Tomorrow is the Superbowl Sunday. This is the day the NFL puts on their biggest extravaganza of the year. Over-hyped and occasionally disappointing, the Superbowl always seems to some of the best and most creative ads on television.
These ads need to be creative. Even though the cost of the ad’s is lower this year than in times past, Superbowl ad’s are the most expensive on television…$100,000 per second. If you’re going to spend that kind of cash on a commercial you want to get some bang for your buck. The ad’s have to be good.
Which is why taking the time to watch and to pay attention to the ad’s can be so rewarding for those of us who are students of advertising and marketing. Are these expensive ad’s worth the money being spent on them if we judge them on the one thing that really matters…selling the product.
These ad’s are always creative. In fact, the ad for Tabasco sauce featured below is one of my favorites and was so effective that I still remember it several years later. (I also put Tabasco on my pizza, something I did not do before seeing the ad.) But aside from creativity we need to ask the question, “Was this a good and effective ad?” Well, you be the judge.
Here is my suggestion. Use your DVR (TIVO) to record the Superbowl and then analysis the ad’s using these criteria:
- What is the ad promoting?
- Is there an offer?
- When is the offer mentioned?
- Is the offer compelling?
- Is the ad confusing? (Confusion doesn’t sell.)
- Is the ad memorable?
- Who is the ad targeting?
- Would the ad cause you to go out and buy the product?
- Is this a new ad or one you’ve seen before?
This is like a fast, easy and fun refresher, or introductory course on advertising. So go ahead and enjoy the game, have fun and take advantage of the opportunity to learn something that can benefit you long after the game is forgotten.
Here’s a compilation of Superbowl ads from 2008. For more ad’s see the links below.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
LOL they should only allow ads of a higher standard on TV, then I might watch it.
Hey Steve,
I did enjoy the ads this year. And as always I look for the ideas and the the ads that I feel work well.
I like your bullet points because they hit the true worth of and ad.
Thanks.
Lynn Lane
Success Strategies For Life
Hi Steve,
indeed, like the Quiero Taco Bell ads, while marvelously fun and the public loved them, they actually did nothing to raise the sales of tacos.
Great post!
Happy Dating and Relationships,
April Braswell
Dating Expert and Online Dating Coach