cola and Diet Coke, this spot doesn’t ring true. The cruel King Elton John isn’t keeping anybody from Pepsi. Kids just don’t want to drink it as much as they once did. They are drinking Monster and Red Bull instead.

 

Volkswagen

You know when the sequel goes right to video. Well this commercial is like that. After last year’s success with Star Wars’ themed The Force, Volkswagen this time mixed dogs, weight loss and some weird Star Wars stuff at the end. It wasn’t a cohesive story and didn’t ever connect to the brand. It was just Volkswagen trying too hard to make a Super Bowl commercial and it shows. Simple stories that relate to the brand work much better.

 

Chrysler

Chrysler gave us an inspirational, gritty, 2 minute mini-movie – Half-Time in America with tough guy Clint Eastwood. But what are they selling? Detroit? Obama? I don’t get the connection to Chrysler, who promotes all the Dodge, Ram, Jeep and Chrysler brands at the end.  My problem is not with the production or sentiment; both are over the top and terrifically powerful. But Chrysler is the weakest of the big 3 and only survived because it sold a 53% percent stake to Fiat an Italian company. More like imported and paid for by Italy.

 

Super Bowl 2011: Game scores big, Advertising mostly fumbles

The stand out star of last night’s Super Bowl was clearly Aaron Rogers. Most people will be talking about Aaron and the Packers today instead of the commercials. Because it was the game that was far more super than any of the ads. But with the most-watched commercials of the year, the Super Bowl provides a good picture of the state of the advertising industry.

Here is my roundup of who scored and who fumbled.

Touch-downs

BMW: “Advanced Diesel – Changes.” Good commercials use good visuals. And nothing beats seeing the ultimate driving machine on the road. Unfortunately, diesel engines connote strong images of “smog,” so BMW brilliantly counteracts that concept with the song “Changes” to introduce us to the new advanced diesel cars from BMW.

Doritos: “Best Part.” Again, Doritos has a strong visual to work with: Its unique triangle covered in orange goodness. Everybody knows how the chips stain your fingers and how the crumbs stain your clothes, so the guy licking his co-workers fingers was the perfect twist. The twist really hammers in the brand strategy. Viewer-created commercials like this one have got to make Madison Ave nervous.

 

First downs

Pepsi Max: “First Date.” What men are thinking vs. what women are thinking is a simple idea brilliantly executed. Again, this viewer-created ad shows that big budgets aren’t necessary for a super Super Bowl ad. The key is a powerful idea. It also makes me think that a lot of talented creative people are out of work and submitting ads. “Zero Calories, Maximum-Pepsi Taste” is the closing slogan. “Zero” is nice, but it’s too bad Coca-Cola grabbed it first. The other problem is that half the commercial goes by without the viewer knowing exactly what the commercial is for? That’s a problem. The guy could have just as easily been distracted by a beer, a car or a Snickers bar.

E*Trade: “Baby -- Tailor.” What I love about these E*Trade ads is that they are in the game every year and stick to one visual that hammers their brand idea. “The site that is so easy a baby can do it.” However, this wasn’t my favorite execution. I much prefer the iPad/dog commercial that has been running the past few months.

Volkswagen: “Darth Vader.” As a parent, the Darth Vader spot pulled at my heartstrings. As a piece of work, it was brilliant. It beautifully captured the innocence of childhood. What it didn’t do, however, was to connect the idea to Volkswagen. Any car with a remote start could have been slotted in.

Volkswagen: “Beetle.” I loved it. I would have loved it more, if I knew up front the beetle was suppose to be a “Beetle.” The arrival of a new Beetle car is a big deal, so they should have showed the new car. That would have also made news and increased the chatter about the ad.

Audi: ”Release the Hounds.” Well, at least they didn’t release any more dead horse heads: Audi ads have come a long way since. They now have come up with the idea of a luxury car for a new generation. The visuals (Kenny G, the hounds) were hysterical. The only problem is that consumers don’t necessarily buy the idea of Audi being more prestigious or cooler than Mercedes. First, they need to establish the prestige of the brand before they run ads like one.

 

Fumbles:

Pepsi Max : “Torpedo Cooler.” Not every viewer-generated ad was brilliant, including this one. The commercial relies on the classic joke of hitting the guy in the crotch. Funny, sure. But the idea has nothing to do with Pepsi.

BMW X3: ”Defying Logic.” I think it is great that BMW is building cars in America. I think it is great that they are designing the cars in America, too. But they shouldn’t throw out their German roots. The brand is German and most of the profits are going back to Germany. I think that people buy BMWs not because they are made in the U.S., but in spite the fact they are made in the U.S. I think they should have spent more time showing off the new car.

Sealy: “Super Bowl After Glow.” Since I was watching the game with my 8-year-old son, I wanted to immediately change the channel for this one. Advertisers need to remember the Super Bowl is a family event as well as an adult one. The other problem with the commercial is that viewers have no idea what the company is selling. I certainly would have never guessed it was mattresses! They might have started off with the line “It’s better on springs.” I like the idea of being the opposite. Bouncy springs vs. memory foam. However, Sealy has been trying to tell us springs aren’t bouncy, haven’t they?

Anheuser-Busch: All of them. How the mighty have fallen. For years A-B seemed to have a system for creating a stable of funny, talk-of-the-party Super Bowl ads, along with a killer visual, the Clydesdales. This year, the ads weren’t funny and the Clydesdales were relegated to a bit part.

Stella-Artois: “Crying Jean.” This ad made me cry for the brand. Absolutely horrible. Again, the brand has an iconic image, the Stella glass. They showed the glass but connected it to crying ladies and a moody, pathetic-looking singer.

GoDaddy: “New Girl.” The twist of using Joan Rivers was funny. But their sexist shtick is worn out. The site is very effective, the advertising is not. They are lucky because they face no real competition in the category.

Groupon: “Tibet.” We can chalk it up as a rookie mistake to run a shocking and disturbing commercial without much redeeming value. After the intense excitement about the company and a pending IPO, this was a big PR black eye. The first part of the commercial showing Tibet and the needs of its people was poignant, but then to make a joke of it and your company, not savvy. Groupon has a problem when creating an commercial since they don’t have a strong visual to work with. What they are known for are their email messages. It’s harder to advertise a service that is unseen. The most successful service-company commercials first develop a powerful visual like the Aflac duck, the Geiko gecko and the E*Trade baby.

Snickers: “Logging.” It is hard to follow-up on the commercial that brought back the beloved Betty White. It was a classic, Betty White getting tackled on a muddy football field. It was fitting and shocking. This year Snickers substituted Lewis & Rosanne Barr. Nobody wants these celebrities back, and who even remembers Lewis? And getting hit with a log, not funny.

Chevrolet: “Old-Age Home.” Funny! Very funny. But the spot never got the brand message across. Could have been a commercial for anything. Chevrolet ran several spots during the game. Each was totally different, each was a one-off joke. So typical of GM; they spend a ton of money but they never get an message or idea into the mind.

Chrysler: “Eminem movie.” Chrysler is going to need a lot more than Eminem to save the company. The commercial was powerful in showing the images of Detroit and using its hometown hero Eminem. But I’m not sold that Detroit will ever come back to past glory. It is sad. Chrysler and “imported luxury from Detroit” are just not an easy sell. Chrysler should have started with what it already owns, the Minivans. (For Ford, it’s trucks.) What also watered down this ad is that Eminem also appeared as a cartoon in a dreadfully-awful Brisk ice-tea ad.

Motorola Mobility: “Empower the People.” If you want to compare yourself to Apple’s 1984 Macintosh commercial, you’d better be able to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. The Xoom tablet? I’d rather see them hammer the success of the Motorola Droid, an Android phone has been the much talked about alternative to the iPhone.

 

Super Bowl Ads 2010

Best ads of the game

Google: Google transformed how we think about search and now Google has transformed how we think about Super Bowl ads. Without any celebrities, special effects or juvenile jokes, Google did what Google does best. It showed us in a simple clear how Google had changed the world. The ad is unlikely to win any creativity awards but unlike most ads I think it made a powerful, lasting impact in the mind on consumers.

Doritos: Who needs a fancy award-winning agency when you can hold a contest and get your ads for free? Doritos showed us again that there are a lot of aspiring creatives out there with a lot of time on their hands and a lot of ideas in their heads. For a cool, fun, spicy, youth-oriented brand the strategy paid off big time. The dog with the bark collar was hilarious and had a great brand payoff at the end.

Snickers: When you brand owns a strong, narrow idea in the mind, it is a whole lot easier to make a great commercial. Snickers, the number-one candy bar, is focused on adults. Having a cranky Betty White turn into a young guy playing football was not only visually funny, but also packed a mean branding punch too.

Budweiser: Overall, I was underwhelmed with Anheuser-Busch’s ads this year. Usually Budweiser dominates the game and easily delivers among the best in the bowl. While Budweiser didn’t have its best  year, average for Budweiser is still pretty good. They own the Super Bowl and they are still the King of Beers. As usual, the best ad used the Clydesdales, the iconic symbol of the brand. But the ad itself wasn’t as great as the Clydesdale ads of past years. If they would stop line-extended Bud Light (now in Lime and Wheat), then maybe they would have more time to work on the ads.

Denny’s: The free-breakfast idea got people really excited last year. So Denny’s repeated the giveaway. And people probably got even more excited about the free breakfast this year. But on top of breakfast Denny’s delivered some of the top ads of the game. Again when you have a narrow idea, it is a lot easier to get good creative work. “It’s a good time to be an American, but a bad time to be a chicken.” Who can forget that line?

Coca-Cola: When your award-winning competitor suddenly drops the ball, it is wise to pick it up. Coca-Cola took full advantage of Pepsi dropping out of the game and delivered with ads that showed us why it is the world’s number one brand. I’m not crazy about the tagline, Open Happiness, but the message was clear, Coke is the Real Thing. My favorite was the terrific Simpson’s Hard Times ad which spoke to the mood of a nation and the thirst of the world.

 

Great ads, but no connection to the brands.

Boost Mobile: The Super Bowl Shuffle parody was wonderful! Nothing works like using nostalgia to create a great ad.  But there was no connection to Boost Mobile. Part of the problem of course is that nobody knows what a Boost Mobile is.

Dodge: Man’s last stand. The set-up was fabulous: still images of men’s faces, the voiceover about all the miserable things they were willing to do to be our man. The payoff was the problem. Man’s last stand is driving a Dodge? Come on! You have got to be kidding. You can’t take Man’s last stand with a Dodge. A Porsche would be much better. Or at the very least a Ford F-series truck.

Audi: Love the Green Police ad I was singing right along thinking how timely and appropriate to promote a green car. But wondering in light of the recent news why Toyota would run an ad for Prius? I know Audi owners love their cars. But Audi has a branding problem, it doesn’t own anything in the mind of the consumer. And the last thing it will own is green.

 

Nice ads, but the brands are in trouble.

Volkswagen: Working with an idea already in the mind is always good. Volkswagen brilliantly brought back the “Punch Buggy” kids game where you get to punch someone every time you see a Volkswagen Beetle on the road. The problem is that today Volkswagen has 13 different models on the road. Kind of defeats the purpose of the game and the ad.

FLO TV: And people thought the iPad had a naming problem. With a name like this, the first thing I think of is here comes the flow, get me a pad! Live mobile television is an easy thing to sell. Missing the big game or American Idol can be funny. The real question is other than these examples, who really cares about live television anymore?

 

They tried

E*Trade: Consistency counts. E*Trade has been in the Super Bowl for years with the same talking babies. The gag might not be as funny. But right away you know the brand and you remember the message.

HomeAway: Unlike Ed Begley Jr. there are some celebrities that it is fabulous to see again in a Super Bowl ad like Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo. I loved the idea of a National Lampoon’s Vacation spoof. But the jokes weren’t funny enough and the key idea not sold enough. Rent a house for half the price of a hotel, that is a powerful idea. Too bad they didn’t hammer it harder.

 

Shouldn’t be in the game

CareerBuilder: The company has made a career out of Super Bowl ads showing people working with horrible co-workers. Either they are a bunch of chimps or they are naked. Not sure which is worse. The idea comes across, your job sucks so it’s time to get a new one. There are two problems. First of all in this economy many people would happily take a job even if it meant having to wear underwear on Fridays. The second problem is the fact that CareerBuilder is not the leader. When all your ad does is sell the category you are essentially benefiting the leader. Even worse the category leader (Monster.com) was also advertising on the Super Bowl and delivered with a hilarious Beaver ad.

U.S. Census Bureau: Ed Begley Jr. is in charge taking a snapshot of 300 million people for the U.S. Census. This is a clear sign that government has drifted to the far left and has no idea whom to call to get something done.

Sex is Easy but Doesn't Build a Brand

 What is the purpose of advertising? You would think the answer is clear. But too many company leaders are obviously confused.

In my opinion, the purpose of advertising is to reinforce a brand's position in the mind. That position should be meaningful, memorable and motivating.

Today, advertising isn't an easy. There is too much of it and too many consumers will do almost anything to avoid it. In this inhospitable advertising environment, many advertisers  focus almost exclusively just on getting the attention of consumers by any means possible.

We all know that PR is a very good way to get attention. PR is also very good at brand building. It builds credibility, awareness and word of mouth.

You can see the wheels turning the in boardroom now.

All we need to do "is make our advertising so shocking that consumers will be outraged, the networks will censor us and the media will cover us." Instant PR and brand awareness! And what is more shocking than sex? Nothing. It is perfect formula, right?

Wrong. While this sounds like the current strategy for Paris Hilton, it is also sadly the strategy for an airline, a web registrar, and an animal rights group.

 

Sex is indeed very good at getting attention. Sex is also very good at getting you censored and creating controversy. And controversy is very good at getting PR.

But that kind of controversy is not a good strategy for building a brand.

Sexually-provocative advertisements does make sense for some categories. For example: beer, perfume and lingerie. But too many advertisers use sex for its shock value and nothing else.

In these tough economic times with ever-rising advertising costs, it is understandable that companies are looking for ways to cut corners, trim costs and get attention for their brands.

But in the long run these types of stunts simply aren’t worth it. The controversy created risks alienating your customers, your employees and your shareholders alike.

 

Look at recent ads by Spirit Airlines. They run “Threesome” sales and “Cheap and Easy and Nothing to Hide” sales. They invite customers to enjoy DD’s (deep discounts) and the worst “MILF.” If you have seen American Pie, you know what I mean, it describes a "mother I'd like to f***." Can you believe they are using this acronym to sell seats to the Caribbean?

Not to mention, demeaning flight attendants is a low blow in an industry that has fought for years to remind consumers that the attendants are there for “your safety” and not “your fantasy.” Of course, this is why Spirit Air’s antics have gotten so much attention.

 

The idea isn’t new; it was recently tried by Hooters Air. A few guys got excited, but in the end, Hooters couldn’t stay airborne. What works in running a bar selling beer, wings and booze turns out to be different from what works in running an airline.

A company’s brand message is not just a tool to attract consumers, it is also an essential and important internal tool to rally and unite the team. Employees who know their mission do better work. Whether it is safety at Volvo or driving at BMW or change with Obama. Your brand strategy and your advertising messages should be should be clear and central to the brand. Obama girl would not have made a good general theme for the campaign. In fact, she hurt more than helped Obama.

Having an offensive ad strategy might get you attention, might even get you some customers but it also might offend your employees and stockholders. Something not to be taken lightly.

For years flight attendants have had to deal with drunk, obnoxious men hitting on them and worse. Now Spirit Air is practically promoting it.

More than most industries, the airline industry needs the support and service of its female employees and its female customers. Without that support they will crash and burn.

When will management understand this truism? Marketing is not just about getting consumers to watch your ads or generating any kind of PR for your brand.

Marketing is about creating a powerful brand message that resonates with consumers. All consumers, not just a handful of horny men. Marketing is about getting PR not on the shamefulness of your ads but on the power of your ideas.

One part sex, two parts exploitation may get your brand in the news but it won’t build your brand in the mind.

When you get hooked on sex, you tend to forget about your brand message. You become consumed with being racy enough to keep yourself in the news.

This is exactly what has happened at GoDaddy, the web’s largest registrar with nearly three times the number of sites as its closest competitor. But GoDaddy continues to push sex instead of pushing websites. Their advertising is terrible. Where is the message? A leader has the leverage to get a word in the mind. GoDaddy is wasting this chance.

Sooner or later, a competitor will come along with a meaningful message and take GoDaddy’s leadership position away from it.

Marketing should be meaningful; it should build a brand in the mind. Getting people to talk about sex is easy but cheap.

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Super Bowl Ads: Winners & Losers

 

THE WINNERS

 

Budweiser. Nothing goes better with football than beer. And the King of Beers, a consistent game day player since 1989, has game ads down to a science. This year, Bud again used a combination of the Clydesdales, humor, tradition, the beer wagon, leadership and heart to get the job done with style. Like the Steelers, the Bud win wasn’t a blow-out, but in the end they end up on top. My favorite was the Clydesdale and the circus horse.

 

Monster. What works best in a Super Bowl ad is consistency. Monster was a game regular since 1999 and the standout "when I grow up" campaign. After a couple years off, Monster is back in the game and comes out a winner again. Again it is combination of a powerful visual, original humor and brand message that scored big. They had the backside of the moose plus the message of over 1 million jobs worldwide.

Denny's. When you can point out a clear difference between you and the competition in a humorous and memorable way it makes for a great commercial no matter when it runs. Not only did Denny’s allude to it’s competition as a bunch of circus clowns (serving food covered in whipped cream, sprinkles and goop) Denny’s is offering everyone in America a "real" grand slam breakfast tomorrow! Wow. With 1,600 restaurants in 49 states (only Wyoming is missing) expect lines out the door and lots of people enjoying a hearty breakfast no whipped cream included. Many brands like Denny's are better positioned by what they are not instead of what they are.

 

Doritos. Third year is a charm. Doritos has leveraged it's Crash the Super Bowl contest to appeal to the YouTube generation where everyone has a camera and everyone wants to be a film director. This year two unemployed nobodies from nowhere won the contest, took home 1 million dollars and even topped the USA Today Ad poll. While the ad was low-brow, slapstick and juvenile it appealed to the target market. While the ad lacked brand message, young men just can’t seem to resist crotch humor or the unique taste of Doritos.

 

Cash 4 Gold. Talk about the right message at the right time with a brilliant execution. Ed McMahon and MC Hammer both looking down and out trading in their gold mementos for cash. A hard sell and stand out cheesiness make this a standout. And who doesn’t have cheesy gold things from the 80’s they should be getting rid of for cash?

 

LOSERS 

 

Go Daddy. When GoDaddy first debuted its brand at the Super Bowl in 2005 it was a quirky unknown company blowing their whole budget to run two Super Bowl ads to create controversy to generate PR. The ad made fun off the famed wardrobe malfunction from the year before and it succeeded in getting everybody talking about it’s tastelessness but it also got a lot of people visiting and using GoDaddy.com. Fast forward to today, GoDaddy is now the world’s leading registrar with three times the addresses as its closest competitor. Today, GoDaddy needs to grow up. GoDaddy need to be not just controversial with it’s advertising it needs a solid strategy.

 

Hyundai. Hyundai has a terrible sounding name, but it has been a hot selling car by focusing on low cost and quality. And right now being the cheapest car on the market is a good place to be. But was that good enough for Hyundai? Of course not, companies always want what they don't have. So last year Hyundai launched the luxury Genesis model with a price point of $40,000. Have the cars been well received by the critics? Yes, it even was named Car of the Year. Will the Genesis be a hit with consumers? No way. Hyundai’s ad showing Mercedes and BMW executives screaming in fear over the Hyundai product reviews are laughable. For $10,000 consumers will drive a Hyundai, but for $40,000 no way. When consumers get money again they will be running right back to Mercedes and BMW. Prestige does not rhyme with Sunday.

SoBe. Again Sobe LifeWater ran an ad with every ad clique in the book throw into it. This year the ad had lizards, music, NFL players ballet dancing it was in 3-D. Too much is too much. The first rule of branding is that a brand needs to stand for something. Strong brands might sometimes get away with such antics but weak brands can't. The ad, the brand and the strategy are all wrong.

Bud Light Finds a Word

 

 

It doesn't matter who owns Budweiser because even though Bud may not be American-owned anymore, the brand is still all-American brand.

 

It doesn't matter where a product is made or who owns the corporate entity. Once a brand becomes identified with a country, it is forever connected to that country in the mind.

 

 

A Budweiser beer bottled by InBev is still an American beer, the same as a Toyota made in Kentucky is still a Japanese car.

 

Budweiser's brews have been battered in recent years by Miller's low-carb attacks, as well as by lackluster advertising and foolish line extensions like Budweiser World Select, Budweiser American Ale and Budweiser Select.

 

But recently Budweiser has scored a home run. How? They have done what every brand should do, focused on one word.

 

Budweiser's future is Bud Light. As a result they should be marketing and spending most of their advertising money protecting this brand.

 

Bud Light in particular has gotten hammered by Miller Lite and even by its sibling brand Michelob Ultra on both taste and low-carbs. Bud Light can't win either battle. It has almost three times the carbs of Miller Lite and lacks the full-flavored taste of the other light beers.

 

 

Bud Light has a watered down taste yet it still full of carbs. Not a good combination.

 

 

But many of the best strategies come from taking a negative and turning it into a positive. The trick is getting the wording right.

 

Avis rent-a-cars wasn't the leader. But it turned its second place position into an advantage by saying:

Avis is only No.2. So why go with us? We try harder.

 

Smucker's jelly & jams has a funny name. But it turned that funny name into a positive by saying:

With a name like Smucker's it has to taste good.

 

Listerine mouthwash tastes terrible. So instead of hiding its taste, they proudly say:

The taste you hate, twice a day.

 

Lucky for Bud, the low-carb craze has cooled and the few grams difference between it and the light beers is truly trivial. But the taste angle is not. Being labeled a water-down brew isn't manly and doesn’t deserve of the king of beers crown and title.

 

For years Bud Light tried to find an effective strategy but nothing has worked. Until now.

You can’t miss the new Bud Light message. Focusing on one word make the message memorable. That one word has been blazing bright on billboards across the country and has been endlessly repeated on television.

 

That's a strategy that works exceptionally well in advertising. Taking a well-known brand and hammering away one idea over and over again.

 

Bud Light has turned its watered-down taste into a positive with one word, Drinkability.

 

What does drinkability mean? It means you can drink Bud Light all night long. Whom does Bud Light appeal to? Young drinkers, 21-35 year olds who don't sip, they chug.

 

The key to effective branding is not appealing to everybody. Drinkability is brilliant because it gives up something.

 

Drinkability gives up the older drinkers who only drink one beer and want a deep rich taste. Sam Adams has them. Drinkability give up the snobs who want imported prestige. Heineken has them.  Drinkability give up the folks at the Mexican fiesta crowd. Corona has them.

 

But all that giving up means Bud Light is left with a focused, powerful memorable message.

 

 

When you have a focus, you have a strategy, with a strategy you can create effective advertising. Without a focus, you have nothing to work with.

 

The 2009 Super Bowl could be a time for Budweiser to shine. The economy is going to keep a lot of players out of the game. While will make Bud more noticable.

 

 

If I was in charge, I would only advertise Bud Light during the game. Forget Budweiser, let it die a slow death. I would run all 10 commercials (5 minutes) for Bud Light using heavy doses of Clydesdales, drinkability and humor. 

 

I'd drink to that. 

 

 

2008 Superbowl Advertising Contest

It goes without saying that watching the 2008 Super Bowl football game was a lot more exciting than watching the 2008 Super Bowl advertising contest. The game was fantastic, the ads were not. If the writers weren’t still on strike, you might have assumed the game was scripted by Hollywood. Unfortunately the ads displayed far less talent; most failed to score many points with viewers. It was a year of playing it safe and sticking to old Super Bowl ad clichés.

The problem with most Super Bowl advertisements is that the agency starts with a clean sheet of paper. They sit down and try to make a great Super Bowl ad. The first questions they usually ask themselves are: What celebrity can we get? What animal can we use? What parody can we make? How high can the budget go?

The best advertisements never start with a clean sheet of paper. The best ads start by asking, What is in the mind of the consumer when it comes to our brand” Then the ads use that idea in a new and creative way.

In this year’s Advertising Super Bowl, Budweiser did not disappoint, unlike the Patriots who suffered one of the biggest upsets in history. The King of Beers was also the king of the Super Bowl ad contest. Anheuser-Busch produced another standout ad which took the top spot for the 10th year in a row on the much-watched USA Today Ad Meter poll.

Here are my picks for the two best and two worst ads of the game which i also discussed last night with Bill O'Reilly on his show on Fox News.

Best Commercials

Budweiser

To become part of the beer wagon team, a Dalmatian becomes the personal trainer for Hank the Clydesdale. Training to the theme of Rocky, the underdog horse succeeds through hard work.

The heavy favorite with seven ads running during the game, Budweiser played to win. And win they did. It was Bud at its best.

The ad was effective because it used the brand’s iconic visuals (Clydesdales, Dalmatian, beer wagon) to tell an emotional and entertaining story. The images were germane to the brand, the message was relevant to the game, and the ad connected with the audience.

Of course, Bud stacks the deck in order to guarantee a big win every year. First they order up 20 top-flight ads from their agencies. Then they test and tweak and test again, ending up with the best of the bunch for game night. And despite that, all the Bud ads were not winners or even close. The cavemen inventing the wheel, for instance, was an almost complete disaster.

On the other hand, the Hank the Clydesdale ad did what all great advertising should do. It reinforced the brand message in a memorable and meaningful way. It connected with the brand, the audience and the event.

Victoria Secret

“I’m in the mood for love” plays as a sexy woman holds a football. Tag: Let the real games begin. Happy Valentine’s Day.

The ad was simply perfect. And it just goes to show you that you don’t need celebrities, animals, special effects, parodies or a big budget to make a brilliant Super Bowl ad.

The ad related to game and it related to the audience. It told a motivating, powerful, relevant message using a simple visual. Just an ordinary sexy woman, in an ordinary sexy nightgown.

It is very hard to make an ad that appeals to both men and women using sex. If the woman looks too sexy, women don’t like it. Not sexy enough and men don’t like it.

The Victoria Secret ad was not too much nor too little it was just right.

Worst Commercials

CareerBuilder

Heart leads the way literally to a better job. Tag: Follow your heart. Start building.

A good verbal idea doesn’t necessarily make a good visual idea. And this is clearly the case here.

A heart jumping out of a body is painful, ugly and gross to watch. At the very least, they should have used a symbolic image of a heart, not a real one. Using shocking visuals just to be shocking is not clever or wise.

My guess is that the creatives who made this ad will soon be checking into CareerBuilder for new jobs.

After a lackluster Super Bowl performance last year, the CareerBuilder agency lost the account. (Remember the chimpanzees in the office?) And this year’s ad was far worse.

CareerBuilder has had amazing success in the marketplace by focusing on targets frustrated with their jobs, but needing a push to switch. They’ve also had success with viral campaigns like the monk-e-mail. But unless they can get their lineup right for the big game, they would be better off staying home and saving their money.

SoBe Life Water

30 naked lizards dance with Naomai Campbell to Thriller by Michael Jackson.

They threw every Super Bowl ad cliché into this commercial for a new product nobody has ever heard of.

A famous song: Michael Jackson’s Thriller. A famous celebrity: Naomi Campbell. Cute animals: Lizards. And a parody, too: Thriller video.

They ended up with a very attractive commercial visually. One that got attention and had people talking. But none of the elements in the ad had any relation to the brand, the game or the category.

To succeed, a commercial has to be entertaining but it also has to be relevant to the brand. Without both, you score a big zero.

The SoBe Life ad did score well in the popularity polls. But while many people will remember the ad, I doubt that anyone will remember the advertiser. Most people will probably think it was a Geico insurance ad. Afterall, Geico owns “cute lizards” in the mind.

Super Bowl Ads 2007

This year even more than ever it was the Bud bowl. Bud Light dominated the game from start to finish with no other brand coming close to Bud’s advertising savvy and skill in producing on message, on target, awesome event ads.

The typical formula for a Super Bowl ad is a mixture of celebrities, talking animals, sexy girls, potty humor, big stunts and special effects. But using one or all of these elements doesn’t guarantee a successful or memorable ad.

To create a successful commercial an advertisement has to resonate and reinforce a brand message in the mind of the consumer. If a consumer laughs at an ad but can’t remember who the advertiser was, it was not a successful ad. If the consumer remembers the advertiser but the message has nothing to do with the brand, it was not a successful ad.

The Super Bowl is a totally unique advertising venue. It is only day of the entire year that consumers actively seek out, watch and discuss advertising. Because of this fact, a successful ad needs to fit seamlessly within the tone of the big game and the party atmosphere most consumers are viewing it.

The brand being advertised also needs to be consistent with the Super Bowl and world championship it represents. The Super Bowl is not for everyone, it is best left to dominate brands. Little brands rarely measure up. The brands that do the best are the big brands with big appeal and a fun disposition. Beer, soda, chips, fast-food and cars are all good.

Advertising a toilet paper, tax service or erectile dysfunction cure is not advisable. None of those products are something consumers want to think about or discuss during the big game. No matter how funny the ad is or how badly the consumer needs the product. Sadly Charmin, H&R Block, Levitra and Cialis have not heeded this advice and have all been past advertisers on the Super Bowl. This year Flomax made the dreaded mistake of advertising.

Another key to a successful Super Bowl ad is advertising consistently each year during the game. One ad for one year is unlikely to make an impact. Since Budweiser has been in the game for as long as I can remember and is the biggest game advertiser, it is guaranteed to make a big impression no matter what the ads are. In addition, by advertising every year Bud keeps Miller out of the game which is probably the biggest benefit of all.

Now here is my take on some of the most talked about ads and advertisers:

Budweiser: Probably the best year ever for the biggest beer brewer in the nation. They skillfully combined humor and brand message to become the most talked about ads both during and after the game. My only criticism is that all the commercials should be for Bud Light. It is the #1 beer in the U.S. and the future of the company. Best to put all your chips on the biggest winner especially during the big game.

Doritos: Since many of the big agencies can’t score a winning ad during the game why not let consumers write the ads? So that is exactly what Frito-Lay did. Doritos held an online contest for amateur videos and ran the winning ads during the game. While many Super Bowl ads cost $1 million and up to produce, Doritos top spot only cost $12. Quite a steal. It goes to show that what matters most is the message not the special effects, celebrities or talking animals. All the winning Doritos spots were spot on when it came to brand message, humor and novelty. Being the first to use the contest idea was also key. Next year too many companies are likely to copy the formula and too many professionals are likely to enter.

Sierra Mist: The ads might have been funny, but what is a Sierra Mist? The brand has no meaning in the mind of the consumer. A me-too brand has no business being in the game, Sierra Mist would be better off going back to the minor leagues and figuring who it is. The worst part is the PepsiCo’s ad slots should have been used by Pepsi instead. Advertising Sierra Mist was a waste of time and left the door open for Coke to move its ads in. Stupid mistake.

Pepsi: Loved the Pepsi half-time show. Love Prince. I saw Purple Rain twice on opening weekend. But today, the choice of a new generation would unlikely be Prince. Pepsi would have been better off creating buzz producing ads during the game. Most people use half-time to go to the bathroom, eat and chat about the ads with their family and friends.

Coca-Cola: After sitting out the Super Bowl for almost a decade Coke finally got back in the game yesterday and it’s time away from the gridiron showed. The ads were a rusty attempt at being funny, cool and hip. Some were too serious and better off suited for another venue. Others were just not humorous or brand centric enough and paled in comparison to Bud’s ads and Pepsi’s ad of years past.

Nationwide: Just making fun of a soon-to-be has-been-celebrity does not make a Super Bowl ad. A one laugh joke maybe but at $2.6 million for 30 seconds you really need to think of something better than this to get your money’s worth. The reality is that no one wants to think about insurance or Kevin Federline during the big game.

GoDaddy.com: I have to hand it to them, GoDaddy.com has stuck with the Super Bowl and it is finally paying off. What could have been a one year flash in the pan dot-com bust has turned into a brand with power, personality and persistence in pushing the decency limits of network television. The initial strategy was simply to be as racy as possible to garner PR attention yet still past the network standards boards. But this year a brand message has also come across in the ads: “Make a .com name with us.” The best ad was the second one submitted to CBS (which was rejected.) It was great because it didn’t rely on boobs but creatively combined edginess with brand message. Running the same ad three times was a rookie mistake, to truly make an impact they needed to run three different ads. Tone down the visuals and language GoDaddy.com and you’ll get three approved in time for game day.

GM: No matter what GM does in its advertising the problem remains the same. Its brands don’t stand for anything in the mind of the consumer. No amount of Madison Ave. magic can fix that.

CareerBuilder.com: Finally they dumped the chimps. Nothing is worse than animals in ads only as a device for laughs. Budweiser and Clydesdales is one thing, chimps in an office is another. This year CareerBuilder.com greatly benefited from more humorous ads that were clearly on brand message. But even more important than that was the fact that they were the only job website advertising on the game. When Monster was in, it was all bets off. The bigger brand tends to overshadow the little guy. And even if your ad was better the consumer usually gives the big guy credit. (No matter how great a car ad on safety you produce a majority of consumers will think it was a Volvo ad!)

Snickers: Gay-phobia humor is just not funny and a brand like Snickers should know better than that. Also to be avoided are fart jokes, potty jokes and making fun of any minority.

Diamond Emerald Nuts: Robert Goulet? Does anyone remember who this guy is? I don't. That aside, the idea is solid, eat nuts at 3 pm avoid to aviod an afternoon blood sugar crash. Many brands have targeted this before, but nuts do have a unique quality of being natural, high in protein and low in carbohydrates. The brand just has no business advertising on the Super Bowl. The company's message and money would be better spent on more commercials throughout the year. Diamond Emerald needs more brand recognition in the mind. They could use some PR first. Super Bowl ads should reinforce success not look to create it.

Super Bowl Losers

Go Daddy

Now if you read my blog you know that I love the Go Daddy brand but just can’t stand the advertising. Last year’s antics might have had a few people and reporters talking but this year it drew a big yawn. Advertising that is outrageous just for the sake of being outrageous doesn’t work. I will admit they got some free publicity last year, so it seems the company CEO just ordered up more of the same for this year hoping for the same kind of buzz. No luck, the whole thing fizzled out. Go Daddy needs a powerful brand strategy and verbalization of that strategy. Currently they are using “Make a .com name with us.” Not too powerful. If you are reading this Go Daddy give me a call we would love to help you on your marketing strategy.

Career Builder

What is it with the Chimps again? When in doubt, ad agencies seem to drag out some cute and funny animals. But the real problem is that Career Builder is not the leader. The brand that owns the mind of the consumer is Monster.com a past high-profile Super Bowl advertiser. So I think that after many people saw the Career Builder ad they though, hey better post my resume on Monster. Selling the category makes people think of the leader first. So a number two brand needs to position itself against the leader (Avis, we try harder). Only the leader can sell the category in such a generic way.

Sierra Mist

The Super Bowl is not the place to advertise your loser brands. The Super Bowl is the place to show off your hot, successful brands with flashy advertising. This is why Pepsi running a Sierra Mist ad makes no sense. Nobody talks about the stuff, nobody drinks the stuff and nobody cares about the stuff. Instead I would have spent all my advertising dollars reinforcing the success of Pepsi. Coke has muffed up its brand recently, Pepsi needs to continue to ride its momentum against them.

Ameriquest

Ok, the ads are funny. But are they brand building? I don’t think so. People may talk about the funny misunderstanding but are they going to get a mortgage from Ameriquest? I doubt it. Mortgages are serious business. A house is the biggest purchase of your life. Funny advertising that doesn’t reinforce a brand’s message just doesn’t work to build the brand. Like Go Daddy, Ameriquest is not a bad brand. They actually have a unique difference: Every applicant gets a personal mortgage specialist to help them. Hey, that is a great idea. But the advertising never mentions it at all. The bottom line is advertising needs to sell to be successful. What sells are powerful brands. What builds powerful brands? Owing a word in the mind. Just being funny on the Super Bowl doesn’t lead to brand success.

Super Bowl Champions

Budweiser

Another Super Bowl and another blowout by Budweiser. If only Budweiser could just keep this kind of advertising focus the rest of the year. There were minor setbacks however, having Bud Select as a sponsor just reminded me of the confusion this brand causes in the mind. But that said Bud and Bud Light had several outstanding ads which scored big with me and viewers alike. My favorite was the young Clydesdale dreams big ad. Any parent with young children had to be pulled at the heartstrings by this one. My second favorite was the men on rooftops pretending to work but relaxing with a Bud Light instead. What man doesn’t dream of that? Really all the Budweiser ads struck a balance between humor, heritage and brand message. Three cheers for the King.

Gillette

This was not your typical babes, boobs, animals and special effects kind of Super Bowl ad. But I think it was terribly effective. It might not have been discussed at the water cooler. But I do think it made a lasting impression in the minds of male shavers, a majority of the audience. It really showed and explained the new Fusion razor. The audience was right and the message was clear. Men need to shave with a Fusion. Gillette has the money to spend on the Super Bowl to get the message out in a big way. With the product all over the shelves I think many men and women will be pushed into buying the new razor this week.

Dove

The first purely female-targeted ad for Dove skin products had a powerful message promoting the self-esteem of young girls. I think the ad worked for three reasons. It was the opposite of all the other ads, it didn’t belong on the Super Bowl which made you stop, watch and think about it. Second, because it was the first ad of its kind to run on the Super Bowl it got a lot of positive PR on places like the Today Show which was enormously powerful.  Three, it is a wonderfully produced ad with an important message. A message all of us need to be reminded of. The fakeness of the Super Bowl ad models and cheerleaders is not the everyday woman. If I were Dove I would not run the ad next year, by then the uniqueness and PR value will have worn off. Dove will be better off spreading the message advertising on more relevant shows like Oprah or the Academy Awards.

Tomorrow I'll discuss the losers. Chimps, Cavemen, and GoDaddy oh my!