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SUPER BRANDING FROM A NOT SO SUPER GAME!

Feb 25, 2019

KEN BANKS’ BLOG FEBRUARY 2019

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SUPER BRANDING FROM A NOT SO SUPER GAME!

So another Super Bowl has come and gone.  The game surely wasn’t memorable this year—although some day we will all remember the Brady/Belichick Dynasty and this game will come to mind even if we forget who they played.  The hype for this sporting event has gone beyond overdone unless of course your favorite team happens to be playing.  The media coverage, the media day, the radio row, the pregame shows, the halftime show (yawn), the postgame show, the highlights if any are getting to the point of boredom.  So what branding got to do with it?

Well, there is no other media event on which more marketing dollars are spent and more advertising hype is displayed than the Super Bowl (whoops, I meant the Big Game since I don’t have NFL license).  Let’s face it if you’re going to spend $5.25 million for a 30-second spot (that $175,000 a second) not to mention the production and talent costs, you certainly do get a lot of media attention beyond the airing of the spot itself.  So, it’s a bif spend and it’s a big opportunity to strengthen your brand message like no other ad you might run the rest of the year. 

I have to admit, I do not sit and scrutinize every ad that runs before, during and after the game, but I do watch the game and am sensitive to the messages just as I am when I watch Bull, SportsCenter, or This is Us.  I do this to see if any cause a “wow” reaction or whether they go unnoticed or elicit a “What was that all about?” reaction.   Again this year, I am impressed by the production dollars spent on these spots more than the message.  However some do break through and at the same time, in my opinion, establish or further strengthen the brand  message for the particular product or service.  So here are my top five spots that caught my branding eye this year. These are commercials that are memorable not only for creativity but also for communicating the brand message effectively.  I’ve added a link to a recap of all the commercials so that you can review them al without being disturbed by a game or Adam Levine’s tattoos.  I’ve also noted a couple that I think wasted their money and our time with no branding message that I can determine.

Click here to review all the spots without interruption:  

THE GOOD ONES

  1.  Dietz Nuts:  Ok, this is a pretty simply produced spot with Craig Robinson (formerly on The Office) and his brother  and it’s about a new nut.  However, I think since it’s a spot to introduce a new kind of nut—made out of meat not a vegetable (or is it a fruit?).  Anyway, this spot gathers your attention with a likable celebrity and a simple message that catches your attention while you much on that bowl of beer nuts on the bar.  Humor that is realistic and a simple message and it caught my attention to find out more about this new nut.  And, while were being nutty, I thought the spots by Planters (the #1 brand) were silly and the use of Charlie Sheen and A-Rod was superfluous.
  •  Bubly.  A great way to introduce another new brand, Bubly sparkling water features the guy whose name we all mispronounce, Michael Buble’ and  his efforts to change the spelling to his name even in the store.  A simple name that helps define the brand and differentiate it from the hundreds of other carbonated drinks on the market.
  • Colgate Toothpaste.  Never thought a classic packaged goods brand like this would do a super bowl spot that really is on target. Featuring Luke Wilson, a recognizable actor without any baggage to disrupt the brand message, the message hits on the best benefit of using Colgate Total SF—that it leave your breath fresh especially for those up close conversations.  I think it was engaging, funny, and realistic while positioning a new version of a well-known brand that we use everyday.
  • Fabreze.  Similar story here but not a new product.  Just a new way of hitting on one of the biggest uses of an air freshener but with a timely situation at a Super Bowl party.  No need for TO in this spot, but the scenario is funny and drives home a new message for an every day product.
  • Devour Frozen Entrees.  Another new product to me that I won’t forget easily.  A different approach to positioning the brand from all the other frozen dishes out there and getting the message across that will turn you into a fanatic (frozenfood-ofile?).  The scenarios are recognizable when someone is addicted but doesn’t want anyone to know and the brand name is interesting enough to spark some interest into an otherwise mundane product category.

There are several others, but I chose these for originality, simple production, and getting the branding message across.

NOT SO GOOD ONES.

On the other hand, here are some who I feel wasted their $5.25 Million plus :

Audi—Dreaming about a car during a near death experience caused by a cashew.       

            Nuts to you.

Olay:  Killer skin.  Is this a trailer for a horror film or a poor way to sell soft, supple

            Skin.  I don’t think it’s a good partnership anyway.

Pepsi.  I love Steve Carell, but I didn’t find these spots funny or effective.

Amazon:  I love Amazon, but these celebrity spots (Harrison Ford) don’t work for   

                  me at all.

Bud Light:  Usually I find Bud commercials to be some of the best, but this one about    

                    the jousters in its ongoing medieval campaign is really stupid even if it is                      movie trailer in disguise.  Dilly. Dilly

Turkish Airlines:  Nice story and more of a short flick.  Not sure it would make me want to fly.

Well, there are a lot a lot more but let’ s get on to March Madness and hopefully some more effective branding this year.