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.

Microsoft Strikes Back!

In its new TV ads (view here), Microsoft finally delivers its answer to the "coolness" factor, of which Apple has so deftly commanded ownership. By taking everday people and some huge celebs (Tony Parker, Eva Longoria, Deepak Chopra, and more), the Microsoft ad opens the range of Apple's proposed polarized user definitions. What can small business take away from this marketing effort? While perhaps competition is not as fierce, if someone is going for jugular in your industry, find the loophole in their logic. Address it after a period of reflection, but don't wait too long. It takes calm, calculated thinking to strike back in a meaningful way so assemble a good team of strategic thinkers. Now that Apple is on the defensive, it will be interesting to see what their next move is.

P.S. I'm not debating which product/platform is better, only exploring the brand strategies. In fact, the Microsoft ad isn't about the product but the people who use it, which is really at the heart of the Apple campaigns. If you have seen the movie "Thank You for Smoking," you might recall a scene where father and son debate about what ice cream flavor is better--chocolate or vanilla. Aaron Eckhart's character says, "If you argue correctly, you're never wrong." It's the same thing. Here's a trailer for the movie.
P.P.S. I don't think the intent is to sell more computers, oddly enough. It's simply about making PC owners feel good about their decision and shaping a better image which in the long run may prevent defection to Apple based on identity issues.