In the broadest of contexts, the slate of Super Bowl XLVII ads was an impressive collection of strategic, fun, and in several cases, memorable marketing communication. I felt even stronger about the efforts after taking a second look at each ad that appeared during the game. By and large, the advertising seemed a bit smarter overall;
fewer sophomoric spots, fewer animal gags, and more ties to an actual brand position. That’s progress in my book even if I wasn’t constantly bowled over during the game itself.
As we’ve done the past three years, we like to analyze the spots that do a particularly great job of connecting a brand its audience, whether that audience is extremely broad or more targeted. And, for fun, we like to call out a few that we think just missed the mark. (more…)
Do you know who Bill Glass is? If the name doesn’t ring a bell, his face certainly will. He’s the seemingly ubiquitous actor that shows up in commercial after commercial for many top marketers. Let me first say that I have nothing at all against Bill Glass. In fact, I think he is tremendous in every ad he’s been cast in. But, like they say in that ESPN Monday Night Countdown segment, C’MON MAN! 
I took in Celebrity Apprentice on Sunday night. Outside of American Idol it’s one of the few reality shows I can handle watching regularly. On this episode the showcase marketer was Kodak. I will admit that the Apprentice franchise can be a solid product placement play, especially for a brand/sub-brand launches. And, Kodak’s stated goal was for the contestants to create a storefront to help relaunch the “Kodak Moments” campaign. Laudable.
March Madness is upon us. For the true sports fan, there is no better 2 ½ weeks than the annual NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament. I know we’re just coming off an exciting few weeks of winter Olympic excitement, but for the more traditional sports follower, this is as good as it gets. And, let’s face it; the Olympics aren’t conducive to office pools.