The Origin of Brands Blog

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!

Advertising Super Bowl

It was the year of the amazing comeback. The Janet Jackson waredrobe malfunction of last year actually forced marketers to abandon the easy and tasteless bathroom humor of the past few years in favor of better, more powerful advertising messages that in some cases were genuinely funny. But just as Terrell Owens remarkable comeback on the field was not enough to win the big game, not all of the advertisers scored major points and many of their ads did fall terribly flat.

The MVP of the Advertising Super Bowl was most definitely Budweiser. Bud showed why they are the king of the Super Bowl and delivered beautifully. Out of the nine ads broadcast by Budweiser four stood out as entertaining while also delivering the brand message.

• Bud Light: Pilot jumps out of plane for six-pack after skydiver refuses. The ad delivered an unexpected twist which emphasized the love of the product. As the first commercial which aired during the game, it really got the advertising off to a good start and solidified Bud as the real winner of the day.

• Bud Light: Cedric’s island dream turned into nightmare by nagging beauties.

• Bud Light: Guy at game sees cellphone photo of his girlfriend at home with another guy and his beer.

• Anheuser-Busch: American troops get standing ovation as thank you at airport. As the biggest sponsor of the Super Bowl and an iconic American brand, it was heartwarming to see the troop tribute. It reinforced A-B’s commitment to the American spirit and dream.

However not all of Budweiser’s ads were winners. The biggest disappointment was the lack of airtime given to the Clydesdales. One ad featured them briefly, as an ostrich, giraffe and pigs try to audition to join the team. Why does A-B keep trying to bring in other animals into their commercials? They are much better sticking to the horses which so epitomize the brand, its heritage and its leadership. Forget the donkeys, frogs, pigs and kangaroos. Focus on the Clydesdales.

And why are they line-extending Budweiser again? It makes no sense to introduce Budweiser Select low-carb beer. A-B has a very successful low-carb beer called Michelob Ultra, the first beer in the category. Why confused people even more and take sales away from both Bud Light and Michelob Ultra with another line extension? It further undermines the power of Bud Light. Does Bud Light really have that many carbs? Do real guys really care about a couple of carbs anyway? While Bud had a great game, this ad and this brand is a total fumble.

The other winner of the day was Pepsi-Cola. It used its multiple spots to reinforce the cool, hip and even sexy nature of the brand. And showed why men need to be calorie consensus too. The best ad showed Cindy Crawford and other women eyeing a handsome Diet Pepsi drinker. The hysterical twist was when Queer Eye for the straight guy Carson Kressley is also caught looking at the hunky fellow.

Pepsi also teamed up with Apple for another iTunes cap promotion further cementing Pepsi as the “choice for a new generation.” A tagline which Pepsi should still be using.

And Pepsi's third commercial centered on P.Diddy and the power of celebrity endorsements. After he shows up to an award show driving a Diet Pepsi truck everybody wants one. It was funny, satirical and on target.

In terms of the advertising fumbles, there were a few:

• GoDaddy.com, please go away. A totally tasteless ad showing a girl with big boobs, a tight shirt and a malfunctioning strap. No brand message, a name that has nothing to do with the category (website registration) and a whole lot of money down the drain. ($2.4 million, to be exact.)

• Careerbuilder.com, another internet company with no name recognition and no brand credibility. A guy has to work with a bunch of monkeys that make copies of their bottoms on the Xerox machine. Not funny and not a career builder for the site.

• AmeriQuest delivered some funny ads portraying misunderstandings and why you shouldn’t judge a situation too quickly. But I don’t think the Super Bowl is the time you want to worry about your mortgage company rejecting you. It’s the same reason H&R Block selling tax services during the game wasn’t successful either.

• Cialis should have learned from all the negative PR it received last year. The Super Bowl is not the time one wants to be reminded of erectile dysfunction or the 4 hour potential side effects from its drug.

• FedEx delivered a humorous spoof of Super Bowl advertising with its list of keys to a great ad. But failed to follow its own advice and include a brand message. Why should I use FedEx and why do I need to go to Kinko’s now?

• Honda introduced its Ridgeline pickup truck with the tagline “Above all it’s a Honda.” The brand has no street credibility and above all the last reason any guy would buy a pickup truck is because it was made by Honda. This is the Super Bowl, where Bud-drinking, Ford-driving men watch football. I think Honda made a poor choice and wasted a lot of money on these spots.

• Silestone tried to sell countertops using Mike Ditka and Dennis Rodman in a bubble bath? The only excuse for this flagrant foul is that the company is from Spain and maybe something got lost in translation. But even in Spanish I doubt the ad could have been funny or have anything to do with selling countertops. Besides who thinks about putting in new countertops while watching football, guzzling beer and eating pizza anyway?

7 Keys to a Sensational Super Bowl Ad

Are you ready? Are you ready? Are you ready for some serious advertising! Yes, it’s that time again. Sunday, February 6th will be the one glorious day of the year when the entire world sits in front of their television sets and can’t wait to watch their television commercials.

Every other day we hate advertising. We grumble when the ads interrupt our favorite CSI episode; or we quickly reach for the TiVo remote to zip pass the ads and get back to cutie Vincent D’Onofrio on Law & Order; or we use the time to rush to the bathroom or get a snack; or as my 2 year old does, we scream and cry until the PBS fundraiser commercial is over and Barney returns.

Super Bowl Sunday is the most magnificent day in all of advertising (as well as in all of sports.) It’s the day when every ad agency executive and brand manager pats themselves on the back and dreams of all the people being mesmerized by their brilliant creativity.

The question is: Do Super Bowl ads really pay off? The answer is yes and no. There is no doubt that the enormous attention and PR buzz from a successful Super Bowl spot can be helpful. But at a cost of $2.4 million for 30 seconds, is it worth it? For a select few, yes. For most of the others, a definite no.

Advertising can be a very effective medium. If it is used correctly. Advertising’s main problem is that it lacks credibility. You don’t take at face value what is said in an advertisement because it is a self-serving message from the advertiser.

Like if I told you I was the brightest branding mind in the business, the claim would not be credible. But if Business 2.0 names me a marketing guru of the year, that would be credible. (Which they did.)

Someone else touting your brand is the most credible form of communications. Which is why PR (or third-party endorsement) is what builds brands.

What maintains brands is advertising. Advertising is effective only when it is used to reinforce a position already established in the mind of the consumer. Advertising is the cheerleader for your brand. Getting your consumers excited and reminding them to buy.

The biggest mistake Super Bowl advertisers make is to use their ads to launch a new brand. Any ad that makes a viewer think or remember too much is not a good idea. Yet you see it year after year, companies unveiling new brand and concepts. It is especially sad when a start-up blows all of its money on a Super Bowl spot, fails to build the brand and then goes out of business. You saw this happen to many dot-coms a few years back.

The biggest winners on Super Bowl Sunday are the established brands, the ones that combine creativity along with a reinforcement of the brand’s core strength and have a product that is relevant to the game. Which is why it’s not surprising that Budweiser is the king of the game year after year.

So for those of you tempted to jump into the game and advertise, here are my suggestions:

The 7 Keys to a Sensational Super Bowl Sunday Ad:

 1. Don’t launch a new product.

  2. If your major competitor is advertising, don’t advertise.

  3. Be funny, but don’t forget the brand’s message.

  4. Create new ads for the game; running last year’s campaign won’t cut it.

  5. Try to advertise year after year. Consistency is important.

  6. If your brand has no link to fun, football and frat guys, forget it.

  7. If no one has ever heard of your brand, don’t advertise.

In the days ahead I will be following the hoopla and talking more about the ads we expect to see during this year’s game.