A Diary Entry • Posted 3 years Ago • February 1st, 2009
Here’s my take on some of the Superbowl ‘09 commercials. For the record, these are just my opinions, and I’m aware I’m not the target demographic for a lot of these.
- GoDaddy.com Ads - Classic GoDaddy commercials. They’ve stuck with what thier known for, and it works. Still think last years one was the best though.
- Pepsi Mcguyver Spoof - FAIL! I cringed. And “Pepsuber” failed in the ad plot, getting blown to bits. So… Pepsi = Fail? That’s what I got.
- GE Wind Energy - Cute, creative, funny in that warm fuzzy sort of a way. Gets the message across. Loved it.
- Hulu with Alec - LOVED IT! Fun, creative, kitschy, communicated off the key value propositions for Hulu, ended with a great line and directed the audience to the product. Well done. Definitely a top pick.
- Vizio - Simple but effective. Made great key points on value and engaged the viewer individually by using an arrow to point to thier TV set’s logo. Well done. But I heard they failed on the follow through, when thier site coundn’t stay up
- Taco Bell: Overrated - Cute, awkward in purpose, but got a clear message across. Taco Bell serves up fast.
- Cash4Gold - WHY @MCHAMMER WHY?!?!?!??!!?? *That is all.*
- GE Scarecrow - Visually cool, but ultimately forgettable.
- Budweiser Clydesdale Ads - Ok, so I opened my big mouth on Twitter and questioned why there had to be more than 1 Clydesdale ad, and openly wondered its relevance and message in regards to teh brand. Budweiser = horses?! Well apparently, so. I understand it appeals to the old american tradition, and it was Budweisers O.G. mascot, but is it still relevant now? A few people said yes, to middle america, and those that have grown up with horses, it reinforces that old town american nostalgia. I would argue that there are better ways to appeal to middle america. Especially without alienating East and West states. @natashawescoat put it best by saying “because of those horses, I always associate budweiser with country guys. like farmers or country men would drink it” but when I asked if that was stil appealing? “hell no.” Granted I am definitely NOT the target demographic, but I just thought that if you were going to spend so much money making multiple commercials, I’d think of better ways. The Budwesier frogs were classic, and come to mind as a better concept.
- Dennys: Thugs- AWESOME! The gangsters were kitschy cool, the message was great (reminds me of the Hungryman commercials aka “real meals “) and the free breakfast sealed the deal. But fail on follow through with keeping thier site up. See @chiropractic’s post
- Hyundai: Contract - Classic car commercial. What made it work was the actual offer and call to action. Especially relevant to the current market.
- Kellogg’s: Plant a seed - visually cool, great idea to engage users to vote for local playgrounds/fields to be built, great cause, great message., BUT could’ve played up the call to action to the website to submit your community more, made if more expplicit/clear.
- Coke: Heist - Classic Coke Animation, visually awesome, and fun. Definitely worked in associating the brand with fun and creativity.
- Careerbuilder: Tips - I got the idea. The repetition gave me a headache after the first 15 seconds. No need to add the rich guy. The point came across way before you got to it.
- Monster: Need a new job - Well done, funny creative, didn’t give me a headache like Careerbuilder did.
- Bridgestone: Hot Item - Another one of those over the top CG fests that only Coke can consistently pull off. Dancing moonmen were cool, and i get the tires were the “hot item” but I thought the whole thing was so flashy that it detracted from the marketing message.
- Coke Classic: Avatar - ONE OF MY FAVS! Definitely well done in being relevant and playing on techno/social trends. I loved the part where the one small avatar keeps walking into the door until someone opens it, and how the ogre atthe end turns into a female. Any gamer will relate and get the subtle jokes. Whoever creted it, really knew the audience. Also I love how this Coke commercial targeted a very specific audience while the Hiest commercial was more general classic Coke. THIS is how to do multiple commercials and stay effective.
- Universal Studio Parks: Inner Hero - Very similar to the recent Universal ads lately, but I like how this one focused on a single person, rather than hordes of different people. Tugged on the heart strings and communicated a sense of rediscovery of the “childhood inner hero” which I think is a great association to the theme park. You don’t sell the park, you sell the emotional connection and experience that it brings.
- Priceline: Negotiator - Love Shatner, and love that they played on of his infamous speech style. Classic Shatner/Priceline. Works every time.
- NBC: Heroes - Creative “What If” Scenario. Fun and I’m sure the fans loved it.
- Sobe: Lizard Lake - I cringed, and kept cringing. At first I thought I was watching some homoerotic Underarmour commercial, then “WTF?!” Lizards? Sorry, watching gyrating football players don’t make me want to drink Sobe. I doubt they connected with the football audience either. They took essentially a hyper-masculine image and totally emasculated it. It was like being visually neurtered. It hurt to watch.
- Cheetos - I love the evil cheetah ads. And i love the creative integration of the product. Clearly says “Indulge.” I don’t even like Cheetos, and I feel like indulging in them.
- Teleflora: Talking Flowers - I get the point, but OUCH! I’m sure many women cringed at some of what was said. Also, whats with the “Get her thorny.” web ads? Do you want a “thorny” woman? Big FAIL to both.
- Etrade: Talking Babies - Cute. Babies always make you go “aww”. And talking babies? well, who can hate that.
- Gatorade: Tiger - Inspirational, and starkly emotional. Communicates strength, dedication, ambition. And “Thats G” at the end brings it together nicely. Different than thier raw sweat ads, but much more refined and classy. I like.
- Bud Light: Swedish - So THIS is a better Bud commercial. Take a well-liked personality Conan Obrian, take a funny cultural spoof, and mix in comedy. Definitely memorable and entertaining, not clear what the brand message was though.
- NBC: LMAO - Unlike Coke’s Avatar ad which subtly, humorously and intelligently engaged with the new cultural zeitgeist, this literal take on LMAO left me cringing. If the goal was to communicate that NBC shows were funny, it instead made me feel like they were painful.
So those are my thoughts. All the ads are on Hulu, so if you missed any, check’em out here: http://www.hulu.com/superbowl
What did you think of the Superbowl commercials this year?
