What a year brings! Her ‘accident’ (last time with quotes, I promise) signaled a major chance in moral attitude last year. Suddenly, we were talking about how un-family the Superbowl was becoming (apparently, the Swedish Bikini team has all along been considered wholesome family fodder). Not to mention the flatulent horse, and the monkey that aggressively (and disgustingly) hit on his owner’s date.
I’ll even hazard a guess, that the Janet Jackson flap (flap – get it?) started the moral outrage wave, and because of her, the American Moral majority was strengthened, and the U.S. President regained his office on the promise of protecting Americans from further immoral activities.
Or maybe not. But I do like thinking it.
In any case, this year’s selection was much tamer (except for the kitty and the sauce – apparently some people were even offended by that), and much more enjoyable. But this is a business column, so I’ll go to the business tip – don’t forget to mention your company!
Why? As you look over some of the better ads, ask yourself who they were for, and then ask if the $2.4 million was worth it for brand recognition:
- Kitty and the red sauce.
- The overprotective Spanish parrot.
- Burt Reynolds and the bear.
Personally, I vote for Burt and the bear – it helped that they fought and danced in front of a store counter. But was that Kinko’s, or FedEx?
Of course, with ads this huge, you’re going to get replayed over and over, which adds to the exposure – but if people can’t figure out who you are, who’s actually getting known?
Oh, there was one other ad I noted – Mustang. A truly ponderous and moronic ad, but at the end, you have no doubt about the product, or the company.
And since Ford could care less what I think, I believe that sums it up – better stupid and remembered than smart and forgotten.
Boy, does that ever sum up this decade!
