Far better is Chrysler’s line, “Imported from Detroit.” Thought-provoking.
Sometimes striking a chord with an audience is about the only advantage a parity product can offer. Take soft drinks. What are they going to do—claim they use better corn sweetener? Thus I thought the Pepsi “First Date” spot was a winner. Likewise for the Bud Light “Hack Job” spot.
Like just about everyone else, I enjoyed the VW spot with the kid playing Darth Vader. But was it worth the $3 million in air time? The spot wasn’t about the car. It was about the cute kid. The only product advantage showcased was the hardly ground-breaking remote start. And no, creative, memorable and likable ads do not necessarily sell anything.
At least Bridgestone demonstrated a benefit. Even if the scenarios overshadowed.
As for the Groupon pseudo socially-conscious spots, come on. They lured and then betrayed, even mocked, an audience. And trivialized issues that some of us find important. Not smart strategy.
Then there were the Go Daddy spots. They deserve the RESPONSE Agency “We Couldn’t Come Up with Anything Relevant So in a Great Social Leap Backward We Decided to Try Exploiting Women” Award.
Who wrote the Mini “Cram It in the Boot” spot? Adam Sandler? The Farrelly Brothers? Mike Myers? In Mini’s defense, I would have giggled at the double entrendre when I was in seventh grade, too.
Sony Ericsson’s surgically attached human thumbs: gross. I still can’t stop wondering about whoever the hapless thumb donor was.
As for the the Chatter.com spots, after each one I wanted to shout, “I demand you return the last thirty seconds of my life plus interest.”
A troublesome comment in the wake of the Super Bowl came from an advertiser whose spots offended. His rationale? That the spots “got people talking.” This is the poor advertiser’s classic cop-out. When was the last time you hired a salesperson and tasked him or her with — or paid commissions for — “getting people talking?”
—Steve Cuno