Hasta La Creative!

Twenty percent of Americans speak a language other than English at home; 55% of Americans support same-sex marriage and 87% of Americans support interracial marriage.

With those numbers in mind, how does a commercial about an interracial family eating cereal draw more controversy and criticism than Radio Shack’s Beats Pill Blurred Lines Ad?

Back in May, Cheerios released the first version of its Super Bowl ad with the young girl talking about heart health with her white mother and then giving heart healthy cheerios to her black father. With almost 5 million YouTube views, this was the most watched cereal ad in history, and it turned out to be the most controversial.

A small minority of the American population thought the ad was offensive, which lead to thousands of blog posts, tweets, comments, and news clips supporting Cheerios and the General Mills brand.

This average commercial was a huge win for Cheerios because of the free media coverage it received (see Google Trends) and because the brand looked like a hero when it stood by its cause.

“There are many kinds of families, and Cheerios celebrates them all,” Camille Gibson, vice president of marketing for Cheerios told USA Today, “it’s been a very positive response overall.”

The ad was enough of a success that Cheerios brought back the family for the Super Bowl. This would have been major news had Coca-Cola not stolen Cheerios’ thunder.

Coca-Cola’s “It’s Beautiful” ad angered conservative Americans who believe English should be the only language spoken in our country. Most were so up in arms about the rampant use of Spanish, Hindi, and five other foreign languages that they didn’t even note the two dads roller-skating with their daughter halfway through – the first gay couple to be featured in a Super Bowl ad, nonetheless.

Coca-Cola’s message isn’t that we should all learn Tagalog, it’s that Coca-Cola is a product for everyone, no matter their race, gender, age, or sexual orientation.

“‘It’s Beautiful’ is exactly what Coca-Cola is all about: celebrating the diversity that makes this country great and the fact that anyone can thrive here and be happy. We hope the ad gets people talking and thinking about what it means to be proud to be American,” said Katie Bayne, president, North America Brands, Coca-Cola North America said in a press release.

Both of these ads took simple, inclusive messages, presented them in a warm-hearted way, and faced media firestorms as the result. There’s no doubt that the Cheerios ad was a success, and the Coca-Cola ad prompted media outside of lifestyle and marketing outlets to cover the company and the ad. Five days after the Super Bowl, people are still talking about it.

This begs the question: when will brands start to actively poke the bear using wholesome ads? Arguably they already are. When One Million Moms protested JC Penney for hiring lesbian spokesperson Ellen DeGeneres, they created an ad with two gay dads.

Wholesome is the new edgy. Family-friendly brands don’t need to be offensive by objectifying women or trying to make their products look tough, they simply need to lean slightly toward the left, and endless media coverage and brand advocates will follow.

This contributed article was written by Amanda Dodge, a writer and editor at CopyPress.

So you think everyone stops what they’re doing to watch commercials during the Super Bowl? It’s a wildly held belief that it’s the one time of the year, people actually do pay attention to commercials.

Adobe has another thought on that topic…

In a game that only a Seattle Seahawks fan would find entertaining, it was a cuddly commercial featuring a Clydesdale horse bonding with a puppy that won America’s vote in SpotBowl’s annual Super Bowl commercial poll.

The poll, in its 11th year, was created by advertising agency, Pavone. SpotBowl was presented this year by Adrants.

The winning spot by Anheuser-Busch, known as “Puppy Love,” was the pre-game buzz
winner, racking up nearly 34 million views on YouTube before the game even started. The ad took an early lead immediately after the game and remained among the leaders until the polls closed at 3 p.m. EST on Monday afternoon. Anheuser-Busch held off a late surge by RadioShack’s “The 80’s Called,” which finished second in the rankings.

Rounding out the SpotBowl top five was Anheuser-Busch’s “Hero’s Welcome,” Doritos’ “Time Machine,” and Audi’s “Doberhuahua,” which featured an out-of-control Doberman/Chihuahua mix.

“The big question every year is which will be more entertaining – the game or the ads? It’s safe to say the ads were the stars last night, but not by much,” said SpotBowl co-founder and Pavone CEO, Michael Pavone. “The fact that nearly half of them were released online before the game might have something to do with why so many viewers were a little underwhelmed.”

In last place on the SpotBowl leaderboard was an entry by Subway featuring Olympians talking about the restaurant’s new sandwich. Spots for GoDaddy, AXE and Maserati were also at the bottom of the SpotBowl rankings.

What did I think of the annual ad-fest?

I told SpotBowl’s Michael Pavone, “Generally, I was disappointed with what I saw. Brands played it safe, and nothing really reached out and grabbed you or threw you on the floor in a pile of laughter,. I was, however, pleased with RadioShack’s ad (‘The 80’s Called’). The spot works because it brings back memories for the old and serves up a retro vibe for the young. It very clearly and intelligently repositioned the brand.”

For a complete listing of the game’s winners and losers, visit spotbowl.com.

It’s kind of like the rule of movie sequels. In almost every case, the sequels are never as good as the original. And this is the case with Bob Dylan’s Chrysler ad. After Clint Eastwood, there really is no follow up. Hey, Dylan is awesome but “There’s nothing morew American than America”? Really? Really?

Three-time Super Bowl MVP Joe Montana will join M&M’S Brand “spokescandy” Yellow, to deliver real-time social content throughout the game. M&M’S will use social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Vine and Instagram to distribute stop-motion video content and imagery that aims to put a visual spin on the plays, performances and pageantry of Super Bowl XLVIII.

To tune in and interact with M&M’S Peanut Color Commentary during Super Bowl XLVIII, fans and viewers can follow Yellow on Twitter via the handle @mmsyellow, and visit the official M&M’S Facebook page (www.facebook.com/mms). In the meantime, check out the preview vine here or below.

We’ve got to hand it to BBDO which grabbed Arnold Schwarzenegger, Don Cheadle, Minka Kelly, Reggie Watts and a random guy to craft the most amazing adventure anyone could ever have. Well, a marketing-manufactured adventure, that is.

Here’s the 3:45 version of the adventure that will be cut down to a :60 and a :30 for broadcast.

In the ad, a man named Ian is approached by an attractive woman in a bar and asked, “If I give you this Bud Light are you up for whatever happens next?” Ian being a normal dude who would do anything even for the most remote chance of getting the girl into bed (Oh come on, admit it! This is how guys think), says, yes.

He is then whisked away in a stretch limo full of more hot women and Reggie Watts on the turntable. He has a styling session with Minka Kelly, an elevator encounter with Don Cheadle (and a Llama), ends up at a party where every woman is a twin, encounters Arnold Schwarzenneger for a game of table tennis and, when the game ends and the walls fall to the ground, he ends up at an even bigger party at which One Republic is on stage.

The ad ends with “The perfect beer for whatever happens.”

The adventure is truly amazing but it makes us wonder. What would happen if some hot chick asked us the same question while handing us a Newcastle? A date with Anna Kendrick. Because we’d totally be down for that.

Hey brother from another mother, blog that’s way more popular than Adrants but wasn’t when it started, dude who gets to write about advertising from the coast of Maine, friends who aren’t all uppity like the folks over at Ad Age…hey!

Don’t go calling Anna Kendrick not beer commercial hot! Seriously. She’s way hotter! How could you possibly not see that! Good God, the girl has a smile that makes us weak in the knees! And she should totally do a beer commercial so she won’t have to “stuff indie cred down a male stripper’s g-string.”

We’d offer her a gig here at Adrants but, yea, you can’t stuff ad blog cred down a male stripper’s g-string either.

Every year, the Super Bowl showcases the top two professional football teams and determines bragging rights for the year. But as compelling as the latest matchup is, it’s not the only game in town. The Super Bowl is a championship of sorts for advertisers too: It’s the one time of year commercials get nearly as much attention as the main event. There’s a trend toward longer-form ads to help brands capitalize on all that attention. But are brands and advertisers doing everything they can to capture viewer data and generate ROI from the big game?

As we know from past Super Bowls, advertisers are willing to pay a lot for the privilege of airing their messages at a time when they’re practically guaranteed to generate buzz. This year, a 30-second spot reportedly sells for around $4 million. Despite the hefty price tag, the trend toward even more pricey longer-form ads with a narrative theme will continue this year, following up on the highly acclaimed story-telling ads aired during recent Super Bowls.

Chrysler’s two-minute “Imported from Detroit” spot featuring rapper Eminem was a huge hit. The company followed up with a 120-second spot with Clint Eastwood, “It’s Halftime in America,” an ad that also generated significant buzz. Automakers weren’t the only brands rolling out long-form ads: Samsung made a splash last year with a two-minute spot, “Next Big Thing,” featuring A-listers like LeBron James, Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd.

Longer-form ads are attractive because they provide the opportunity to tell a story that more deeply engages viewers. That’s why ad makers bring big-name talent on board behind the camera as well as in front: “Next Big Thing” was directed by Jon Favreau, director and producer of the “Iron Man” movies. The investment in top talent underscores the need to generate ROI.

Advertisers are also looking at ways to capitalize on the growing second-screen phenomenon. Networks have negotiated separate deals for ads that run in simultaneous streams of the big game. Additionally, Super Bowl ad producers routinely release teasers and otherwise encourage sharing across social media platforms, hoping for a viral hit. But if longer-form ad producers are truly serious about making their investment pay off, they’ll look at every angle to generate and analyze data that can enable them to fully account for media channel ROI.

As the media landscape shifts and new channels emerge, savvy advertisers and brands are seeking new ways to slice and dice the incredibly rich data they receive. Back when Super Bowl broadcasts were a monolithic TV event, ad makers only had to answer one question: Did the spot generate ROI? Now, with cross-channel media consumption, the question is two-fold: Did the spot generate ROI, and which media touch points delivered the most value?

This increasing complexity makes an accountable media strategy more important than ever – particularly in campaigns as expensive and high-profile as Super Bowl ads. Brands are investing millions to purchase longer spots to more effectively tell their story. They are willing to pay for top-shelf talent in front of the camera and behind it. And they’re actively promoting second-screen viewing and viral sharing.

But unless brands and advertising executives are pursuing an accountable media strategy that enables them to consolidate data from multiple media channels and clearly identify customer drivers, they aren’t getting the most value they can from Big Data – or from the big game.

This contributed article was written by Patrick Marrinan, VP of Sales at I.Predictus.

Don’t watch this. Just don’t. Unless, of course, you want your warm-hearted memories of Apple’s Super Bowl spot, 1984, to be forever sullied. Aspiration, some financial services start up for the masses, is leveraging the 30 year anniversary of Apple’s famed 1984 Super Bowl commercial by, well, by pissing all over it with what they feel is a much-needed message regarding the state of finance.

We guess the financial market does need a kick in the ass and we hope Aspiration can deliver. But, please, leave the classics alone

This year’s Volkswagen Super Bowl commercial icreated by Argonaut is particularly relevant to me since I own a VW. And very old VW. A 1999 VW Passat. With 202,000 miles on it. So when I watched this “It’s A Wonderful Life”-inspired commercial in which a dad tells his daughter that a German engineer gets his wings every time a VW hits 100,000 miles, I was like, hey, what about when a VW hits 200,000?

Thankfully the wise ass daughter replied, “Yea, dad. And I’m sure at 200,000 miles, rainbows shoot out of their butts.” Well it pleases me to no end that I may have caused one German engineer to shit in technicolor.