Evaluating the 09 Super Bowl Ads

As we all know, the Super Bowl is the most watched show of the year. For today's posting I have chosen 4 very different but entertaining spots...

My Hypothesis on advertising prior to the airing of the SB: Super Bowl ads are supposed to be funny, but with the change of administration and their number 1 selling proposition of 'Hope' as well as the state of the economy, this years ads will either be funnier, more emotional and/or more call to action.

My Hypothesis was: Proven half true, depending on which commercials you focus on. One thing was for sure... Brands sold their benefits stronger, while leveraging CHANGE + HOPE.

Would you agree? Take a look at the following spots and let me know...

Pepsi - "Refreshing Generations" Great ad that shows how brands adjust to new consumers while delivering on their main benefit.

Talk about rebranding and evolving a brand... the change of their logo, the colors, the music. What I really enjoy about this spot were the parallels drawn between generations... it doesn't matter if you began drinking Pepsi in the 60's, 70's or 2000's, the benefit of the brand is the same... "refreshing generations." The question is, will this brand change Pepsi's perception in the marketplace? I mean, Coca Cola has been advertising pretty heavy on the joy of life (playing on Pepsi's turf).

Miller High Life - Subliminal? Innovative? Strategic? -- One thing for sure, thinking different!

We are used to the :60's, the :45's, the usual :30's, recently the :15's, but are we really going to move to the :01's? From an strategic media perspective it makes sense; buy :15's, make the message more call to action and deliver it in a way that it will be remembered. The cool thing about this spot is that they rely on the equity gained, while making fun of the plethora of advertisements that AB places on the 3hour game. I cant help but remind myself about the infamous 'subliminal advertising' of decades ago, where you saw the popcorn and candy in between the movie frames. Will this move help MHL compete against BUD? Maybe, we and many other advertisers are talking about the ad...

Jack in the Box - Imagine McDonald's killed Ronald? or BK killing the king? Well, JITB might have just killed Jack... or at the very least injured him pretty bad.

When a brand has the audacity to play with one of its main differentiators, its logo we usually think, wow, they have guts. JITB's SB spot didnt only played with the logo, but seems like it injured its spokesperson. Don't worry, the street's name is 'Hope,' so the chance of him surviving the wreck are pretty high. Now back to the strategic thinking, I admire what they are doing with this brand; they know who their target is, and want to make sure they know that their brand is fun...and for that matter, so is their menu. JITB marketing team is not selling you salads and healthy entrees, although they have the options, what they are selling you are 'indulgent options,' just the same they want for you to indulge on their brand... not necessarily speaking metaphorically.

Career Builder - "As a Rule... Start Building" Simply my favorite ad. Funny, strong consumer insight, repetition while offering something we all are attracted to... change + hope.

I just simply love this spot... it's as fun to watch as it was the first time during the second half of the Super Bowl. So what makes this spot so wonderful you might ask? Have you ever felt like any of the characters in this spot?... come on, ever?? Exactly, that is why!! The spot has very strong insights that are delivered in a very funny, surreal, but relatable emotions. The strategic thinking of the spot was incredible as well. Careebuilders is promoting HOPE + CHANGE (yes, Obama's main campaign benefits) during one of the worst economic recessions this country has seen. CB is letting consumers know that you don't have to feel the way its characters are feeling, their are jobs out there!! just go to their website. As a matter of fact, they just said today, that they currently have 2.5 million jobs... So are we in a recession? yes. Are there jobs out there? yes. Is your dream job out there? yes. How will you find it? go to careerbuilder.com.

The Rest - Not necessarily the best of the rest

1. Hyundai - Two spots, two different benefits (Assurance contract, at par with luxury competition) and most likely one strong result... and increase in sales. Two years in a row, Hyundai has delivered strong spots. While the consumer's confidence keeps decreasing at the same rate the value of the peso to the dollar, so is the idea of buying luxurious brands. Hyundai over delivered on their two very different spots; the one where the competition is not only taking notice of this brand, but is NOW taking the time to enunciate the name the way it is supposed to gives the consumers the idea that this brand's competition has broadened from the low end Hyundai vs Kia, to Hyundai vs Toyota-Lexus. With the assurance contract letting the consumers know that 'they have their back,' and what a better time than today!
2. Coke Zero - Leveraging the equity from the unforgettable 1980 spot but for the 'new generation.' Works great. The spot delivers on the benefit of the product, is funny, appealing and right on target with the Coke Zero's positioning.
3. Denny's -Awesome strategy... read yesterday's posting, great parallels to previous eras of this country.
4. BUD - Came short. The Clydesdales have so much equity, and the American consumer wants to see them when the US is having hard problems... This year they opted for the safe bet, neither funny, nor emotional... wait a minute, that is not safe bet... right?
5. BLL - Great positioning that still delivered. The summer state of mind. Resonates strong, delivers, and promotes that... party like its summer with the only beer that can do that.

Yes, there were many other advertisers, but for this posting, I believe the ones above were the ones worth talking about.

Personally, the winner was NBC with all their advertising for their new shows... not all of them were great, but the awareness must have gotten through the roof, specially with their re-branding of Conan.

Thoughts on this year's SB ads? Which ones did you like, love, hated?