Where else can you spend $3.5 million in 30 seconds? Besides the Super Bowl.
And that doesn’t include production costs for exotic stunts, big celebrities, cool locations and dogs.
***
My consideration of Super Bowl ads revealed some biases on my part. I acknowledge the merits of brand building but I feel that “product benefits” should be reasonably front and center and this influences my picks. This may be just sour grapes on my part that I’ve never marketed a brand with the leeway to just build that brand on a standalone basis. My ad budget always had to accomplish ten things at the same time.
I don’t know all the product categories intimately (i.e. beer) and have not been as tuned into vampires or Ferris Buehler as others. (I did not know who M.I.A. was, but I do now.)
So, here goes:
The Good:
- The Yellow Camaro ad where the college kid’s parents DID not get him the car (getting the little fridge instead). Conveys the total joy that a sports car represents. Memorable.
- Jerry Seinfeld and the cool Acura sports car that he wants to be the first to own. Cost a fortune but I think they got the value on the screen.
- The MetLife financial planning ad showing that financial planning is for everyone and you don’t need to be a genius. Charming array of cartoon characters. Not one pundit I read pointed to this ad so I’m obviously way off base here.
- M&Ms….that got people talking. Good for them. Top 5 commercial, without any Internet preview, I believe.
- “Wego”, the rescue dog, fetching Bud Lites. Closes with the message, “Help Rescue Dogs”. Very memorable, very fun.
The Bad:
- A few advertisers wasted their money, including Bridgestone with the two sports ads where the balls were made of tire rubber, Dannon’s Oikos (I’ve watched it a number of times and still it puzzles me), and Audi, I think, even though vampires are big. The Audi commercial was so cool and then it’s about headlights. I think that’s a mismatch, in my mind.
- I won’t deny that sex sells, but I can’t get that GoDaddy.co situation at all – somewhat the same problem as vampires and headlights. Domains and sex – I don’t see the link. (On the other hand, I liked the Teleflora ad which targeted men and told them that things are simple. Get flowers. Good things could happen.)
- The Hyundai ad with the boss having a heart attack. That’s not funny. (But I’m disappointed that the Hyundai cheetah ad didn’t get more play with pundits or viewers. I thought that was funny on target for benefits.)
The Maybes:
- Clint Eastwood’s Chrysler ad. You have to be made of money to air that ad – the ad was 2 minutes long – the math makes me shudder.
- Is Chrysler made of money? It’s controversial and prompted lots of dialogue….but does that sell cars?
- TIVO statistics did not find the Chrysler commercial in the Top 10. Here’s where people were on SuperBowl Sunday: the top five included the two Doritos ads, the royalty Pepsi ad, the VW ad……and the M&Ms ad.
- It’s a fun national “holiday”, I’m not sure that “dark & moody” works. Save it for the Academy Awards.
- And I haven’t even touched the whole topic of which political orientation that ad “seemed” to support.
- So, of course, I’m not sure about the Chevy Silverado Apocalypse ad. It was dark. And these are manly guys who have survived thermonuclear warfare and now are having a Twinkie? I’m not sure if the co-promotions worked.
- David B and his new underwear. Who looked at the underwear when you could stare at him and his amazing tattoos? And did anyone think about H&M when they looked at the ad? Did you realize that the undies represented an innovation in the category? Did that matter?
- Bud Lite Platinum: I don’t know the beer category but I don’t see how you add the word “Platinum” to “Lite”. Really?
I enjoyed everyone’s real time comments as I posted on Bright Beacon Partners’ FaceBook page and tweeted at BrightTopics.
Anyone out getting a new car, new undies, or a six pack?
