Super Bowl Adstravaganza™ 2014

Last year, I put a lot of effort into summarizing the commercials I viewed during the Super Bowl, yet after the game, I was not inspired enough by what I saw to finish the piece and publish it in my blog.

Let’s see if this year’s entries fire my imagination and motivate me enough to share my observations and personal opinions.

As always, I have avoided prejudicing myself by not reading about or viewing the leaked commercials prior to the game. This was NOT easy. I subscribe to advertising publications and have a number of social media accounts.

So here we go. I’m commenting on commercials that aired between the opening kickoff and the final gun.

Once again, Anheuser-Busch scores the first commercial. It was Bud Light in 2012 and Budweiser Black Crown in 2013 and Bud Light once again in 2014. This year, we’re treated to the story of an unsuspecting Ian, who is asked if he is up for whatever. Who isn’t? So he’s taken on a limo ride with some Bachelorettes, rides an elevator with Don Cheadle and a llama named Lilly and plays “tiny tennis” against Arnold Schwarzenegger. It’s a wild adventure for Ian - told over three commercials dispersed throughout the Super Bowl airing - that climaxes with him defeating The Terminator. But wait! The room walls collapse and Ian is onstage with OneRepublic in concert! Not that’s big.

A common technique deployed in many Super Bowl commercials this year was action thriller shrouded in mystery. A narrator tells a story as fast-paced action unfolds. The product isn’t revealed until the final ten seconds.

The first of these was a “scenimatic” 90-second automobile ad, but which manufacturer and model? Ghibli, by Maserati? Have I ever seen a Maserati commercial before? None come to mind. Yes Maserati, you did walk out of the shadows and strike, but I suspect you’ll be back in the shadows, out of sight and mind rather quickly.

M&M’s followed suit. I lost interest by the time the yellow peanut M&M was revealed in the trunk of his captor’s car.

I positively adored the Doritos time machine commercial.

The Chevy Silverado commercials didn’t impress me one iota. They’re well done, but nothing different from what they’ve produced previously. Boring.

TurboTax – are you kidding me? You are advertising to the biggest male viewership on the planet and you’re trying to convince them that the Super Bowl isn’t relevant to them? That these disenfranchised men who had the day stolen by an undeclared sports holiday should take it back by going online and doing their taxes? hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!

Ellen Degeneres is cute, but the Beats family plan commercial did not delivery a fairy tale ending.

The new Bono release Invisible was anything but in the highly-stylized commercial. Very satisfying. Apple’s iTunes scored big.

Dad has a sixth sense for everything but the distraction of a pretty girl, apparently. Thank heavens for automatic emergency brakes, from Hyundai. I love it.

The Cheerios commercial won me over and it had nothing to do with the modern family message it espouses. It’s just flat out cute.

My favorite commercial? Radio Shack. The company has finally accepted the need to modernize its brand, stores and image. I loved how the characters from the 80s ransacked the store and took everything back with them. The 80s was a crazy decade, one that’s to be remembered, but definitely left behind, Loverboy. Welcome to 2014 Radio Shack. I hope it’s not too late.

Gwen just quit her job in front of a hundred ten million people. Yes you did, Gwen. More power to you. How fortunate for you that GoDaddy gave you priceless advertising exposure to help launch your new business, Puppets by Gwen. You’re even featured on the GoDaddy home page. Somehow, I don’t think the rest of us will get the same treatment from GoDaddy. Yes, I’m envious, and yes, I love the commercial. (I hated the GoDaddy Body Builders/spray tan commercial, though, so it balances out.)

The T-Mobile “no contract” commercials starring Tim Tebow were fantastic and quite humorous. Tebow proved he’s more than just a talented actor who wants to play NFL quarterback; he is quite versatile as an obstetrician (nice audibles…way to deliver), Sasquatch hunter (excellent selfie), world ambassador (way to put Iceland on notice) and astronaut. All of that in one 30-second commercial. The second 30-second commercial might be even better:

Contracts may be limiting, but Tim Tebow’s acting potential appears to open up another career path for him. It might be wise to get a contract, though, Tim.

Let’s see, what other commercials caught my fancy:

• Wonderful Pistachios – Steve Colbert proves he’s a nut head
• VW – German engineers earn their wings and maybe a rainbow
• WeatherTech – you can’t do that! or can you?
• Coca-Cola - is part of the fabric of America that unites us all; this theme has been around since the 70s
• Toyota Highlander – I love the Muppets! Terry Crews is cool, too.
• Audi A3 – sometimes, cross breeding as a compromise has severe unintended consequences
• Budweiser – a hero’s welcome home, soldier; not so much “puppy love” which probably did more for Labrador puppy adoptions than Budweiser beer sales
• Soda Stream – Oh my, Scarlett Johansson! I love the online version. Sorry Coke and Pepsi

All of the above were quite riveting and memorable.

Chrysler (and Detroit) scored big again with Bob Dylan pitching for the car manufacturer and the beleaguered city.

So let Germany brew your beer.

Let Switzerland make your watch.

Let Asia assemble your phone.

We will build your car.

Powerful.

And now for my list of forgettable commercials (all of the Chevy Silverado installments head the list and were mentioned earlier in the post):

• Squarespace – a better web awaits  a hosting company can improve web content? Really?
• Intuit QuickBooks – Seriously, a children’s business jingle sung to Quiet Riot’s hit “Cum on Feel the Noize” For shame.
• Bud Light – cool twist blue aluminum bottle Yawn
• Carmax – slow clap  More like “slow death”
• Geico – Geico digital ID card  gots all my pertinents on it and such Next!
• Sonos – fill your house with music  the color of music
• Axe Peace – make love, not war; the most powerful weapon is love; nice message, weak product tie-in
• Nestle Butterfinger – couples therapy  creepy threesome
• Chobani yogurt – I couldn’t bear to watch it
• Heinz Ketchup – I’m unhappy and you know it
• Hyundai Elantra – male driver flirts with female drive  not nice
• Honda – Bruce Willis talks about safety and while getting a man squeeze from Fred Armisen
• Jack-in-the-Box – does this fast food advertiser ever miss? It’s another clever commercial set down on the farm - starring a pig cow named Bork - but somehow, it didn’t capture my fancy
• Jaguar F-Type Coupe – it’s good to be bad, so say the Brits

It’s not that they’re poorly conceived or executed, they just pale in comparison.

Well that about covers it. I’m sure I missed a commercial or two, but this post is already too long (and polluted with too many links, right?). Do you agree with my favorites? Do you vehemently disagree with the commercials I dissed? Tell me about it.

del.icio.us Tags: Super Bowl commercials,television advertising

Simple and sincere shines

We’re wrapping up another year and the Best TV Commercials of 2013 is the blog topic du jour. It’s prompted me to publish this post on four ads I found particularly enjoyable.

Let’s begin with Citi ThankYou Preferred Card.There are so many things right about this commercial. The concept is authentic and the script is flawless. The superlative talent deliver a wonderful performance and ace it with their priceless facial expressions. The commercial is simply delightful and I chuckle every time I see it.

Go ahead, rack up points on me–please!

Did you know that Old MacDonald was a really bad speller? This commercial cracks me up every time. How do you spell advertising success? G-e-i-c-o-e-i-e-i-o.

I’m probably one of the few who don’t really care for the AT&T “It’s Not Complicated” campaign. Yes, the kids are precious, but it took about three installments in the series for the concept to lose its verve. Recent commercials barely make sense and do little to enhance the brand. Somehow, an idea that seemed so simple, isn’t.

That said, everyone’s favorite in the campaign is endearing. It wins on cuteness and honesty alone. I wonder if the direct camera shots of the girl were completed in the first take.

Yes, that is adorable.

Shaquille O’Neal, better known by most as Shaq, surprises as a very gifted and talented pitchman. I’ve always known he was a character with an engaging and fun personality, but I didn’t expect him to parlay his likeability to a stint as a product spokesperson. Bravo, Buick for recognizing the big man as a pitchman. Hail Shaq!

Wow! He’s so much more than I expected as a product pitchman.

What do you think of my selections. What do they have in common? Do you have a top four? Do they include any of my favorites? Why do you like them?

del.icio.us Tags: television advertising,television commercial,advertising

Discover it doesn’t ring true

We treat you like you treat you.

Now that’s a brand promise that is very appealing. Is it sincere? Is it true? is it engrained in the corporate psyche, embodied in the corporate culture and manifested in every process and customer service policy?

For some reason, I seriously doubt it.

My suspicion is that this is a creative platform developed in a bit of isolation. Obviously, it is brilliantly implemented. The concept is captivating, the copy is clever, the talent is brilliant and the production is superbly executed. The commercials are quite entertaining and people respond to them.

I predict the campaign will win some highly coveted advertising awards.

Okay, that checks out…copy that.

Girl, you know I’m real!

Yes, we’re all laughing uncomfortably.

But is the campaign winning net new customers for the client? That’s the metric that really matters (except at advertising awards banquets).

Again, for some reason, I seriously doubt it.

Actually, I do have a sneaking suspicion why the campaign may not draw new card holders. It goes back to the brand promise. Sorry Discover, I’m not buying it.

del.icio.us Tags: television advertising,television commercial,advertising

Take 30 for Play 60

How many television commercials make you laugh every time you watch them? Here’s a better question: How many are promoting exercise for children?

This ad from the Play 60 program sponsored by the NFL is wildly popular and gaining reach well beyond the sports world.

Why?

It’s obvious. See for yourself:

“…and make Panthers fans forget about you.” Is this kid for real?

This young man has some serious acting chops. He seemingly has a career in front of the camera if he doesn’t make it to the NFL.

What a gem.

Now, are you motivated to get away from your computer, take your kids outside and spend 60 minutes playing?

del.icio.us Tags: National Football League,NFL,Play 60,Cam Newton

What’s more All-American than…

Don’t you just love the Jack-in-the-Box commercial with Brad Paisley? The guy’s a natural!

Talk about laugh out loud funny (that’s LOL for you younger readers). The commercial excels in every way possible.

When it comes to advertising, Jack-in-the-Box is a perennial All-American.

del.icio.us Tags: television commecial,television advertising,advertising

Sorry Charlie, your sheen is actually a blemish on these brands

So this is how it is in showbiz. Bad boys aren’t shunned by their peers for obnoxious, indulgent, abusive and self-destructive behavior. No. They circle the wagons. They bring the prodigal son back into the fold. They begin a careful rehabilitation of their misguided one’s image.

Hollywood never abandons its own, does it? And the advertising industry is apparently in collusion, for how coincidental is it that two ad campaigns featuring Charlie Sheen launch in close succession?

It will take a platoon of media hypes to rationalize hiring Charlie Sheen.

Why? Why? Why?

I ask DirecTV three times because I’m confident the first two explanations will be laughable. A wonderful campaign just lost some credibility and DirecTV earned itself a black eye with so many consumers, starting with women, who used to admire the brand.

Someone ought to arrest the brains behind the decision to hire Charlie Sheen

Fiat ought to be ashamed. They make Mr. “Party Boy” Sheen out to be some kind of god to be adored by women and revered by men. At the same time, Fiat seems to sneer at his recklessness figuratively and literally. Driving the car through his mansion in a furiously aggressive manner with great disregard is an apt metaphor for how he has conducted his life of late. It’s shocking.

Ad Age asks “Should Madison Avenue Be Rehabbing Charlie Sheen?”

Simple answer: No.

I ask Fiat and DirecTV: how does attaching your name to Charlie Sheen and his drug-infused and domestic violence (allegedly) bad boy image enhance your brand?

Not-so-simple answer: _______________________________________

del.icio.us Tags: DirecTV,Fiat,Charlie Sheen,winning,domestic violence,drug abuse,television commecial,television advertising,advertising,radio commercial,publicity,brand affinity,brand loyalty,brand experience,tagline,writing assignment,copywriter,blogger

Super Bowl adstravaganza™ 2012

Once again, I parked myself on the sofa with my laptop on my lap and recorded my initial impressions on most every commercial as it aired during the Super Bowl game.

What a day! Advertisers ought to be thanking the New York Giants and the New England Patriots for keeping everyone’s eyes on the television from the opening kickoff until the final incompletion in the end zone. The game certainly lived up to its hype.

Did the commercials? Let’s see.

The Voice – Vocal Kombat, with Betty White

One of the most audacious commercials actually was a promotion for the premiere of the NBC program, The Voice. You have four big music personalities in Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton; now mix in the youthful nonagenarian Betty White, and the outcome is as expected: wildly entertaining and funny.

It was always about your voice, and not your body, Betty.

Beverages

Where there’s Pepsi, there’s Sir Elton John? Of course! Delivering the star power, Pepsi served up Mr. John as a king holding court awaiting to be entertained. Difficult to please, he joylessly dismisses a jester to the dungeons via a trap door. A female peasant, played by X Factor winner Melanie Amaro, approaches the throne. “And what do you do?” the king inquires. “I sing,” she replies. “Huh.” The king clearly has his doubts. The lady belts out Respect and brings down the house, err castle, along with a stained glass window. The king approaches the singer in his gold platform shoes (Pinball Wizard anyone?) and reluctantly says “All right, Pepsi for you.”  She ignores the Pepsi can he offers and grabs his chalice.  “No,” she begins and throws the chalice at the trap door release, thus banishing the king to the dungeons, “Pepsi for all.”  And the crowd goes wild!

Sir Elton John was the X factor in Pepsi’s King’s Court.

Did it seem to you that Budweiser or Bud Light and Coca-Cola were in every commercial break? Budweiser’s “Return of the King”  (prohibition is over!) commercial was artistically wonderful. Bud Light’s “Rescue Dog” ad, with a scraggly little guy named Weego, undoubtedly was a fan favorite, PETA fans probably excluded…even with the “Support the American Rescue Dog message.  The Coca-Cola polar bear commercials just didn’t sparkle.

Automobiles

Like the 13,928,737 others who have watched the long-form commercial on YouTube in just 14 days, I love Matthew Broderick’s Day Off ad for Honda CR-V. It clearly was a stroke of brilliance by Honda and their creative team.  It resonates most with the middle aged adult crowd, and didn’t we enjoy the nostalgia?

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Classic!

How is it that Matthew has aged so well?

Hyundai Veloster Turbo: The Veloster turbo from Hyundai is very powerful. V/O: “Trust us, it’s fast.” And to prove it, a man releases a cheetah to chase the Hyundai. The cat instantly realizes the vehicle is way too fast. He turns his eye on another prize - the man who released him from the cage. Uh-oh.

Volkswagen's “The Dog Strikes Back” commercial was very entertaining, but what an overweight dog embarking on its own fitness plan has to do with the new VW Beetle is beyond me.

Audi vanquished vampires with their ultra-bright LED headlights. Did anyone ever foresee an automobile company dedicating an entire 60-second spot to headlights during the Super Bowl?

The contest to get the first 2012 Acura NSX was very entertaining. You can’t miss with Jerry Seinfeld. The race boat and the zip line were epic bits, and Jay Leno swooping in on a jet pack at the last second to scoop up the keys was killer. Funny. I don’t recall what the car looks like, though.

I guess the Chevy Sonic “Stunt Anthem” commercial was supposed to convince us that the little vehicle is rugged, safe and fun to drive. Didn’t work for me, but at least the song “We Are Young” by Fun is catchy.

Chevrolet Silverado, man and his dog survive the apocalypse foreseen by the Mayans. I have two questions: 1.) Did Hostess pay a fee to have its Twinkies brand in the commercial?  2.) Do any of these men look like Barry Manilow fans?

The Chevy “Happy Grad” ad was the winning entry in Chevrolet’s Chevrolet's Route66 competition. Mom: “Should we tell him now.”  Dad: “Not yet, he’s losing steam.” Girl: “John, marry me right now!”  Son: “I will so marry you right now.” Girl: “Mom, we’re getting married.” Son: “This is the best day of my life.” Son & Friends repeatedly chant: “Best gift ever!” Hilarious.

Go here to see the other Chevrolet commercials that aired on Super Bowl Sunday.

Let’s see, what other car commercials were there? Oh yes, Kia Optima showed us your dream car includes your dream girl. Fiat Seduction, however, took dreaming to another level with their fantasy fueled commercial. Change cannot be contained, according to Lexus, who already has a 2013 Lexus GS model in the market with only 340 left in calendar year 2012. Toyota gave themselves a pat on the back for reinventing the Camry, along with a few other of “life’s pleasures?”.

And then there’s Chrysler’s “Halftime” Commercial with Clint Eastwood as spokesperson (a brilliant choice!):

America and Chrysler wishes it were only halftime for Clint Eastwood

Wow. The tingling goose bumps didn’t abate for several minutes. Let’s get on with the second half America!

Selected Others

Who among you remembers the brand in the dog race commercial? Mr. Quiggly break dances across the finish line and finds himself in the loving arms of his owner, Mark Cuban, who surmises that the champion canine will want a raise. Did you remember the ad was for a brand of shoes?

Bridgestone boasted about their polymer performance technology in a pigskin spot with Troy Aikman and Deion Sanders and their serenity sound absorption technology in a hoops spot with Tim Duncan and Steve Nash. A lot of money was spent for what were a couple of forgettable vignettes.

Perhaps one of the steamiest commercials was turned in by none other than Teleflora. A sexy woman (Adriana Lima) is in her bedroom getting dressed for a night out. A black dress, red heels, and red lipstick, she is dressed to the nines! On her makeup table, red & white flowers in a bright red vase. She looks to the camera and with a sultry voice, says: “Guys, Valentine’s day is not that complicated ...” brief dramatic pause as she leans into the camera, “…give and you shall receive.” Oh yea.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention eTrade and GoDaddy. Both delivered superb spots that stayed true to their brands. Entertaining and memorable. And let’s not leave out CareerBuilders and their pranking monkeys. Sleepless nights abound with those jokers.

Final Observations

As I wrap this long post up, I must ask: What was up with all of the extraterrestrial life forms? It seemed like at least half a dozen companies made a conscious effort to reach out to that other-worldly demographic, including one of Texas’ very own:

Something strange is always happening in Texas.

Are aliens becoming a high profitably market segment? The evidence from this year’s installment of commercials would suggest so.

So, did the 2012 Super Bowl adstravaganza™ live up to the hype? Many were highly entertaining. Most were smartly conceived, written and produced. The social media channels were deluged with strong positive reactions to so many of the ads. In terms of exposure and awareness, the answer is yes. Will they result in sales? That’s the true measuring stick. Does anyone use it?

To view all of the Super Bowl commercials in one convenient location, go here.

del.icio.us Tags: Super Bowl commercials,YouTube,NBC,The Voice,Betty White,Christina Aguilera,Cee Lo Green,Adam Levin,Blake Shelton,Pepsi,Sir Elton John,Budweiser,Bud Light,Coca-Cola,Honda CRV,Matthew Broderick,Audi,Volkswagen,Hyundai,Acura,Chevrolet,Chevy Sonic,Chevy Silverado,Chevrolet Camaro,Kia,Fiat,Lexus,Toyota Camry,Clint Eastwood,Chrysler,Detroit,Motor City,Skechers,CareerBuilder,monkeys,Griffin Creech,Pepsi Max,Bridgestone,Teleflora,Adriana Lima,GoDaddy,Danica Patrick,Jillian Michaels,Natalia Velez,E*TRADE,H-E-B,NFL,New York Giants,New England Patriots

“You’re still here? Don’t you have anything better to do? Go on, get going. Go!”