Just a quick thought. A few days ago, we were all patting Pepsi on the back for being different and for recognizing the power of social media when it was announced that they were abstaining from the Super Bowl advertising orgy this year and instead launching a socially conscious social media campaign.
There was a Super Bowl gathering at my abode, and in between cooking, conversation and conviviality around the Saints, we Googled, blogged and surfed the social networks. Because we work in the business, our web use centered around the Super Bowl advertising. And while most commercials were disappointing, there were some stood out from the overdone guy humor that was abundant this year. I am not going to get into my opinion of what advertising was good, bad or ugly - you can find more than enough commentary about that here, here and here. I want to talk about is the morphing of the event into an online social experience.
Watching the Super Bowl has always been a social event: friends gather, eat, drink, boo and cheer. The advent of social media made our parties grow exponentially over the last couple of years as we interacted with those we knew online in addition to those watching the game with us in person. Last year, 12% of Super Bowl viewers were online during the game, according to Mashable. But this year, rather than having to search out the pertinent discussions on Twitter and Facebook separately, communities have developed around areas of interest, be it sports, food or advertising. Hashtags are now used more consistently, making search for relevant commentary outside those communities easier, too. With these community hubs and hashtag prevalence, our online interactions have gone from just the people we know (and the people they know) to introductions to people, content and views we might never have stumbled upon before. And just when we thought we couldn’t be more connected to the world.
I didn’t want the Super Bowl fun to end last night. In years past, I have only watched the Super Bowl for the commercials, and even then become bored by the second half. Last night was different, it was bigger and it felt like my world expanded just a little bit more. And that is always a good thing for the curious being that is me.
For fun, here is my favorite commercial of the night. Although, as it turns out, it has been around for a few months, last night was my first viewing.
From the people that brought us the drumming gorilla, a new spot for Cadbury appears. It is great fun, just as chocolate should be. The drumming gorilla was a great viral success for Cadbury, and it looks as if this one has that potential too.
For those of you that do not remember the drumming gorilla, here it is (if it hasn’t been removed yet for copyright infringement):
Frequent readers of this blog know my opinion of the hit show Mad Men. I won’t go into another rant about it. I am not opposed to television shows that feature the advertising industry, however. I just want them to not make us look that bad. So, I am excited about a new show that premiers next week on TNT called “Trust Me.” Stay tuned for my opinions next week.
What interests me about this new show is that it is going to promote real products, according to an article in the New York Times.
I am a sucker for dance videos. They just make me happy. T-Mobile has a new “Life is for Sharing” campaign that uses dance videos on their YouTube channel as an example of one of those fun moments in life you like to share. The campaign is complete with a dance video contest. This is the perfect use of a brand’s YouTube channel. Check out the T-Mobile Dance Video:
I did not attend the AAAA’s Account Management Conference last month, and reading the summary, I wish that I had. I have always said that I love my job for its diversity: I must learn about the advertising business, but also the businesses of each of my clients and how to apply communications strategies to it to build the business. I like to dig in, do research and educate myself on all aspects of a business, and my job allows me to do that. Reading the summary of Observations for the 2008 Account Management Conference, I felt even better about my agency position. My favorite job description so far:
“Because the discipline has undergone a sea change, Hill said today’s account managers have the most exciting job in advertising, acting as ‘equal parts juggler, mediator, father confessor, mother creator and brand steward, all rolled up into one exacting and brilliant mind.’ She compared the job of account manager to executive producer of a big-budget Hollywood film.”
Remember the days when news anchors did the advertisements too? I don’t. But, I have seen video of it. It seems that in our days of DVR, television shows are trying to find new ways to generate advertising revenue from those advertisers who are trying to avoid being fast-forwarded. Jimmel Kimmel Live now has its host (Jimmy Kimmel) giving live ad-lib commercials to those who pay. This is brilliant. You can read more detail here. This “new” technique is so popular that the show is almost sold out through the end of the year. And, according to IAG Research:
“‘They are a good story for both the networks and for advertisers,’ says Rachel Mueller-Lust, executive VP of the network division. Mueller-Lust explained that IAG tracks ads shown alongside live commercials and those that aired standalone without any reference to program content. Live commercials coupled with a media buy give a huge lift to brand recall. ‘It is a very successful approach,’ Mueller-Lust said.”
YouTube is the most popular video site on the web with more than 330 million users. And while the site really generates little to no revenue, Google purchased it for $1.65 billion in 2006. It has kind of been like that popular kid living off a trust-fund, with no need or requirement to get a real job and earn his keep. Until now.
YouTube is introducing longer format videos that include advertising. The launch is with CBS and includes full-length episodes of popular shows ranging in length from 20 to 48 minutes. In addition to offering the video free to viewers, there will be a “theater” mode to improve viewing experience. See full story here.
This sounds like a winner to me. It would be great if they could offer geo-targeting for the advertisements that appear before/during/after the video to allow local marketers to get in on the action with viewers in their areas.
“I watched off and on in the first season, and loved everything about the look and sound of it (the smoke, the tight-fitting clothing, the lacquered-down hair, the clink of the ice in the cocktails, the music). Still, I couldn’t get past the outrageous womanizing and brutality of the story line. It was too painful to watch. So, no matter how graphically attuned with the opening credits that the JWT ad looked, I saw it as an amazingly boneheaded move. Why would a modern agency want to align itself with this depiction of advertising — to show that they are as backward seeming and generally ethics-free as the ad “boys” on the show? Way to go, JWT!”
