Monday morning quarterbacks: tba's Super Bowl sound bites

Naturally, when you work at an advertising and PR firm, you spend the Monday following the Super Bowl rehashing the ads. We all become office-chair QBs, with our Monday morning staff meeting dominated by discussion of the ads, what we liked, what was weird, and what completely bombed. Some sound bites from that discussion follow for your review. Let us know your thoughts as well. And please vote in our poll for your favorite 2010 Super Bowl spot.

After a year of bad economic news, unemployment and political discourse, it’s refreshing to see humor make a comeback. Yet, despite all the cleverness, it’s nice to know a simple ad concept from Google can be so memorable. –Thomas Becher

Someone Please Sack Betty White Again. A note to all advertisers: The more Betty White gets sacked, the more product you sell. Simple. –Mike Quonce

There were movie trailers galore and free Grand Slams at Denny's. Men with no pants and women like Betty White getting tackled. But it seems to me Doritos has gone off of the deep end and E*Trade can't top shankapotomus from last year. I think it's time for some new ideas and a new trend of humor. My favorite was the Dodge Charger spot, it was hilarious to me. –Christina Knapp

It’s the one night of the year when people actually look forward to the ads as much as the content and aside from a few standouts, it was a disappointing year for advertisers. The cheapest ad to produce had the most impact on me. Google’s simple and captivating “Paris” spot was my #1. It left me wanting to see other story lines and executions – perhaps one with more humor and less sap. The Doritos spots were all over the place; I did enjoy the little tyke slapping the mom’s date, but the coffin spot left me with a WTF feeling? From a strategic perspective, Snickers seemed to do well combining humor with a message (when usually only humor comes through in Super Bowl spots). As far as the worst: GoDaddy. Their spots are a tasteless embarrassment to Super Bowl advertising and make me want to buy domain names elsewhere. –Carolyn Kiser

The Audi Green Police spot creates a fun twist on a much discussed topic, the environment. I thought it was successful at captivating the audience’s attention by using a classic tune and then waiting till the very end to give the product’s name away. –Aimee Drysdale

I really enjoyed the ads from Google, Hyundai and CareerBuilder.com, but I think the beaver spot from Monster.com was my favorite of the night. I was disappointed by Focus on the Family and the U.S. Census Bureau. Both generated a lot of controversy just by advertising, but their ads were dull and poorly written. –Ariel Clark

Last year an estimated 95 million people tuned in to watch the Super Bowl and with all the hype surrounding the commercials, its no wonder companies spend millions upon millions to have their messages and brands splashed across the television screen. But another interesting approach to the big advertising showcase is to create an ad that won't air, which in turn drives a media storm, along with viral sensations and an exploding blogosphere of the things we didn't see. But you have to give credit (or at least marvel in the strategy) of taking advantage of the Super Bowl advertising hype. And ManCrunch and Focus on Family are the clear winners. These spots have not only lit up the newswires, blogosphere, social networking sites, etc. but have strong potential to be talked about in year's to come. Don't believe me? Do a quick Google News search and see what comes up. Or just Google "Super Bowl ads we didn't see" and sit back and enjoy. Well played. As the old adage goes, "any press is good press" and especially when Super Bowl season comes around. –Mike Quonce

The Bud Light house spot is so different from anything I have seen and gives a fun and comic edge to drinking Bud Light. It’s definitely gave me a laugh out loud moment! –Aimee Drysdale

Would your brand get a golden ticket?

by Carolyn Kiser

As I was watching the American Idol auditions these past few weeks, I couldn't help but think about all the hopefuls as brands. And that is what they all are and that is how they are being evaluated - whether they have the package to become a national (or international) pop icon and brand.

There are four basic categories of people who audition for the show: (1) truly talented people, (2) people with a decent voice, (3) people that just want 15 minutes of fame and (4) the people who are tone-deaf but actually believe they can sing. Brands exist in each of these groups, of course. But in this stage of the competition, the real branding is with the people in groups 2 and 3 as described above. Let's start with the second group.

There are thousands of people in the second group - the people with a fairly decent voice. And because they may not get in front of Simon and the judges based on their voice alone, they have to somehow make themselves stand out. That is where the branding comes into play. Among the above-average hopefuls - it is the ones that differentiate themselves who actually get a chance to make it in front of the panel of judges for a shot at the golden ticket. Think of some of the more recent notorious Idol-wannabes: Bikini Girl and Norman Gentle from Season 8 and from this season - Guitar Girl, the former Barney child-actor with the whip, and of course, Ski Bo Skii. In these cases, it was definitely not their voices alone that got them to Hollywood, but their ability to break through.

And the fame-seekers in group 3 have a similar strategy. They have all seen the show and know they need to do something truly outrageous to get in front of the judges. Bikini boy, weird voices, terrible dances, crazy outfits, you name it. But the best of the fame-seekers was this year's singer/songwriter "General" Larry Platt and his "Pants on the ground" act. The general has turned his brand into the craze of American Idol Season 9, with Pants-on-the-ground t-shirts even being sold on AmericanIdol.com.

So what do the Idol auditions teach us about brands? It reminds us that in a sea of sameness, it is critical to differentiate yourself in order to stand out from your competition and ultimately impress your target audience. How is your brand different?

Does your brand have a spray tan?

by Carolyn Kiser
As I was gearing up for a black tie New Year’s party, I did something I have never done before. I got a spray tan. For those unfamiliar, it is like getting your body spray- painted and can make some people look more like an oompa loompa from Charlie’s chocolate factory than someone from South Beach.

Anyway, I was fortunate enough not to look like a person painted orange. However, it was sprayed on and therefore, not permanent. As my color faded over the following days, my true semi-pasty color returned. This slight transformation reminded me of branding.

Let me explain.

In most all cases, successful brands are not just a result of fancy advertising and marketing, rather they are successful because they are true to their core. They have a 360-degree brand; their external brand (what they communicate to their customers) aligns with their internal brand (how they operate and run their day-to-day business).

Think of brands that you like and why you like them. My personal favorites are Zappos, Nordstrom, Whole Foods, and Chick-Fil-A. And not just because I love shoes and food, but because the brand and customer experience is authentic. I get a consistent experience from what the brand promises in their ads and their external messages as I do when I interact with the brand. Whether it is a customer service call to Zappos or a shopping trip to Whole Foods, the brand is successfully reinforced at every consumer touch point.

So how does branding relate to my spray tan experience? Well, unfortunately, many companies approach branding like a spray tan. They try to be something they are not. And the problem is, eventually the façade will disappear and the pale underbelly is exposed.

So ask yourself, are you OK with your customers seeing your underbelly? If not, you may need to look at your brand, starting from the inside and working out.

Lessons learned from the airline industry

by Thomas Becher, APR

In my previous corporate career I served as media spokesman for Northwest Airlines – the same airline that carried the alleged attempted bomber (and coincidentally is finalizing its merger with Delta Air Lines).

My first thought upon hearing about the Christmas Day incident was that I was thankful this was wasn’t a disaster. But the global media onslaught that followed also reminded me of the public relations lessons the high-profile airline industry can impart on other businesses:

• A crisis can happen anytime. Bad news does not take a holiday – nor does a situation have to be your fault for you to be affected.



• A crisis can percolate before you even know about it. Passengers on that Northwest flight were taking photos and video and making phone calls even before airline management was fully informed. In this age of technology, there’s no time to wait to react.



• Embrace social media as a crisis tool. In a society of instant communication, a simple message on Twitter can help calm fears.



• Communicate early, communicate often. Recovering from a crisis requires constant communication to all your stakeholders.



• Have a communications plan. Determine what can go wrong and how you will communicate during a crisis.

Media Snacking

by Carolyn Kiser

I am a snacker. Not one to eat a big meal, I eat about 5-6 mini-meals or snacks a day. I also love to graze – pick at a bowl of nuts or take a bite of a cupcake (never the whole thing). In fact, I rarely ever finish what is on my plate. Not necessarily because I get full or give myself too large a portion, but because I am bored with a piece of chicken or bowl of pasta by the time I am halfway through. That’s why I am a big fan of tapas.

But this blog is not about my personal relationship with food – his is about our society being full of snackers. And again, I am not talking about food snacking. I am referring to how people consume information and media. With thousands of blog posts (including this one), tweets, photo comments, headlines, news feeds, etc., ask yourself this: how often do you read the whole article? We may start to read an article from our custom news feed, get partly through it and then jump to twitter or read a newsletter just landed in our inbox.

I am not suggesting whether this is good or bad, merely pointing out the fact that most of us prefer a snack to a five-course meal. Sure, we may not get as satisfied as we would have had we indulged in the entire article, but we do get a chance to sample a variety of perspectives and information. So for a society of snackers, can you fit your message into 140 characters or less? If not, you may lose most of us who have moved on to the next tweet, post, status update, news feed, text, or email.

Social Media Starts With Strategy

By Thomas Becher

By now businesses have recognized the value of social media. When done well and used the right way, social media such as Facebook and Twitter can develop customer relationships, reach new audiences and build your brand.

But social media, despite what you may have heard, is not the end-all to marketing. In fact, it’s just another tool in an expanding communications toolbox.

Social media is hot right now, and some form of it will certainly morph in the future, especially with mobile applications. Yet other media aren’t going anywhere. When TV came out people dismissed radio, and today radio is as strong as ever. And despite predictions of gloom, print publications remain relevant and engaging.

What you use to communicate your message depends on your goals. As the media landscape becomes more fragmented, it’s really about understanding which channels to use to engage your audience and using that tool effectively to help achieve objectives even as the toolbox gets bigger.

Like other communications methods such as advertising and public relations, social media must start with strategy. Before embarking in social media, you must ask a number of questions – Who is your audience? What are their demographics? How are they influenced? How do they think? What are your business goals? In other words, what do you want to accomplish as a result of the communications?

Depending on the industry and the target audience, we encourage our clients to utilize social media when it makes sense for their business. Sometimes social media does not make sense. Where appropriate, though, it’s a powerful customer engagement and awareness vehicle that can certainly help spark conversation and develop new relationships with your audience. But it’s not for everyone. Nor is it a “get it and forget it” tool. It is something that needs to constantly be updated, monitored and nurtured to be effective.

So there needs to be a strategy and process in place before starting a Facebook fan page or creating a Twitter account. Social media is like a shiny new toy. Everyone’s talking about it, everyone wants to hold it. But does everyone know how to use it properly?

Go ask your father.

By Ariel Clark

Similar to the parent who is asked, “Where do babies come from?” by a young child, many creatives struggle to come up a good answer when asked about the birth of ideas. Certainly the truth about each is more mysterious, complex and gruesome than “The stork brings them,” but rarely do we go out of our way to explain in full.

Generally, the process of idea generation gets little consideration from the client and their audience. They are far more concerned with increasing their bottom line and being entertained, respectively and justifiably. If the creative process is explained to the client at any point, it usually is described like this:

Read brief. Work on concepts and thumbnail sketches. Arrive at big idea.

Unfortunately, this is pretty much never the way things go. (Though if such an inspiring brief exists, it would probably get more exposure than this one.) The cold, hard truth is that there is no one winning formula. Sure, tackling a job well-informed with a comprehensive brief is necessary to understand the message you are trying to convey. And yes, there are methods of brainstorming out there, but truly great ideas usually materialize from the ether, sometimes at the oddest moments. In the shower. At the movies. Those quiet moments right before sleep.

Every creative carries the burden of not knowing where our next great idea will come from. Luckily, a common trait among our kind is the ability to pull inspiration from all around us. And as scary as not knowing when or where an idea will strike is, it means we are open to them coming at us from all over, from any source. It’s sort of liberating, really.

A better explanation of the creative process would read like this:

Read brief. Begin concepting. Gather CA's at your desk to look for inspiration. Surf stock photography sites looking for inspiration. Surf favorite food blogs looking for ideas for dinner. Meet friends for a drink. (Ok, a few drinks.) Unwind at home by watching Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3 on DVD. Round out the evening with some Guitar Hero. Sleep on it. Grab some coffee on the way into work because today you are going to "nail it." Stare at your blank screen awash in fear of failure and coffee jitters. Go back to the CA's. Meet friend for lunch. Take notes on napkin during conversation about her ex (there's definitely something there). Back at office, review notes, brief and food blogs one more time... and PRESTO! Great idea!

Truly great ideas are born when your brain is able to unconsciously chew on the message and its audience. Sometimes you need a few sips of a stiff drink to get the mix right, sometimes it’s as easy as stepping away from the computer and taking a walk. Wherever they come from, creatives and clients should take comfort knowing that the well can’t really run dry. As the world shifts, societies expand and grow, and Guitar Hero continues to release special editions, we’ll always have something to inspire a good idea.