Super Bowl Ads Post Mortem

While more prolific bloggers than I had already posted their ad analysis before Tracy Porter executed his game-sealing pick six, I chose to digest and ruminate overnight on the offerings of Super Bowl 44’s many sponsors.

During the game, I kept complete a detailed account of each commercial, noting the responses of the three key demographics in my house: 38-year-old men, 16-year-old youths, and eight-year-old girls. (My tally had to be suspended during the fourth quarter, because neither witty commercials, nor a history-making football game could hold the attention of an eight-year-old girl, and I was compelled to assist in the construction of two purple felt teddy bears.)

So here’s the list:

Movie preview, “The Last Air Bender”
We are all very familiar with the animated series and the trailer looked great. We will probably go see it.

E*Trade
No baby. Techy, stock-trader-looking graphics. Not funny. Not sold.

Rogaine Foam
Wrong audience for it at our house, I guess.

Callaway’s new driver
Hard to tell what exactly they were advertising in this extremely long spot.

McDonalds
Larry Bird, Magic Johnson throwback ad. Not funny. Lost on the kids. Husband got it. It did make me eat another taquito, though.

CBS Shows
CSI in space…ri-i-i-i-i-ight.

Hyundai Sonata
Beautifully filmed car footage, accompanied by Jeff Bridges’s soothing voice. The first of many, this version utilized accolades from auto reviewers to promote features and price.

Bud Light
“House Made of Bud Light.” I actually laughed out loud when Dude said, “There’s even Bud Light in the fridge made out of Bud Light!” I will still never drink that beer.

Snickers
“Playing Like Betty White.” I also laughed out loud at this one, as did the 16-year-old, when the Golden Girl was tackled. I will continue to eat Snickers, not because they enhance my athletic performance, but because they are delicious.

Focus On the Family
Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Tim Tebow and his mother really didn’t even have to say a word, because the news media had already said it all for them.

Survivor
We don’t watch this show. Besides, we were too busy discussing how well-played that Focus On the Family commercial was.

Hyundai Sonata
In which Jeff Bridges compares the Hyundai Sonata to actual sonatas.

Boost Mobile
“Super Bowl Shuffle.” Two words: leopard thong. Shudder. None of our demographics laughed.

Doritos
“Anti-Bark Collar.” 16-year-old laughed. ‘Nuff said.

Movie preview, “Robin Hood”
Looks awesome. Will probably see it.

Doritos
“Hands off My Momma…And My Doritos.” 16-year-old laughed alone again.

Bud Light
“Asteroid.” 16-year-old laughed alone again. (I fear for his diet once he moves out.)

NCIS
“Head Slap.” Should have been funny, but we still won’t watch that show.

Coca-Cola
Featuring The Simpsons, this commercial was beautifully animated, but SACCHARINE.

GoDaddy.com
Despite Danica’s best efforts, we did not visit the website to see the ad that was “too hot for TV.” I suspect the 16-year-old might check it out later.

Undercover Boss
Husband mentioned for the first time that he would like to watch this show.

Doritos
“Jumbo Casket Filled with Doritos” Not even the 16-year-old laughed at this one. Kind of gross.

Bud Light
“Autotune.” With it’s timeliness and “Whazzup” campaign style, this ad entertained the crap out of our whole family. (We will still never drink that beer.)

Monster.com
That fiddlin’ beaver was adorable, but I was the only one who thought so. Based on the employment status of our market sample, I could not judge if the ad was successful or not.

Movie preview, “Wolfman”
Husband reiterated his desire to see it.

Bridgestone
I’m not sure what an orca and a send-up of “The Hangover” have to do with tires, but it was an exciting ad.

Sketchers Shape Ups
I’m sure the shoes are successful, because I see them everywhere, but there is no way Joe Montana wears those things.

Cars.com
This campaign of a brilliant dude who needs online help to chose a car is beautifully written and shot, but such a let-down. (It’s a commercial for Cars.com? Really? That’s it? That’s how it ends? Really?)

CBS Programming
Um…..I didn’t write any notes for this one.

Bud Light
“The Bridge is Out.” You guessed it. The 16-year-old was amused.

Movie preview, “Shutter Island”
Scary. Will not see.

CBS Cares PSA
I wasn’t really listening to Mark Sanchez’s message about heart health because his pretty face was too distracting. I guess that makes this an unsuccessful ad, unless they are selling Mark Sanchez.

Late Show with David Letterman
Um…who did the make-up for this spot? Because they should be fired.

Amazing Race
Won’t watch it.

CareerBuilder.com
“Casual Fridays.” Both children practically laughed their pants off at this, the first of two consecutive (but unrelated) ads featuring pantslessness. But will they visit the site?

Dockers
“I Wear No Pants.” The jingle was catchy, and the continued pantslessness was amusing, but I think CareerBuilder.com wins for more effective use of underpants to emphasize messaging.

Hyundai
Although Hyundai’s third commercial of the game was supposed to promote their warranty, deploying the old “Bret Favre will never retire…or will he?” shtick detracted from their pitch.

Bud Light
“Lost.” Evangeline Lilly is lovely, but we don’t watch that show or drink that beer.

Dove for Men
Eliciting the first real response from the 38-year-old man demographic, this ad rapidly sings the tale of a life, set to the racing clip of The William Tell Overture. The zenith of male accomplishment, it seems, is the self-assuredness to indulge in Dove unguents. Husband raised one eyebrow.

NFL Network
Promoting the 2010 NFL draft. We were going to watch it anyway.

Dodge Charger
Eliciting second response from 38-year-old man, Dodge implies that men must suffer the greatest travails and indignities at work and at home in order to enjoy a nice car. “Hmm,” said husband.

Teleflora
Dead, talking flowers. 16-year-old laughed, but he won’t start sending flowers for several years, so, for Teleflora’s sake, I hope the branding stuck.

Papa Johns
Reinforcing their “Better Pizza” brand might work with college kids, but we prefer Pizza Hut.

CSI
Started with a Star Wars-style intro. No further notes.

Movie preview, “Alice in Wonderland”
We didn’t need a reminder. WE ARE SEEING THIS MOVIE!

Dr. Pepper Cherry
Little KISS always cracks me up, but the 8-year-old was confused.

TruTV
Punxsutawney Polamalu? Brilliant. Positive response from all demographics, but what were they advertising again?

CBS Programs
Two and a Half Men…um…yeah…

Universal Studios Orlando
Advertising the new Harry Potter adventure. Eight-year-old says, “Can we go?”

FloTV
“Spineless Man.” I was actually a little offended by this, the latest in a series of ads bemoaning the alleged hen-pecked state of the modern man. Especially since I had spent the previous day following my husband around Macy’s while he shopped, and holding his bags while he tried on clothes.

Intel
I hate sad robots. I can't even watch Short Circuit, or I'll cry. Poor Jeffrey.

FloTV
We thought this was a Pepsi ad.

NCIS
Same old.

Qwest
French class ad—rude version. No response.

US Air Force
Holy crap! Who were the marking geniuses behind “Grab Some Air”, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? 16-year-old not interested.

Southwest
“Bags Fly Free.” I would like to know how this campaign is working for them.

CSINY
More Danica—Synergy!

Amazing Race
Yawn.

NFL Network
Yes, we’ll watch the draft! May we please get back to the game?

CBS Programs
Undercover Boss (yes, darling, I know you want to watch that), The Good Wife, CBS March Madness, Miami Medical, CBS News, The Mentalist

TV.com
Hmm…no notes.

Movie preview, “The Backup Plan”
Oh, dear God, no.

Macaroni Grill
Most beautiful food styling ever! With a lovely plate of scampi, and soft, tinkly restaurant sounds in the background, this ad made us all reach for another taquito.

Acura ZDX
Transfixed brunette—seen it.

US Bank S.T.A.R.T.
This spot was wa-a-a-a-ay too complicated for the third quarter. (Bored with the game, the eight-year-old at this point became obsessed with a magazine ad for Baby Phat. Now, that’s successful!)

Ford
Advertising their hybrid crossover by detracting from the competition, Toyota and Honda.

Burger King
First and only BK ad, not new, but can you go wrong promoting the $1 double cheeseburger? (Ate more taquitos.)

Movie preview, “Prince of Persia”
We’ll probably wait for it on OnDemand.

Motorola
Megan Fox in the bath. Husband and 16-year-old mesmerized, but unwilling to part with their Blackberrys.

VW
“Slug Bug.” Husband actually laughed at Stevie Wonder’s part. Eight-year-old didn’t like the hitting.

Denny’s
Screaming chickens. Need I say more? (Makes me NOT want to eat eggs.)

CBS
How I Met Your Mother. We don’t watch it. Made no sense to us.

Michelob Ultra
I don’t care if Lance Armstrong drinks it. It’s diet beer.

HomeAway.com
The Griswalds are always entertaining, and, since it’s vacation-planning season, appropriate timing for the house rental site. Holiday ro-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-oad.

Bridgestone
It’s a recession. People are going to delay buying new tires, and then, they’re going to get the cheapest ones they can find. Oh well, at least they’re staying in front of us.

Kgb
Uninterested in the Sumo Wrestling premise, the16-year-old talked over the whole ad about an identical and free information texting service. Husband said, “Gross.”

Coca-Cola
Sleepwalking through Africa for Coke? Hmm…

E*Trade
Finally the baby! And with girl babies! Adorable! (But only to me, as the sole member of the market sample with a biological clock.)

CBS Programs
How I Met Your Mother

2010 Census
Ed Begley Jr. shilling for the Census Bureau? O….Kay.

Google
By all accounts the most popular Super Bowl 44 ad, this search bar love story probably spoke more to women than men, but good for Google! We’re the ones buying everything anyway.

Late Show with David Letterman
…And we’re back to targeting the men: Dave’ll be revealing the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover this week.

KIA
My personal favorite, as well as that of the Sock Monkey-loving 8-year-old. I don’t think I’ll buy a KIA, but I sure liked those vintage toys partying it up in one.

RoundUp
Weed killer? In February?

Budweiser Select 55
“Lightest Beer in the World.” Beautiful graphics, but I’m still not drinking that beer.

Which brings us to the fourth quarter. I would have liked to complete my anthology of Super Bowl 44 commercials, but the purple felt bears needed buttons for eyes, and the buttons were upstairs, and it was really dark and scary upstairs, and would you please come upstairs with me, and may I also please have an Otter Pop and some water, with ice cubes please, not the regular ice cubes, the Space Invader ice cubes, and also I need help tying this knot...

So while I did enjoy the Vizio ad with Beyonce and Tay Zonday, the “Green Police” Audi spot, the Dorito Samurai, and all those screaming chickens, I was unable to properly assess the response from the separate demographic groups.

Besides, I was freaking watching the game already!

—Lisa

Planes, Trains, and Advertising

Amtrak recently unveiled an advertising campaign in the most unlikely of places…O'Hare International Airport. The message? Stop flying. Take the train instead. To be honest, I'm surprised that O'Hare allowed this campaign to run. Maybe they realize that trains can't completely replace air travel and that the ad revenue is a greater reward than the potential lost airline traveler.

It's a fantastic campaign, hitting travelers when they are most likely to be frustrated with the hoops that they need to jump through just to get from Point A to Point B…THE SECURITY CHECK POINT. "Take off your shoes." "Remove your belt." "Take your laptop out of your bag." "That toothpaste is over three ounces. Throw it in the trash." "Are those keys in your pocket?" When you think about it, it really can be a pain. I once got delayed because they found bomb residue on my sandals. So, they swabbed and analyzed the sandals, asked numerous questions, and finally came to the conclusion that I had probably just walked through a freshly-fertilized yard. Off I went, running to the gate in my potentially-explosive Birkenstocks, nearly missing my flight.

I've taken the train and it's a great way to travel if you're not in a hurry. No hassle. Relaxing. Nice scenery. Great food. Really, it's not a bad way to go and these ads may just be the reminder that some travelers need to get them out of the airports and back on the rails.

–Greg

Beer Sculpture

Every year, the city of Harbin in northern China celebrates its annual International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival. In freezing temperatures, artists gather to create unique ice sculptures. Domestically, the city is also known for its beer. This year the artists created a pretty cool sculpture using only beer. Check out the video below.

—Sara

Nolan's Cheddar - seriously strong cheese

Being health and fitness conscious as part of a new year resolution is a great thing! If you happen to be in a grocery store this week, I suggest you purchase this type of "special" cheese. Watch this video and decide how you might benefit from Nolan's "seriously strong" Cheddar. Enjoy! :)



—Tristan

Cleaning Out The Fridge With Lisa

Leftovers do not live long at my house. If they are not quickly given new life in a casserole or stir fry, they are summarily devoured by @LegitTalon before, during, and after meals.

However, over the holiday season, the abundance of grandmother-produced goodies (TEN BOXES OF TREATS! TEN!) negated the need for standard snacking fare. This disruption in the natural order of eating at my house, combined with my habit of cooking for twenty when I am only serving four, resulted in a refrigerator overflowing with plastic containers, cans, jars, and many diverse and foil-covered receptacles.

My husband and I made a heroic attempt to consume what we could last week, but the line must be drawn somewhere, right? Since my mother will tell you that it is a sin to throw away food, as my penance, I will now confess, in excruciating detail, the holiday casualties that were committed to the garbage this weekend. (No, I do not have a compost bin, yet. This summer, I swear.)

One stone-hard hot dog bun, no mold or aroma, two months old

Two cups of ham salad, made from leftovers of in-law’s Christmas dinner, excessively sulfurous smell, 20 days old

One cup of garden salad, rusty, pungent, two weeks old

100 kernels of sweet corn, graying, no smell, 16 days old

Five asparagus spears, starting to dissolve, overwhelming fumes, 11 days old

12 cubes of cucumber, smelled like gin, 12 days old

1/3 can of green beans, uncovered, completely dry, 3 weeks old

1/3 can of mushroom soup, odorless, furry, 16 days old

1/3 can of tomato sauce, odorless, furry, one month old

One tablespoon of cocktail sauce, fine condition (but what would I do with that?)

Five cocktail shrimp, emitting essence of Neptune’s thunderbox, 16 days old

Seven Honey BBQ Boneless Anytizers, one month old (no one in our house likes that flavor)

Three medallions of crab-stuffed, pancetta-wrapped pork tenderloin, appearance and smell ok, but after 16 days, no thanks

Two cups of pork gravy, not unlike a caramel flan in texture, 16 days old

1/2 bowl of Campbells Potato Bacon soup, completely separated, one month old

1/2 a pumkin pie, not malodorous, just weepy, 16 days old

One mixing bowl of frozen whipped cream, sparkly, beautiful, but tasted like the freezer, 16 days old

1/4 glass baking dish of green been casserole, runny, visually reminiscent of the swamps of Mordor, 16 days old

Four stale waffles, two months old

One frozen bowl of gummy first attempt at real mashed potatoes, graying, no smell, 16 days old.

—Lisa

Happy Holidays from The Envision Group

Posted via email from envisiongroup's posterous

Agency Promo Turns Into Christmas Miracle

Mother London came up with a great agency promo. They set out to surprise an unsuspecting client with a gift of $10,000…and they did just that. The client turned their concept into an even bigger surprise.

You can view the video here.

Happy holidays from The Envision Group!

–Greg

Posted via web from envisiongroup's posterous

15 friends + a case of beer = holiday cheer!

The Bowen Beer Bottle Band knows how to spread some good, old fashioned holiday cheer! Happy holidays!

–Greg

Posted via web from envisiongroup's posterous