Super Bowl Ads 2009- Post-Game

Finally ... a year in which the contest was more memorable than the commercials! Congratulations to the six-time world champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Yesterday evening, I solicited input on the Super Bowl ads through various social media channels. We had a blog post here yesterday asking for your reviews, plus many folks shared comments with me on Facebook and Twitter.

Relax, we are not going to tell you how or where to watch the ad replays. All marketing geniuses are way past dialed in on such matters. Instead, we'll share a quick compilation of reactions to yesterday's 62-spots-for-$206 million spectacle.

In my humble opinion, there were only two TV advertisements that caused me to shift my thinking about a product or service.

1- Audi - their ad left no doubt that Audi is back in the performance sedan category. This one had the theatrical production feel of a James Bond or Jason Bourne chase scene ... and got some adrenaline pumping (which really boosts the memorability, by the way).

2- Denny's - offered us all a free breakfast on Wednesday from 6AM to 2PM. Guarantee you there's tons of water cooler chatter about grabbing some free grub from Denny's.

Here's an ad-hoc, unscientific summary of what I heard from you and others:

Up Goes the Thumb
Teleflora - talking flowers ad succeeded in tarnishing the concept of "flowers in a box."

Bridgestone - creative use of Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head, instead of actors.


Disappointing ... to Dumb
The Go Daddy ads were "dumb, offensive and inappropriate for kids."

Budweiser ads were mediocre at best (although the Clydesdales persist)

Gatorade "G" - good get with Tiger Woods, but low-budget production ... and we cannot keep up with your perpetual shifting of product lines.

Sobe - its Lizard Lake spot was a goofy, flop. What was the message here?


Split Decisions
Cash4Gold - some felt that this ad with its repetition and celebrity endorsement (Ed McMahon, MC Hammer) was pretty effective; others hated it.

Likewise with Careerbuilder.com - opinions were split, ranging from "effective use of dark humor" to "worst ad of them all."

Cute / Funny
Folks thought that the E*Trade ads were still funny and cute (Shankapotamus!)

Many also thought the Dorito's "Power of the Crunch" spot was very entertaning.


Let's close with this concept. Advertising is and will always be subjective. We'll never have consensus on which were tops and which were flops. For now, let's just remember that the real measure of successful advertising is sales. Keep a keen eye on which, if any, of the advertisers' revenues have increased in the coming months.

Super Bowl Ads 2009 - Your Reaction

In just a few minutes, they'll be kicking off Super Bowl 43 in Tampa, Florida. What a truly American spectacle.

This year, thanks to advertising rates at $3 million for a 00:30 TV commercial, NBC will enjoy a record volume of Super Bowl revenues. Their haul of $206 million is a whopping figure.

I've been studying and covering Super Bowl ads for the past nine years. While the economic and trade parameters are noteworthy, what's really important to most Americans is the entertainment value. I wonder what we'll see from the likes of these advertisers:

• Budweiser - Clydesdales and otherwise
• GE - my former employer
• Pedigree
• Coca-Cola
• Go Daddy
• Heineken

Finally, I wonder how much the Big Three Automakers will spend on Super Bowl ads this year? And we'll see if the recession caused advertisers to pull back on production budgets (i.e., will we see lower-quality, more cheaply produced spots)?

Please let us know what you think of today's ads. What was your favorite? Which one was the worst, in your opinion.

KFC Invades the Super Bowl: Fowl Play?

On the eve of the biggest game in football, Kentucky Fried Chicken is making news without buying one second of advertising. KFC is promoting their new line of chicken wings by announcing they will award a $260,000 scholarship in the name of the “athlete or on-field entertainer who is filmed doing the chicken dance in the end zone for at least three seconds.” (Trivia: $260,000 is what it would cost to buy three seconds of airtime during the game.)

Critics, however, are crying “fowl” (I know…) saying that KFC is guilty of “ambush marketing” and isn’t playing by the rules. Marketing geniuses: What do you think of KFC’s strategy? Guerrilla brilliance or rotten egg?

P.S. Despite the coverage KFC has received leading up to the game (worth well beyond $260K, by the way), don’t count on seeing any touch down arm flapping. It’s been reported that the NFL will fine any player who participates.

See the full article at http://adage.com/article?article_id=124768