Super Bowl 47

Looking at the television commercial ads for Super Bowl 47, I'm going to pick my top three with brief reasons why. Though right away I have to give kudos to Oreo for making an amazing showing with the Twitter post four minutes into the "blackout" situation - that was reactive advertising at its finest and I imagine we will see more of that to come!

 3. Coming in at number three was the hilarious Taco Bell ad with the elderly individuals having a late night party situation. This was just hilarious to me - and I feel like it was just the right thing to grab the attention of the Millennial audience. Hands down best effort to relate with young people and get the new generation to laugh.

 2. My number two pick was the Budweiser ad featuring the famous Clydesdale horses. Following the young horse from birth through adolescence all the way to becoming a member of the featured Clydesdale team - it was pretty emotional when the horse returned to the man who had helped him the whole way through. I'm a sucker for emotion-kindling ads and this was certainly one of them. Budweiser always has one emotional ad it seems, and this one really came through effectively.

 1. My number one pick I feel just blew any other ad out of the water. This of course is in terms of ROI, and reaching the target audience. The Dodge Ram ad featuring Paul Harvey's voice and the still frame slides may have been one of the most moving ads I've ever seen. I understand for most people it probably came off as a bizarre commercial. However, coming from a rural background with a family of individuals involved with farming - I knew exactly what this commercial meant. Dodge was able to pick up on the things that really mattered to their target - family, tradition, God and well-deserved pride. All of things were wrapped together into an amazingly emotional ad. Farmers are going to be watching the Super Bowl, and Dodge was clearly trying to show their support of the farming community while advertising their Ram pickups. I'm guessing that nearly every person in Dodge's target market had a tear rolling down their cheek if they were paying any attention. It was such a powerful ad that broke a lot of rules - especially involving God. But Dodge came through, and I don't think any person in the farming industry is going to forget this ad for a long time - if ever.

Samsung Galaxy SIII TV Ad

The new Samsung Galaxy SIII is not only a huge step in the Android phone market, it also has claimed a place as a memorable ad of the 2012 year. The witty use of showing people waiting in a huge line for their iPhone 5, while Samsung users are walking around with their new Galaxy SIII, which already has all of the technology of the iPhone 5. (I'm summarizing the ad, not claiming to be a legitimate tech critic.) Also, near the end of the ad, a Samsung Galaxy SIII user is saving a spot for his elderly parents, indicating that the iPhone 5 is good for people not caught up with the current technology - brilliant! And at the very end of the ad, there are people watching the Galaxy SIII users talk about all of the features that they have, and one man says "Well we're going to get that, for sure.. Maybe not this time, but next time, right?" It is a hilarious ad that really strikes all of the solid benefits of having a Galaxy SIII over an iPhone 5.

The other components of this ad that I find so fascinating are how risky Samsung is attacking Apple in such an aggressive manner, as well as the length of the ad. Samsung just puts into full light every piece of the new iPhone that isn't up to par with their product. Taking on such an incredible company with a vast amount of market share in terms of cellular devices in incredible. Also, playing their ad not only in a very cut down 30 second version, but also, and quite often, as a 60 second spot on television is just next to unheard of. Furthermore - the full length of this ad (approx. 90 sec.) has also aired on television at certain times. That is a remarkably long ad for the current market - especially as time slots are getting more and more expensive as a result of the upcoming presidential election. I hope to see more from Samsung like this, and applaude their great use of humor and comparison, as well as their risky and extremely aggressive attitude towards Apple - because that's what their going to need.

To watch this ad, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJafiCKliA8

Classic Advertising Can't Go Wrong

Recently I was driving down the highway and encountered a truck similar to the one pictured above. Though there is a great chance that Tootsie Rolls were the farthest thing from the actual contents of the truck, I had to think about Tootsie Rolls. I was thinking, what a wondering advertising technique, it is so simply - and looks like the product as well. With such a rich background and company profile, the classic Tootsie Roll really doesn't have to deal with brand awareness or peopling not knowing what the product is. Instead, they simply need people to remember that they are the classic brand that has always been there for them, and always will be. I think this truck advertisement does a great job of that, by making the drivers around the truck have to stop and think about the classic candy. I immediately started thinking of going to parades in my childhood, and gathering tootsie rolls from the floats and other members of the parade. The fact that so many people have such a connection with the product, is really going to help them continue to build on their brand and stay such a prominent force within the candy market. By not being flashy, and staying true to what they are and always have been, consumers can get a sense of security that their longtime standby candy will always be there. The ad forced me to think they analogy, Coca-Cola is to soda, as Tootsie Rolls is to candy.

OK Go and Chevy Team Up

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Op9owJiujY&feature=related

This ad apparently played during the 2012 Super Bowl, however I don't remember seeing it at anytime during the game. When advertisements have seemingly gotten stranger and stranger over time, this one might be among the strangest. Nothing is said about the car, and the vehicle is almost unidentifiable other than being a Chevy, due to all of the equipment mounted on both the outside and inside of the car. I have a feeling that people will get the impression this car is best suited for stunts and trashing, rather than being a legitimate car to purchase and use.

The ad is in sync with a new music video produced by OK Go, a band that has thrived from odd viral videos. To watch the music video, click the provided link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MejbOFk7H6c&noredirect=1 I think that this is an odd partnership over all, and I fail to see what Chevy gets out of this bargain. The music video could have become a sensation, and that would have made it worth while for Chevy, but months after the release, the viewings are only at eighteen million, which is far below other viral sensations, especially other videos by OK Go.

Chevy will have certainly learned a lesson from this, that as abstract as they may want to be in their advertising - the product does need to be addressed, and this is just too much right now. The model of the car was not even mentioned in the ad. I'm not trying to be too harsh, however I do feel this was just a miss all around, and Chevy's wonderful advertising team should have known this. If anything however, perhaps Chevy put very little into this ad - and if that's the case, it may be worth the little buzz allocated towards it.

New Coke Zero Ad a Miss

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

I truly hate having to criticize my "lovemark," however, this ad was a real mishap and came off incredibly unclear. After viewing this ad - all I could gather from it is the word "and." Now this could be a good thing depending on the objectives at hand from the Coke advertising committee. Though the ad really left me saying "what??" after it was over - it was not mistaken that Coke Zero is the classic Coca-Cola flavor, and zero calories. I have a feeling that was what Coke was shooting for, and in that regard it did work to their objective.

However, there had to be a better way to convey this message without confusing the audience so much. I observed others watch this commercial and they seemed stunned that such an advertisement came from Coca-Cola. Though the typical audience probably doesn't realize that they are now completely informed about Coke Zero's zero calorie formula - it has raised negative discussion about the brand because of the commercial.

There should be a tradeoff, between negative hype and whether objectives were meant. I feel Coke did what they wanted to get accomplished in this ad, but at the risk of critical remarks and commentary both within viewings by families, or discussion around the water cooler at work. Coke could have cleared this up - or come up with a more concise and clear way to address their point.

New Anti-Smoking Ad Raises Eyebrows

Milwaukee, and other cities across the United States are raising eyebrows yet again with shocking and controversial PSAs in public transit areas and billboards. This ad, advising men to not cut themselves while shaving around their stoma takes people off guard at local bus stops, including some on Marquette University's campus.

This subject has been blogged about before, and is clearly controversial, however I rather like this line of PSAs. It doesn't show a baby with a knife next to it, or sexual abuse victims or even pregnant men. Instead, it shows the brutal realities of what smokers may have to put up with later in life due to the unhealthy habit. It really makes a person look at the ad, and think about the pain involved with having a stoma, and then realize that this is no old man - he is merely 50 years old, very similar to many of the people using Milwaukee's bus system as well as public transit across America.

My only concern with this, is that it might be offensive to those who have stomas. Some people already know they ruined their health from smoking - and I'm afraid seeing this ad will just make them more upset about their health condition and prevent them from being able to forget about it. Though I think if one was to interview people with stomas, they would applaud such ads trying to prevent smoking. I think that they would put up with the brutal images that remind them of their stoma, and make others perhaps judge them for having stomas, knowing that the PSAs will help prevent others to have to go through the same pain and problem.

New Buick Tour Bus Ad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8S52l0_N3g

This ad has a lot going for it. Pandora has turned into a necessity for many young adults, and to inspire younger buyers, Buick is trying to be proactive at making "new necessities" available. Buick is targeting a younger audience with a young woman being the owner of the vehicle and subject of the ad. Also, the "Neon Trees" are not a sound that the older public is going to recognize, another aim towards younger buyers. This makes me wonder if the focus is to reinvent the classic trademark of "a Buick is a great car... for a grandparent."

There is good humor in this ad - I have to chuckle every time I see this and the tour buses are pulling up behind her car. Also, I actually get excited when this ad comes on because I laugh so hard when the monk cantors sing "dry cleaners." The fact that I can recognize this commercial and even get excited for it is great for Buick - especially considering I'm on the younger side of their target audience.

One flaw however, is that this song seems to give a lot of recognition to the Neon Trees, and Pandora - and less to the actual vehicle itself. I had to watch this commercial several times before I realized it was a Buick commercial. I think by spending a little more time on the actual car at the end of the ad could have made a lot of difference for Buick. However, I'm not going to go as far as saying it's a missed opportunity for Buick. Because despite having to see it several times before I recognized the brand, Buick has this playing very often on many stations - so the likelihood of people seeing this commercial a few times, at least, is relatively high.