Tide Wins The Super Bowl - who would have predicted that?

It was such a brilliant premise - every Super Bowl ad is a Tide ad, because everyone in them is wearing clean clothes.  Of course they are! 

It was a clear message, cleverly executed.  But it got even better as they returned to it several times, throughout the game featuring favorites such as Mustafa from Old Spice.  (Come to think of it his pants were very white.) And Sexy Mr. Clean - also very white.  And of course both brands are owned by Proctor & Gamble, as is Tide, so they got in a few extra plugs along the way. 

But mostly they left me feeling that if I want my whites to be whiter, Tide is the ticket.  Awesome communication.  And, it definitely broke through.  It was awarded a Super Clio - for best of game, and was number one on AdWeek's list of best spots. (Nudd, 2018) Everyone else's too.

According to Talkwalker, Tide was the number one brand mentioned on the Internet during the game garnering 163,800 mentions.  And only 11,000 of those concerned the Tide Pod Challenge.  Hmm. (Johnson, 2018)

That is of course the elephant in the room.  And there was much speculation that Tide's decision to go all in on the Super Bowl was an attempt to counter the negative dialog stirred by this dangerous fad.  But I suspect that it was also about trying to halt the long term decline in sales for their premium brands. 

Hats off to Saatchi NY.  I'll be curious to see if it works.

Nudd, T. (2018, February 6) Tide Wins the Super Clio for Best Ad Campaign of the Super Bowl.  adweek.com.  Retrieved February 7, 2018, from

http://www.adweek.com/creativity/tide-wins-the-super-clio-for-best-ad-campaign-of-the-super-bowl/

Johnson, L. (2018, February 5) Tide's Spotless Super Bowl Campaign, as Seen From Inside the Brand's War Room.  adweek.com.  Retrieved February 7, 2018, from.

http://www.adweek.com/digital/tides-spotless-super-bowl-campaign-as-seen-from-inside-the-brands-war-room/

I miss the horses already.

Last year's Super Bowl ads were a downer.  If the Budweiser spot is any indication, this year's commercials will be equally depressing.  I never thought I would long for sophomoric humor, but let's face it.  I could really use a laugh at this moment.

While pushing heritage and authenticity is a valid strategy, and all decisions are emotional, there is no indication that sad advertising actually works.

Here's a blog with student comments about the topic.

http://pjlehrer.blogspot.com/2015/12/does-ad-that-makes-you-cry-also-make.html

And here's a new link to the ad being discussed. (The old one isn't working anymore.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90_-WgxrDIM

And one for the new Budweiser Super Bowl spot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtBZvl7dIu4

So, what do you think?  Will this make you reach for a beer? Or do you want them to bring back the horses too?

Will emphasizing durability be a successful strategy for VW?

After a year of declining sales, Volkswagen is taking a variety of steps to get the brand back on the acceleration track.  Strategically, they have decided to focus on the fact that they have more cars on the road with 100,000 miles or more than any other brand. (Greenberg, 2014)

It's an interesting strategy, but will it get them on the consideration list for Gen Y?

Greenberg, K. (2014, January 29)  VW's Brand Strategy Hones In On Product.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved January 31, 2014, from

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/218405/vws-brand-strategy-hones-in-on-product.html?edition=69380

Finally, someone gets it!

Every year when I read the post game commentary about the Super Bowl ads I am appalled.  Apparently most of these so called experts have forgotten that the purpose of advertising is to sell stuff.  Instead of commenting on perceived effectiveness they stoop to the level of non-marketers and discuss which commercials they found most entertaining.  Who cares?

So a big thanks to Communicus for trying to see if any of the ads actually work.  And, guess what?  Most don't.  Based on a new study which tracked purchase intent, pre and post, four out of five Super Bowl commercials failed to deliver.  At $4 million a pop (plus production) that sure is a lot of wasted money. (Loechner, 2014)

I was not surprised to read that the Mercedes "Soul" commercial, which was at norm for likeability was a winner in terms of purchase intent.  It featured a clear message that I thought young men would find appealing.  I was actually surprised that it wasn't better liked.  Here it is so you can take a second look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGcaqQnqTJI

And this year, when you watch the Super Bowl ads think a bit about whether they make you want to buy something before you decide which ones you think are good.  You may be surprised at the answer.

Loechner, J. (2014, January 16)  But Will The Dogs Eat It?  mediapost.com.  Retrieved January 16, 2014, from http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/217209/but-will-the-dogs-eat-it.html

Do you want to buy some underwear while you watch the Super Bowl?

H&M has announced plans to run an interactive ad for David Beckham's bodywear products during the 2014 Super Bowl.  Viewers watching the commercial on a Samsung Smart TV will see a pop-up menu  offering product information and the option to buy product on the spot. (Friedman, 2014)

Wait, won't that interfere with watching the game?  Just kidding.  Everyone knows how dull Super Bowl games usually are. 

The bigger issue is the low penetration of smart TV's.  I attribute that to poor advertising and the annoying fact that a keyboard is not included with purchase and finding one that actually works with any given model requires an extensive Google search. 

But just the same I am intrigued.  With an expected audience of over 100 million people sales could be impressive.  I hope they will share the results. 

Friedman, W. (2014, January 6)  H&M Super Bowl Spot Lets Viewers Buy Beckham's Bodywear Via TV Remote.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved January 9, 2014, from http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/216694/hm-super-bowl-spot-lets-viewers-buy-beckhams-bo.html?edition=68513

Too many car ads, not enough insights.

2/9/11

In the interest of full disclosure, let me start by saying that I am not a good target for car ads. I live in Manhattan, and haven’t owned a car since I was 19.

But, I can still recognize an effective ad when I see one.

While I watched the blur of car ads that dominated this year’s Super Bowl, I couldn’t help but think how Prius’s excellent product placements in Bones, which demonstrate many of its unusual safety and styling features as part of integrated storylines blew them all away. Is there any doubt that this is the future of television advertising?

Meanwhile though, we have the adorable mini-Darth Vader Passat spot. Using the Star Wars theme to connect with its audience, and the ever popular insight of a parent’s love for their child, it is the only car ad that I saw that I can even attribute to a specific advertiser.

You can check it out at: http://www.superbowl-commercials.org/2873.html

Who knows, it may even sell a few cars.

But, did it do anything for Snickers?

12/30/10

The most liked spot from last year’s Super Bowl was the Snickers ad featuring Betty White. It did wonders for her career, leading to an appearance on Saturday Night Live and a role in a new sitcom. Good for her.

But the real question is, did it increase sales of Snickers? If it did, then the company sure isn’t saying so. (Goetzl, 2010)

I guess it’s better to run an ad people like instead of one that outrages them, as they did several years ago. Still if it doesn’t sell more Snickers then why waste $2 million+?

Goetzl, D. (2010, December 23). Super Bowl Ads Still Impact, Ask Betty White. mediapost.com. Retrieved December 30, 2010, from
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=141893&nid=122078

You can’t argue with success.

1/28/10

Stand by for another round of creepy e-trade babies in this year’s Superbowl.

Why? According to e-trade, they saw a 19% increase in online applications following last year’s game. They didn’t say if that covers the $3 million they paid for the placement, not to mention the cost of producing the commercial. But, in addition to the application increase they also saw an 86% increase in unique prospects visiting the site in the week following the game. (Steinberg, 2010)

I’m convinced. Are you?

Steinberg, B. (2010, January 25). Why This $3 Million Baby Is Back on the Super Bowl. adage.com. Retrived January 27, 2010, from
http://adage.com/superbowl10/article?article_id=141713