Superbowl 2010 Ads: Part 1

Once again, the Superbowl ads were not (overall) as effective and entertaining as they have been historically.  (See last year’s post.)Therefore, many of my picks are really just the best of the mediocre. 

Caveat: I’m only considering ones I saw and could hear well  for products and services we buy directly (not TV shows, movie trailers, nonprofit organizations, causes, public service announcements, government activities, etc.).  I also don’t include products that are bad ideas and ads with overly flawed logic (to be discussed in a Part Two on this topic).

Here are my picks:

1. Mars’ Snickers ad was both relevant and hard-hitting (pun intended) with the tagline “You’re not you when you’re hungry.”  You as Betty White playing football=good call.  The Snickers candy bar is doing a good job of competing with the other categories for solving hunger and energy issues for active Americans: granola bars, PowerBars, and energy drinks.  Nice positioning.
2. Monster has developed a brand as the cool job search website for the underdog.  At a time when unemployment rates are ridiculous, companies can pick and choose from pools of over-qualified applicants, and recent grads struggle to get jobs, it’s a weird to advertise such an empowered, er, workforce via a furry woodland creature aspiring to greatness and escaping his habitat.   The ad itself (Beaver turned Violinist) makes the list for creativity and consistency with branding efforts, although I’m conflicted about the message.
3. Doritos: I do like that they held a contest and let the people make the commercials.  Great way to involve your brand advocates and attract more like them.  There were 3 that I saw, but my pick is “Doritos Kid Slaps Mom’s Date.”   Who doesn’t like the idea of kids being protective of their moms?  This kind of role reversal bodes well for women who do the grocery shopping. 
4. E-trade babies, of course, make the list.  They’ve got the formula down with their two ads: “Girlfriend” (aka Milk-a-holic) and “Tears” (aka He’s Eating the Lobster Too). We’ll see how long the formula will last, but I predict we’ll have only one more year of babies.  I imagine their market is 95% men based on their ads.  A savvy competitor need only go for the women.  Who will step up? 
5. BudLight delivers a consistent message with their ads’ tagline “Here We Go.” With synth voices, a house of beer, and a spoof on Lost, it’s clear that where there’s BudLight, there’s a party.  Priorities (and privacy) be damned.

For Part Two of Superbowl Ads 2010 covering what didn’t work and why . . . see the comments to this post.

Marketing Seminar in January 2009

It's never to early to start marketing. If you are thinking about developing a plan, already have media in place but need to nail down advertising, or anticipate writer's block in the future, this seminar is for you. Mark your calendar and register online:

Title: Writing Stellar Copy: A DIY Marketing Seminar
Type: In-person
Date/Time: Wed., Jan. 14, 2009 from 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Location: Arizona Small Business Association, Prosperity Room, 4130 East Van Buren, Suite 150, Phoenix, AZ
Cost: Free
Description: This seminar is for anyone who wants to take a "do-it-yourself" approach to writing ads, brochures, or any written marketing materials to effectively speak to their prospects and customers.

Focus on . . . Advertising

To follow is an excerpt from my Quarterly Newsletter. To request the full text, send me an email. You can also sign up for future editions on my home page.

I've seen some confusion lately among small business owners and micro-business owners about the relationship between marketing and advertising as well as how to effectively produce ads. If we're looking at a textbook model, Marketing is responsible for Promotions, and so I consider advertising an important part of the plan to promote your product or service. Developing an effective "ad campaign" is a good first step towards establishing your new brand and/or generating awareness in the market about your current brand. To help you achieve this, whether you do it yourself or engage my services, here are the keys to planning your successful ad:

1. Position. Determine your position by knowing your target market and your competition. If you haven't done at least a basic market study, or have scattered information that needs to be compiled, doing so will be a major success factor in your strategic marketing efforts overall, as well as any advertising effort. Armed with industry research and target market needs, you'll be able to create an effective message.

A Primo Position: Diet Coke has two innovative, eye-catching yet simple ads. One ad shows a condensation-covered can with a cardboard insulating sleeve typically used for coffee around it and the headline "Good Morning." Another ad shows 3 images of the same sleeve-clad can with the headline "Three-hour meeting." This is a brilliant campaign strategy to carve out a potential new market--folks who prefer a cold, easily accessible, cheaper "coffee" as they head to (or cope with!) work. If you've read my previous newsletter about Coke BlaK, you'll see that the advertising track is a much better competitive strategy than costly new product development.