SuperBowl 2012 In Review
I'm not necessarily talking about the SuperBowl game (although it was a good old fashioned nail biter) -- I'm talking about the advertising and the live tweeting about it at #SBExp. Along with my friend Mike Brown from Brainzooming, we hosted a Twitter party last night to share our thoughts about the spots.
It was fast and furious and filled with commentary. I'll try to recap it here the best I can.
Overall Impressions
- where were the insights? the benefits? the branding?
- it felt like it was all car commercials -- very little beer, beverage, pizza, credit cards, etc (or so it felt)
- story telling is back, but generally not connected to the branding
- seems to have been the year of the dog
- it was definitely a good idea to NOT preview the spots ahead of time, the surprise was half the fun
Biggest LOL
Skechers and the French Bulldog. Admittedly, I have a Frenchie so I am partial. But after the brand's debacle with Kim Kardashian last year, Mr. Quiggley was a total laugh riot. Have to give credit for the Doritos (consumer created) spot with the Grandmother and the baby - that one got me too. And "The Voice" had a good chuckle with Betty White, although it appears that you can never go wrong with Betty White.
Most Competitive
While many would say it was the Samsung vs. Apple spot (people tired of standing in line), I would argue that the Chevy "Apocalypse" vs. Ford was the most competitive. The tie-in (?) with Twinkies was brilliant. Only thing to make it better would be if Cher had come out of one of the trucks.
Best Reaction on Facebook
Although we were tweeting, there was also a lot of commentary going on over at Facebook. The consensus was that Honda's "Matthew's Day Off" was the big hit. Me? That would have made a great movie sequel (hence the extended YouTube version was so much better than the on-air version).
Most Tired
When I first starting seeing the trailers for the new NBC show "Smash," I was so intrigued. During our Golden Globes Twitter party (#GGExp), it was the smash. But now, it's so played and tired. I'm over it already. I also have to say that the sentiment for the Coca-Cola polar bears was tired as well. Too much, even though the idea that you could watch them watching the game was pretty cool.
Biggest Dud
By far and away, Go Daddy. By the end of the game, my party goers were calling for a ban. Although Mike Brown did bring up a good point - we all know their brand yet probably can't name a competitor!
Biggest Surprise
For me, the surprise of the night was Bud Light's "HereWeGo." Not because it was cute and not because they walked away (somewhat) from the girl in bikini action, but because it was about animal rescue and the brand gave back money to help rescue animals. Unexpected from this brand and a total score in my book!
Best Insight
There were not many to be found as I mentioned earlier. I think it has to go, almost by default, to Chrysler's sequel to last year's Imported from Detroit. Clint Eastwood was a great pick to deliver the narrative about how America is recovering and is going into the "second half." It was very moving and dead on. Brought a tear to my eye, and I could personally relate to the message. Great work. It was also the best of the lot in terms of matching up message with the media - it's our second half!
Best in Show
So who gets the pick for best in show? Not sure yet ... I want to go back and watch "the tape" as they say. I purposely did not preview many of the spots, and in fact I am disappointed that I watched the three that I did see ("Matthew's Day Off", "Happy Grad", and H&M David Beckham). So tomorrow's post will feature my pick for Best in Show. Stay tuned.
I know I left a lot of spots out ... what's your experience? Jim.
Jim Joseph
President of Lippe Taylor
Author of The Experience Effect series
Professor at NYU
PS - Big big thanks to Mike Brown to started this last year with #BZBowl, and who transferred all his love over to #SBExp this year!