I realize I'm a bit of a cynic, but bear in mind that I'm in advertising. And a good commercial can make me straight-up weepy. Believe it or not, I appreciate sentimental, (air quotes) "cute" advertising just as much as the next Iowa farmer's wife on two glasses of Zin. And I am pretty tolerant of the cute animal extortion every brand seems to dabble in from time to time.
But honestly, I CAN'T BELIEVE that America thought these were among the best spots of the Super Bowl. If you missed them, take a look: Circus, Fetch, Generations.
HAHAHAHAHAH! AWWWWWW! Weren't those just a delight? You're probably thirsty for a crisp, cool, full-flavored Budweiser.
Or if you're like me, you're craving a super-sized box of Kotex to cram into your ears and sop up the blood that's seeping out of your brain. Don't be fooled, people, they're not good. There is NO idea here. None. Rather, a group of probably very talented, very constricted creatives were told they had to come up with something adorable and nipple-free that had to do with clydesdales, and this is what they delivered. And to them I say...boooooooo.
Guy throws stick. Cute dog gets stick. Handsome horse gets tree. Millions of viewers piddle themselves with glee. In thirty sappy, mindless seconds, Budweiser proudly proclaimed: THIS IS NOT THE BEER FOR YOU! Please stay tuned for one of our Bud Light ads, which has been outfitted with the appropriate number of wiener jokes for your demographic. Sorry for wasting your time.
But is the typical Budweiser drinker compelled by this type of fluff? Or should Budweiser just sell their ideas to the audiences who are more successfully reached by this type of advertising?
I kid, I kid. Well, mostly. Honestly, there wasn't a lot to choose from as far as Super Bowl-worthy advertising goes. But what about the adorable and beautifully-done Coke ad? What about the CareerBuilder ad, which made you realize how bad hating your job would be and how therapeutic it would be to punch a cute animal once in awhile?
Right now I have a hankering to punch a few horses, anyway.
2 comments:
I wholeheartedly agree. Very low bar this year in terms of Super Bowl creative. In fact, I think the Pepsi "Dylan/Wil.I.Am" was one of my faves, and by any other year's standard it's middle of the pack at best. I wonder if the emphasis behind "top notch creative" being such a vital component in online, "viral" videos has in some ways lessened the importance people place on it in boradcast? Thoughts?
PS - Are you watching the new TNT show "Trust Me," Monday nights at 10pm? It's fantastic, and I love it - probably in no small part because I work in advertising and it's SO dead on. It was created by two ex-ad men... so you KNOW it's gotta be good! ;)
Your theory is plausible, although I can't imagine how anyone could right-mindedly undervalue the importance of an audience of 95.4 million people who are actually looking forward to the commercials. Chocolate Rain only has 33.8 million views. Just sayin'.
And as far as "Trust Me" goes, I haven't, but you're not the first to endorse it. I will resolve to watch it next week, so long as I don't accidentally get drunk and forget.
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