Day 4 - A SUPER Sunday!

Super Bowl Sunday is always a fun experience - even for those like myself who aren't normally into watching sports. There's just something about a big exciting event that draws people together and creates fun experiences.

I brought my 'tribe' to a church Super Bowl party complete with a huge outside screen showing the game and more food than anyone should consume. Despite cold weather and the potential for a civil war with 3 of my sons rooting for opposing teams, a great time was had by all!

As far as the game itself goes, I offer no value in commentary on the play by play action. What I walk away with, however, is incredible respect for two teams who have both worked incredibly hard to be the very best in their business - both playing their hearts out and playing it clean (no fights, not a bunch of personal fouls - just fierce competition).

I'm also left with incredible respect for Sean Payton, the coach for the New Orleans Saints ... who would appear to be a man of guts, confidence and the willingness to change things up and try a different tactic when the one he's using isn't working. Like my friend and client, Rebel Brown, he seems to be willing - no - EAGER - to challenge the status quo! And, boy did it pay off!

In my opinion, the 4th quarter interception may have been the 'nail in the coffin' so to speak, but the game was won with the unprecedented decision and flawless execution of an onside kick in the 3rd Quarter. Not only did it garner New Orleans the points needed to get them back in the game, but it caused a huge emotional shift in both teams that affected the remainder of their battle.

As far as the Super Bowl commercials go - don't get me started... It's a yearly RANT of mine! As a top-tier ad agency Creative Director in my early days, I developed a disdain for overpriced super bowl commercials that sought to entertain with little, if any, thought of creating desire in the heart of a target audience let alone actual sales. Every year it's the same ... most of the companies whose commercials are ranked BEST by consumer studies ...  are, as brands, completely forgotten! Those same consumers simply couldn't remember what product or service those ads they loved were actually advertising. Certainly, agencies could do better at leveraging the power of a massive audience than that.

Here are some of my takes on the 2010 ads and winners/losers in my opinion:

1) In the Cute & Clever category - Coke and its sleepwalking ad. For me, it was a throwback to watching Mr. Magoo cartoons back in the day. This is a meaningless category and Coke could have done better with some sort of engagement to a social media campaign or involvement with a special promotion of sorts. But, being Coke, they seem to believe that all they need to do is reinforce their brand.



2) In the Most Effective category - Etrade and the babies. I think they managed to create something that was entertaining and at least worked SOME of their service benefits and positioning into the ads. And, through funny use of the babies, they have great viral potential.





Honorable mention in this category goes to Denny's ... not so much for the commercial itself, but for the marketing strategy. Offering a FREE Grand Slam breakfast and then following up on Grand Slam Giveaway day by giving guests a coupon book with coupons for breakfast and dinner deals month by month through June! (NOTE: The only reason why I would give Etrade the slight edge in this category is that it is more focused on long-term establishment of the brand versus short-term transaction. However, if in-store follow-up is done right, then Denny's will be the bottom-line winner by far.)

3) In the Funniest Line category - a tie ... between Etrade and the "Milkoholic" exchange (see above) .. and HomeAway.com with the hotel front desk clerk who exclaims, "It's complementary with an 'e.' The water complements the room. It's not free." HomeAway.com also managed to get some point in their commercial by stirring up fear (and sometimes memories) of hotels and vacation properties that didn't measure up to their advertising.



4) In the category combining Worst Commercial And Greatest Missed Opportunity - Taco Bell with Charles Barkley. Not only was that an embarrassing use of a celebrity and annoying to watch, but it also did NOTHING to take advantage of the massive audience to expand Taco Bell's market.



The way I see it, they have an entire NBA season to remind everyone that they are the choice of "late night gangstas and playas." They had a massive opportunity to go beyond brand reinforcement - and build connections with a much larger, broader audience. I would think that ads aimed at increasing awareness of their lower-cal, lower-fat, Fresco menu would have gained them market share without negatively impacting their existing audience. What? Didn't know Taco Bell HAD a Fresco menu with healthier options? Yeah.. that's my point!

I could definitely go on ... but I'd rather let go of my frustration and redirect my attention to the small business owners and authors/speakers and consultants I deal with who want to make every marketing dollar and effort produce results rather than create ads for the sake of vanity.

All in all - it WAS a Super Sunday and a great time with my family! Here's where the progress chart is at ... will be surprised if I didn't lose a little ground in the weight category with the Super Sunday junk food ;-)

About This Chart: For those who haven't been following, I created this daily chart for the purpose of communicating and tracking some of my more important goals - publicly. You can read about it in THIS EARLIER POST.