Average Joe = Super Bowl Pro (Advertiser)

I'm not a big fan of cats either, so me and the cat-eating dog from the Super Bowl Doritos ad should team up. The Great Dane and his bribing strategy really made a splash in Sunday night's Super Bowl advertising competition. The spot ranked number one in USA Today's Annual Super Bowl Ad Meter... and was voted one of the most popular Super Bowl 2012 ads in various other ranking systems as well. The Doritos ad, "Man's Best Friend", was one of two awesome consumer-generated advertisements that aired during the game--the other one, "Sling Baby", was a Doritos ad as well, and ranked number four on the Ad Meter! Jonathan Friedman, the ad's creator, will receive $1 million from Doritos for his nationally recognized ad, which only cost him $20! Cheap and no celebs? Way to go Average Joe Jonathan!


USA Today's Ad Meter is regarded as the most influential Super Bowl ad rating system in the advertising industry. It tracks the second-by-second responses of a panel of viewers during the national broadcast and has them rank the ads from favorite to least favorite. USA Today also recently introduced a Facebook app, which allows consumers to rank and share their favorites as well.  


For those of you who missed the commercial (or the entire Super Bowl), here it is:

This is the sixth year Doritos has put on the Crash the Super Bowl contest, which invites regular "Average Joe's and Jane's"--AKA consumers--to submit ads. This year the contest received more than 6,000 submissions. After the Doritos team whittled that massive number down to five, consumers' votes determined one winner, while Doritos picked its personal preference. 


Doritos may have the number one and four spot on the Ad Meter, but my personal Super Bowl fave is still top five... M&M's spot, "Just My Shell". I previously posted about the intro of Ms. Brown... and man, did she introduce herself! I was right, she is sassy! Absolutely loved it! And Red has never been so funny. 

Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, YEAH!


POGS,
AKtually Ashley

The Brown M&M Finally Gets Some Love

I don't think I'm alone in wondering why M&M's hasn't promoted their brown M&M. I get it, it's brown. It's not a lively or "pretty" color, but it's still one of the staple members of the M&M clan. Well, February 5th (AKA the SuperBowl) is when M&M's will finally introduce the apparently not so new brown character... and... IT'S A GIRL! Her name is Ms. Brown and she will walk and talk just like her fellow computer-animated buddies. I'm sure Ms. Green is thrilled to have a gal pal after all this time. 


According to an article by the New York Times, Ms. Brown is an "intelligent woman with a sharp wit who finally decided to reveal herself after working for decades behind the scenes as 'chief chocolate officer.'" I guess the sexy role has already been taken by Ms. Green (I can't believe I just called an M&M sexy...), so we'll see how they incorporate a business woman into the scene.

BBDO New York, M&M's preferred creative agency, has developed a few teaser advertisements to spark excitement and buzz among consumers and the media about Ms. Brown's debut. 

Until the first quarter of the Super Bowl on NBC, we're left with her simple photograph... and 20 foot statue that was unveiled in LA on Monday... so much for the big bang of keeping her identity a surprise.

Her pose, raised eye brow, and unamused facial expression doesn't even leave her personality a mystery... she looks a little bossy sassy to me. I like it. She must be a pretty demanding M&M considering the amount of money the company is paying to formally introduce her during the Super Bowl. A 30-second spot on NBC during this extremely competitive air time costs around $3.5 million. OUCH! She deserves it though. She's been locked in the office and hidden from the public. She's worked hard as the CCO. Now, it's finally her time to shine and join her sweet M&M buddies in their efforts to promote M&M's of all colors, personalities, and fillings. 

POGS,

AKtually Ashley

Sci-Fi, Football, & Volkswagen... AGAIN!

One of my favorite commercials of 2011 was Volkswagen's ad that first aired during the 2011 Super Bowl. The ad, featuring a powerful mini Darth Vader, is funny and adorable...and though I can't speak for men, I think it appeals to both sexes. I'm sure you've all seen the commercial on one channel or another (it runs pretty frequently)... but for my own entertainment, here it is:

This ad, called "The Force", created a lot of buzz (online and off). The video went viral. Consumers voted it as one of their favorite commercials. SO, with the help of Deutsch Los Angeles, VW is giving the Star Wars theme another go with "The Bark Side".

The dogs are cute, skilled, and the idea is funny... but I don't think this commercial will have the same impact as "The Force". I might be a bit biased because I (personally) think little kids are cuter/funnier than barking dogs... but that's not the case for everyone. The final ad doesn't run until February 5th (when the Patriots and HOPEFULLY the Giants will be duking it out on the field... GO GIANTS)... but they released the 60-second teaser during ABC's "The Middle" on January 18th.


We'll see how the Star Wars inspired canines fare in the highly-competitive Super Bowl commercial scene. Hopefully, for VW, they're just as powerful as mini Vader. If the NY Giant's don't win tonight, I plan on rooting for the Chewbacca dog during the Super Bowl.


POGS,
AKtually Ashley

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!

It's incredible how much advertising time and press Macy's got today. The annual Thanksgiving parade, aired on NBC, has been a tradition since 1924 (85th anniversary!). Every Thanksgiving morning my sister and I watch the giant balloons and floats glide down 34th street from the comfort of our own home - around 44 million other people do the same and almost 2.5 million flock the NY streets to watch it live. 


Today I had a HUGE revelation... the entire 3-hour program is a giant promotional opportunity for Macy's and the rest of the participants. Of course I knew this (somewhat) before, but not nearly to the extent it became apparent to me this morning. What I originally took as a giant Buzz Lightyear balloon transformed into an advertisement for Disney and Pixar. Nothing can be taken at face value. Instead of watching the parade in the same frame of mind as I had in the past, I couldn't help but listen to what the NBC reporters were saying in the background. They would give a brief (detailed) spiel introducing the balloon or float, its background, and, of course, its sponsor.


The entire production is phenomenal and so clever. In my opinion, it definitely is comparable to the Super Bowl. Companies pay a ton of money to fill the advertising spots during the Super Bowl game because they know there are millions of viewers. They buy eyes... a lot of eyes. The same thought process is understood about the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! The major difference, however, is that the parade (AKA the advertisements) is the reason people are watching. It's the actual entertainment. While the Super Bowl commercials are just a side portion to the actual program. Lets be serious though, we all know there are plenty of people who watch the Super Bowl JUST for the entertaining, extremely creative, and usually funny commercials.  

My favorite part of the parade has always been the Santa Claus at the end, signaling that Christmas is around the corner! Snoopy is definitely a close second!

POGS,
AKtually Ashley


PS. Did anyone notice that when introducing Neil Diamond the reporters compared him the Mount Rushmore? "... and another American legend... Neil Diamond!" Ha!