Super Bowl adstravaganza™

Does anyone question that the advertising industry’s biggest day happens to coincide with the grandest sporting event on the planet? The 2011 Super Bowl enjoyed the largest viewing audience in television history according to the Nielson ratings. Advertisers and their agencies couldn’t be giddier. It’s the Super Bowl adstravanza™ and it’s become as anticipated and celebrated as the sports spectacular it funds.

Social media was abuzz with chatter about ads as they were airing. Mainstream and internet media hyped the commercials and many wrote extensive critiques along with links to advertiser’s YouTube sites.

I listened to sports and talk radio on Monday and heard as much banter about the ads as I did about the game.

It’s truly awesome and I love it.

For the big game, I parked myself on the sofa, laptop on my lap (where else?), and wrote briefs on most every commercial as it aired. Here’s my take on a few advertisements:

Stella Artois “Crying Jean” is a lovely commercial. A French male singer in a dusty bar croons a jazz love song. Haunting trumpet. Beautiful women moved to tears as he lays out his passion for her. "When I open my eyes, you were gone” as we see a visual of an empty Stella Artois glass. Expressions of agony and regret. Head drops down, then slowly lifts as he next whispers…“When I open my eyes,” cut to a full glass of Stella Artois being placed on a table, “we’re together” he picks up the full glass of Stella Artois and looks at it longingly, “again.” Applause. “Merci.” Stella Artois logo and tagline: She is a thing of beauty. The commercial? Yes, she is a thing of beauty.

Eminem may have stolen the evening serving as the spokesperson for Lipton and Chrysler. Who ever expected the rap artist to be a puppet for anyone, but that he is in the Lipton Brisk Ice Tea commercial. We hear the puppet Eminem explain his demands for being a spokesperson (hot chicks, video shot at his house, he writes and performs the music, he must actually like the product and the product must be renamed to include his moniker) as he strolls through a rolling change of scenery that depicts each demand. The visuals effects are sweet and the crisp humor keeps you engaged.

Eminem with a Brisk attitude about doing commercials

The Chrysler 200 commercial is breathtaking. Masterfully written, beautifully envisioned and superbly edited, the two minute commercial hails Detroit as anything but what you’ve heard and read. Eminem evokes one simple sentence, “This is the Motor City, and this is what we do.” Chills flowed from the base of my spine to the crown of my head. It’s a wow moment. The tagline: The Chrysler 200 has arrived. Imported from Detroit.

Wonderful video testimony to the spirit of Detroit. The iconic images of the Motor City rock.

The ad inspires the viewer to reconsider perceptions and understandings of the country’s most beleaguered city. Powerful.

CareerBuilder revived the “Working with Monkeys” campaign starring Griffin Creech with a new installment titled “Parking Lot”. You can’t lose when you put monkeys in suits in a commercial. Check out this short on how the commercial was pieced together. Mighty interesting.

The E*TRADE baby commercials were excellent, as usual.

The Bud Light spots didn’t do anything for me, but I found the Budweiser “Wild West” commercial entertaining.

Doritos. Are they so good a guy will lick another man’s fingers and rip a male co-worker’s pants off to inhale the crumbs off them? This commercial just did not work for me. The comedic intent fell flat, and as I heard someone else express, once you’ve seen the gag, it’s no longer funny. What a colossal waste of money IMHO.

Chevy Cruze. I loved the goodnight kiss commercial. As the guy drives home he fires up OnStar and requests a news feed to find out what his date, Jennifer French, just posted as her Facebook status. “Best first date ever” brings a smile to everyone’s face. Who amongst the social media generation doesn’t covet a Chevy Cruze with OnStar now?

The NFL Best Fans Ever commercial is a cruise down sitcom memory lane with a few currently airing shows sprinkled in. How much work went into inserting NFL team softwear, schwag and references throughout? Celebrating your audience. Simply brilliant.

Hey! We can’t miss the commercials!

I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a local advertiser props.  “You Can’t Spell Texas Without H-E-B”. Jack Ingram extolling the virtues of the Lone Star State may rank as one of the best local commercials of the Super Bowl adtravaganza.

There are so many other commercials worthy of mention, but alas, this post is long enough. To view all of the Super Bowl commercials in one convenient location, go here. Then come back and tell me which which ad is your favorite and why.

del.icio.us Tags: Super Bowl commercials,Nielson,YouTube,Stella Artois,E*TRADE,Chevrolet,Chevy Cruze,OnStar,Facebook,social media,CareerBuilder,monkeys,Griffin Creech,Lipton Brisk Ice Tea,Eminem,puppets,Detroit,Motor City,luxury automobiles,Chrysler 200,Bud Light,Budweiser,Pepsi Max,Pepsi Zero,NFL,Southpark

In harmoney with the environment

It may be one of the more bizarre creative executions ever in television advertising. The Toyota Prius “Harmony” commercial evokes memories of the Land of Oz with its use of people as metaphors of nature.

A white Prius drives the countryside. As it moves through the scenery, the sky brightens, grasses shimmer, and plants, flowers and trees blossom and presumably breathe easier - along with the butterflies - thanks to the environment-friendly Prius. The water flows clearer and the sky is a vibrant blue, all due to the cleaner emissions from the Prius tailpipe.

The visuals are striking. You can clearly see the link between humans and nature with the use of human beings (many appear to be children, and what is more precious than a child) outfitted as grass, plants, flowers, trees, butterflies, clouds and even the sun. The message is driven home: humans and nature are one and the same when it comes to the environment. We are all dependent on clean air, water and earth to thrive.

The song “Let Your Love Flow”, a #1 hit by the Bellamy Brothers back in the year of the U.S. bicentennial, is an inspired choice. It is performed by Petra Haden. Lifted from a Toyota tweet: She sings it acapella; every sound you hear, even the instruments are her.

The lyrics in this wonderful song impart a powerful message Toyota wisely wants associated with the Prius: if you let your love bind you to all living things, you’ll choose the Toyota Prius and help Mother Nature breathe easier.

“You get more power, and more space. The world gets fewer smog-forming emissions. The third generation Prius. It’s harmony between man, nature and machine.”

Have you, or will you purchase a Prius and let your cash, I mean, love flow to Toyota?

del.icio.us Tags: Toyota,Prius,Harmony TV commercial,tv advertising,Let Your Love Flow,Bellamy Brothers,Petra Haden,lower emissions,cleaner environment,Mother Nature

That’s a goat

Do you have to go all out to go all natural? It’s a provocative question that’s posed in a Hormel Natural Choice sandwich meat commercial currently airing.

The commercial opens with John’s wife shooing him over to the shared property line to ask his neighbor what’s up with his property. Doug pops up amongst a vast array of grains and vegetation, responds to John’s greeting and answers his question about the bizarre overgrowth.  “Joan is on this all natural kick,” Doug explains. John is astounded, taking in the bucolic scene in his suburban neighborhood.

“That’s a goat,” he exclaims, pointing at Doug’s roof. Sure enough, there’s a goat eating vegetation that’s inexplicably sprawling across the shingles. “Yea,” Doug sheepishly acknowledges. In the background, Joan pops up and greets her neighbor. “Hi John,” she brays in a sweet voice as she waves, revealing that she doesn’t shave under her arms and that she’s apparently unclothed, taking au naturel to an unexpected extreme. Clearly taken aback by the sight of her, John weakly returns the greeting.

Cut to a view of the house from across the street. In the blue sky above Doug’s house pops the question:

Q: Do you have to go all out to go all natural?

Up to this point I love the commercial. What a fabulous idea! True, we’ve glided through two-thirds of the 30-second spot and we have no idea what product or service is being promoted, but our attention is rapt. We can’t wait to find out.

Cut to a beauty shot of a package of Hormel Natural Choice sandwich meat on a white plate with an olive green background.

“Not with Hormel Natural Choice sandwich meat.”

Say what?! Hormel sandwich meat? Are you kidding me?

What a misfit. Did the Hormel advertising agency, BBDO, have this concept pretty well baked, sitting on the shelf waiting for a client to bite? Hormel needed a commercial to promote its Natural Choice sandwich meats that have no preservatives. All natural = No preservatives. The equation isn’t perfect for me, but the folks at Hormel loved it, or were too seduced by the creative to make a rationale decision.

I see it as a huge disconnect. The narrative doesn’t lend itself to home-made deli sandwiches. I expected it to be for a home and garden business or related product.

Exacerbate the disconnect by showing the wrong character – Doug – enjoying the all natural sandwich. Weren’t you expecting to see Joan? Didn’t you get the sense Doug was exasperated with Joan’s nature kick: that he had had about all he could stomach? I did.

“Great taste. No preservatives. Hormel. Life better served.”

Huh!

“That’s a goat!” is correct. The goat is whoever green lighted this concept for sandwich meat.

del.icio.us Tags: advertising,TV commercial,television advertising,au naturel,BBDO,Hormel All Natural sandwich meats,no preservatives,that's a goat

15 percent of fame

There are so many Geico commercials airing it’s almost too much, even for me. I must be square in the center of their target demographic because I see their commercials most every time I watch television. These days, I mostly tune in sporting events (I’m watching Dallas Stars hockey and the Gecko “technical difficulties disco ball” commercial is airing as I type this) and Geico is ubiquitous as an advertiser. What’s striking is I notice their logo at many sports venues while watching a game. Talk about branding.

Geico always seems to have three distinct campaigns airing simultaneously with several installments running in each. For the longest time, they had the Caveman series. Many good advertisements comprised that effort. Googly-eyes didn’t enjoy a long life, but somehow, the creative folks from The Martin Agency developed quite a few superb TV ads. The Gecko and his boss, the stately company spokesperson, have been teaming on Geico commercials for a nice stretch. Seems like it been about two years, I’d estimate. New installments keep appearing and all are very fresh. The Mistaken Identity commercial is hilarious:

Woman: “You! Oh, don’t act like you don’t recognize me. Toledo? '03?”

Gecko: No…it’s, uh…

Woman: “It’s too late, Stanley.”

Gecko: “Actually, miss, my, my name’s not Stanley.”

Woman: “Oh. Oh, I’m so sorry. From behind you look just like him. I’m just….”

Gecko: “I’d hate to be Stanley.”

No kidding.

The third series features actor Mike McGlone delivering his best Robert Stack impression, asking, “Can Geico really save you 15 percent or more on car insurance?” Here are two of my faves from this series:

Can woodchucks really chuck wood? Apparently. The commercial delivers a rather clever twist on the rhetorical question, but it’s the woodchuck’s laugh that makes the commercial a winner. It just tickles your funny bone. So does the line “Hey you dang woodchucks, quit chucking my wood!”

You either love or hate Piggy. Crying “Wee! Wee-wee-wee!” incessantly all the way home can grate on one’s nerves. Just look at Mrs. A. Clearly, she’s frazzled when Maxwell finally exits the vehicle. Many viewers probably respond the same way. To them, this commercial couldn’t end soon enough.

The pinwheels are priceless. Do you think we could get them from Geico for 15 percent off?

Why three advertising campaigns airing at the same time? Because each delivers on their powerful brand message: “Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance” in a clean and memorable fashion. The Mike McGlone as Robert Stack commercials ask if the fifteen percent savings claim is true, and answer the question with a rhetorical question that is answered in a video snippet (Yes, Abe Lincoln was honest). The Gecko commercials reinforce the savings message, but from a completely different creative angle. The Gecko and his boss talk about the various insurance products Geico offers for boats, RVs and motorcycles and the kinds of discounts customers can receive. Googly-eyes cleverly showed prospects the stack of money they could save with Geico, and boy was that stack of money appealing. The Caveman commercials conveyed how easy it is to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance from Geico; “So simple, even a caveman…” you know how it finishes.

The brilliance in Geico’s strategy is that they don’t try to give you ten, five or even three compelling reasons to buy their insurance products. Rather, they drive home one simple and memorable selling point everyone can understand and they do it better than most anyone else.

Which is your favorite Geico commercial? Check out their YouTube page, http://www.youtube.com/user/GEICO and cast your vote here in my Comment section.

del.icio.us Tags: advertising,TV commercial,television advertising,Geico,The Martin Agency,Gecko,Mistaken Identity,Stanley,Woodchucks,Piggy,Maxwell,Mrs. A.,Mike McGlone,Robert Stack

Slug bug!

I’m a purist. Back in my day (oh gawd, doesn’t that make me sound old!), counting Volkswagen Beetles on the highways was a summer vacation pastime. On long car trips between campgrounds, my siblings and I would battle for bug counting supremacy. First to see and call it gets the credit. Yours truly always trounced my sibs because I had the best eyesight by far. I could recognize the shape of the Beetle from a distance by day and the unduplicated dual above-the-headlights parking lights/turn signals by night. I mean, I killed at this game. I’d develop such a big lead in a matter of hours on the first long drive that everyone pretty much resigned from the competition, although they were never allowed to quit.

There were a lot of Beetles on the road back in the 70s.

What that meant was that my sibs had sore bruises on their arms and legs from the slug bug punches I meted out without mercy. It became such fun for me, deciding who to pop each time I saw a red Bug. And that brings me to the point of this blog: How dare Volkswagen alter the game to not only include Bugs of every color, but Volkswagens of any persuasion? They can’t do that; I mean, come on! How can they add the Routan, Tiguan, Jetta, Toureg and the other eight models? I mean, they don’t look anything like the Beetle.

I ought to slug the powers that be for changing the rules of the game!

I ought to give them a slap on the back for such a brilliant idea.

Punchdub. It is a whole new game.

Passing thoughts…
Has there been an outcry from groups about punching family, friends and strangers? Wouldn’t surprise me. I applaud Volkswagen for ignoring them. PC groups are annoying. Well, most of them anyway.

Punchdub: I can’t help but wonder if there’s a political statement in there somewhere.

   

Technorati Tags: Volkswagen,Punchdub,Punchdub advertising campaign,Punchdub TV commerical,slug bug,Volkswagen Beetle,Volkswagen Bug,Routan,Tiguan,Jetta,Toureg,dub-ya,dub ya,summer vacation,family vacation,roadtrips,camping,campgrounds,driving,highways

A simply perfect ad?

I rarely read magazines and never read newspapers (I’m all digital, baby), thus, the lack of commentary on print advertisements in this blog. Today, I decided to pick up the one magazine I do subscribe to, Sports Illustrated, and write about the first ad I came across. To make it sporting, I grabbed an issue, closed my eyes and flipped it open. Lucky me, there was an ad on the right hand page. Maybe I should purchase a lottery ticket.

Maybe I should purchase a bottle of Patron Silver tequila, too. The advertisement is crisp and clean and practically satisfies my thirst just looking at it. I like the generous white space, the judicious distribution of the lime green color and the visual balance between the text and the bottle and glass.

A little closer look and my thirst for a taste of Patron Silver tequila begins to wane…just a smidge.

Breaking down the copy, the headline is lame and lacking in appeal. Why is a seat at the bar perfect? How is that compelling? In some establishments, that’s the last place I want to be. You get jostled, bumped and bruised and risk getting drinks spilled on you at the bar. Put me at a table or in a booth please. Even at a fine establishment. Personal preference.

I chuckle at this copy line: “Hand-selected 100% Weber blue agave.” Really? Someone hand-selected the agave? Thank goodness. Glad it wasn’t foot-selected or pelvis-selected.

The last line of text reads: “The world’s finest ultra-premium tequila.” Okay, maybe it is; who’s to argue?

Simply Perfect is the tagline and the quality and experience claim Patron is making. Everything about the product is perfect. Drink Patron Silver, and your experience will be perfect. Simply Perfect.

Underneath the tagline is the URL based on the tagline. I haven’t visited the web site or been exposed to other Patron Silver campaign elements (yea, I know it’s been running for at least five years…sorry Richards Group) so perhaps as a component of an integrated campaign, the copy  and the Simply Perfect tagline work.

 

A study of the “photo” of the bottle and glass has me questioning if it’s an actual photo or a computer-generated visual. The rounded bottoms of the glass, the hard black lines on both sides (especially where the line intersects the lime wedge), the viscosity of the tequila and the uneven level of it in the glass, plus, the weird texture and shape of the ice suggests an artist went overboard in PhotoShop. Alas, but now I’m being nit-picky.

Educated and discerning tequila drinkers know to seek out brands with 100% de Agave on the label and it’s clearly visible. Weber blue agave is the preferred variety for the finest tequilas. Not being a tequila aficionado, I had to look that up. I found it in more than one place on the web, so it must be true. Besides, why else would Patron and The Richards Group dedicate 25% of their copy to assertion if it could be assailed?

What’s up with the green ribbon? In the context of the campaign, what does it mean? When I have a question I need answered, I go to the ultimate online authority, Wikipedia. Here’s the first sentence: “The green ribbon has been used as a symbol for many campaigns, including environmental justice, cannabis-liberation, and agriculture.” Do you doubt me? Check it out here. None of those and the laundry-list of medical, political and cultural issues in the Wikipedia article seemed like something Patron would support. I’m forced to go to the Patron web site where I find absolutely nothing about the green ribbon. Maybe the Simply Perfect campaign web site will explain the green ribbon.

Oops…guess not. So that element of the ad goes unexplained.

Is Patron Silver tequila simply perfect? Maybe. This advertisement is close to perfection, too.

Technorati Tags: Print advertisement,Patron Silver tequila,Simply Perfect,green ribbon,The Richards Group

Tweet this all you webinators

Two more radio commercials in the revived Motel 6 campaign are on the airwaves and they are quite entertaining.

Radio spot #1, Tom Bodett announces Wi-Fi availability at Motel 6.

Cue the violin…

“I’m Tom Bodett with a message for all of you world wide webinators. Motel 6 now offers wireless internet, also called Wi-Fi…probably because it’s short and it rhymes.  Plus, it makes you sound like a bigger deal, like you’re late for something important…I’m ToBo for the Mo and we’ll…sorry dude, gotta bounce.”

How do you top that? This webinator is left speechless.

In radio spot #2, spokesman Tom Bodett shares his first experience with Twitter.

Cue the violin…

“Hi Tom Bodet doing my very first tweet. or twerp or whatever it's called. Okay, here goes:

M6 has clean comfy rooms numeral 4 dollar sign dollar sign of N-E nutnul chain ~ I heart it cuz…

And I'm out of characters. Oh, see why this is so popular. I'm Tom Bodett for Motel 6 and we'll leave the light on for ya. Book online at motel6.com.”

Love the biting sarcasm, Tom. Were you wearing your sassy poncho while typing that tweet?

Technorati Tags: Tom Bodett,Motel 6,Twitter,tweets,Wi-Fi,radio commercials