First and low down
The desperation is showing. Isn’t it sad that television advertisers showcased their panic during the most-watched broadcast of the year. Dubbed the “Super Bowl of Sleaze” by media’s Monday morning quarterbacks, Super Bowl XXXVIII told the tale of a troubled medium. At a time when TV broadcasters are frantically trying to draw and hold viewers, media ad agencies threw their supposed best into the games’ 30 spots. Best? Let’s see: There were plenty of crotch jokes (Bud Light’s “Bad Dog” was positively painful, according to everyone in the mixed group with which I watched). In addition, there were ads featuring flatulent horses and assorted other below-the-belt themes. Charming. And let’s not forget the spots sure to endear their brands to specific demographics: I’ll bet the AARP crowd just loved the Lays commercial in which Grandpa beats up Grandma for a bag of chips; and the 52% of the population that happen to be female must have been delighted by the screaming wife conditioning her henpecked husband for his job as a referee in ads for Budweiser.
It isn’t too hard to figure out what’s going on: While the word is out among advertising pundits that this year’s upfront will be a far cry from last year’s overheated buying spree, media agencies have been tracking the disappearance of an entire demographic of viewers — 18-24-year-old males. The guys have gone MIA as they turn to other entertainment platforms (we had a story on this in February PROMO). Frantic to draw and hold viewers, the media ad geniuses, along with CBS and sister station MTV, produced a Super Bowl designed for post-adolescent boys. (Notice I haven’t mentioned the Timberlake-Jackson scandal du jour? Let’s just keep the focus on the brands.) In the process of playing to that one demographic, they succeeded in ticking off — or boring — a lot of other potential customers.
So what did work? One of the best commercials of the entire Super Bowl broadcast supported a promotion: The Pepsi/iPod ad featured teens who were arrested last year for illegal music downloads. The spot was edgy, and enhanced both brands, while driving participation in a sweeps for free and legal music access. And it’s an ad that will produce measureable results. In addition to the knuckle-biter finish (go Pats!), it was my favorite part of the show. As for the rest…I’m ready for TiVo.
For some great examples of good customer relationship building, check out our cover story on U.K. retailer Tesco, as well as our review of some of the most innovative loyalty programs in the market.
