Monday, February 7, 2011

A Post Marketing America

Well yesterday was the Superbowl. I was very happy to see a team I've loved since childhood play another team I've loved since childhood and even more happy that my favorite won.

I will confess that I stopped watching regular season games a few years ago because of the behavior of the NFL and the players. The sport has really lost its appeal for me because of the elevation of monsters like Michael Vick. It also puzzles me that OJ Simpson retains his Hall of Fame status and yet Pete Rose is barred. I like baseball better anyway, so it's okay, but I think it needs to be said sometimes. But what do I know? I'm just a girl. :)

However, the Superbowl does still have something for me as a devotee of all things marketing and advertising. I'm addicted to great advertising. I'd have a hard time choosing between a Sugar Mama's cupcake and beautiful Absolut Vodka print ad. Or between this commercial and a two week vacation in Hawaii. That's how much I love great commercial messages.

So I was very much looking forward to this year's "Brand Bowl" as its affectionately called among those of us who are marketing junkies.

I'm sure you can imagine my horror, then, when instead of hilarious and inspiring and memorable (in a positive way) commercials yesterday, I saw a man licking Dorito dust off a coworker's fingers and PANTS, a baby being thrown against a window (Home Away), an incredibly offensive joke about Tibet's struggles with China (Groupon), a Pepsi commercial you had to send kids out of the room for (and there were a lot of kids in the room) and an old man coughing diesel smoke (BMW). There were really horrified reactions in our group, which was by no means a collection of overly sensitive and humorless people. The ads were just... GROSS.

After the shock and urge to wash my hands wore off, I realized what we saw is the result of mass layoffs of marketing teams over the last few years since the recession really bit us. Marketing departments were the first to go. Second was the outsourced marketing. Apparently some of these companies were left with coming up with their own advertising ideas, in consultation with perhaps 12 year old boys who had had a case of Mountain Dew and agreed to give their expert opinions for free.

If you are on Twitter and watched the wave of reactions to these ads - I watched them in real time and it was quite the tsunami of pans - you saw that these companies probably got the message that they should go on a hiring spree, stat. Some of them may not recover from that debacle. We will see. Sincerity wins, so perhaps a sincere response to a mistake will do more for them than a decent ad would have.

However, I say, all the more reason to make your next car either a Volkswagen or a Chrysler, based on these two absolutely wonderful ads.




Well done. Hit all the right notes.

So to combat the low budget weirdness, I bring you the closest I could get to Green Bay colors without just being weird. :) I picked Peach Parfait instead of gold and Wild Wasabi for the green. The sweet little girl is from Greeting Card Kids and the embossing folder is Finial Press. It's VERY simple and quick - really fun card. If you like it, I'll be teaching a class with this as one of our cards in a few weeks - so if you want to come - email me! In the meantime, I'll be bleaching my brain to rid it of some of yesterday's visuals! :D

Loveyameanitbye.


10 comments:

  1. Sweet and fun card. Love the peach here, the image and your pretty ribbon! Great take on the commercials too!

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  2. The card is adorable! And that Chrysler commercial, makes me tear up just a little. Love it so much! And love the tag line "Imported from Detroit" - that is so full of awesome. Sigh. Love my home state! The Passat one is so stinkin' cute too, made me smile big time.

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  3. here, here! i agree 100% that this year's ads were awful, with the exception of the Volkswagen ad, which made me laugh and clap at the same time.

    perhaps we should all revolt and do something else during the commercials next year. think the 12 year olds would get the hint?

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  4. Three things...
    1. I agree with every word you said from "elevation of monsters ... to ...Rose is barred"
    2. I don't have TV but was able to see the ads online....Love the volkswagon beetle, the Chevy Silverado and the two Chrysler ads you mentioned
    3. cute card

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  5. Sweet card! I was rooting for Green Bay - how can you not love a team who plays in ice and snow and whose fans wear cheese on their heads!

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  6. Hooray!
    Both for your card and for the Detroit ad :)
    I love my city, and I love that ad. Got it just right, too.

    I mean, little Darth was cute too, but I gotta represent!

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  7. I do have to say that the Doritos add was very creepy but made me laugh and puke at the same time.
    I loved the little vader guy.
    Your card is so pretty! I will be so glad next week when I can go and create a card because my room will be all clean and organized.

    Well gotta go get the cookies ready for the class!
    TTFN

    M

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  8. I felt the same way on those commercials. The only two that really brought a smile to my face was the Budweiser's "tiny dancer" ad and of course Darth Vader - which I just loved.

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  9. Yes. yeah. yep. yup. and uh huh! TOTALLY agree my friend, and as a marketing maj. in college i'd like to add embarrassed to your horrified. BOTH ring true, don't they? CA-UTE card and just what I needed to not have to think about doritos for a minute! Great coloring too! <3

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  10. I missed out on ALL the commercials, so thank you for posting these. Watching the Chrysler one, just now? I got tears in my eyes and one word came out of my mouth, "Wow". THAT was beautifully done. Just like the Budweiser commercial.

    Your card? Equally as beautiful. xo

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