Superbowl Commercials

After taking marketing courses, I catch myself analyzing commercials, advertisements, and other types of promotions. Needless to say, I definitely watched the Superbowl just for the commercials. For the most part, I wasn't too impressed by the ads this year. But here are some of my thoughts/analysis of some commercials.

Target Audience: Adult males, specifically 18-45 years old (my guess), sports fanatics
Values/needs: Fun, entertainment, food, girls, cars
Macroenvironmental factors: recession = need for security/stability; the green movement; Valentine's day is coming up = do something for loved one

FloTV: Spineless

I thought this was perfect in regards to having a value that meets a need. In my family, the guys HATE going shopping with me and my mom. They complain about how long we take and want to know when we're going home. Whenever we go shopping, I have to remind my brother to bring a book or his Nintendo DS so he'll have something to keep him entertained. I totally thought about my brother when I saw the guy in the commercial. Now thanks to FloTV, whenever the guys accompany girls shopping, they can watch sports to pass time. However, I think this commercial lacks the crude humor and aggression that would make this a PERFECT commercial for this target audience.

Hyundai: Brett Favre

Almost any sports fanatic knows who Brett Favre is and how he can't make up his mind if he's retiring or not. The problem is uncertainty. So the value that Hyundai provides is certainty and security because they have a warranty. I wasn't very impressed with most of the car commercials tonight except maybe Bachelor Party with the killer whale. But this one was probably the best for this target audience.

PERSONAL SUPERBOWL FAVORITES
Doritos: Play Nice

"Don't touch my mama, and don't touch my Doritos." Men desire women and food. This kid slaps the boyfriend to defend his woman (mom) and his food (Doritos). REALLY cute.

Google: Parisian Love

THIS WAS SO CUTE! Wow, google did a fantastic job with this one. By filling the screen with the search bar, it seems as if the viewer is the one typing, which allows for a deeper connection to the commercial. The searches start with college, then dating, then climaxes to getting married at a church and finally ends with planning for pregnancy. Family ties are one of the strongest in relationships, so this should really hit home for most people. Very good commercial, Google.

Also liked: Audi's Green Police and Cars.com's Growing up. They both based their ads on current macroenvironmental factors. This green movement has a lot of parts to it that can get overwhelming or confusing, but Audi makes it clear and simple: you can trust that their car is the greenest. And the cars.com one also catered to people who are freaking out during the recession and need a source they can really trust that can help them make the best decision possible.

Questionable: Coke's Simpsons Moving & Sleep Walking
WHAT IS COKE DOING?! It seems a bit out of character for them. They tend to be more traditional. Well, I can sorta see the Simpson's one... it has the same flavor as their Video Game (Grand theft auto) and Jinx (political parties at peace) commercials with the Coke Side of Life campaign. The Simpsons one also plays on how the recession can bring even the highest people down, but Coke will always be there to bring you happiness. But the Sleep Walking commercial?! I don't know... maybe it is because I've been to Kenya and know how unrealistic that is. And at first, it wasn't so obvious as to why he needs happiness. But I suppose it is because he's dreaming and anything is happen (animals) and people dream for happiness. But overall, I wasn't a big fan of the Coke commercials this year.

Dove: You are a man

I'm quite skeptical about this product line. Dove is associated with women and true beauty and gentleness. Even the logo of a dove is a very peaceful and feminine animal. Why would "real" men want to be associated with that? Sports fanatics want to be strong, rough and aggressive. Definitely not a match with the messaging.