I’ve never been a big football fan, and doubt I have ever watched a Superbowl all the way through (came close in 2002 with the Patriots). I suppose it is too direct and frenetic. I prefer the subtle bizarreness of baseball (really, what was Doubleday smoking?). But unless you live under a rock, you can’t help but be bombarded by the hype surrounding the cult of the game. And the one aspect of the game that gets as much attention as the teams playing is the advertising. Every year pundits line up to project who will have the best/most clever/most effective/most memorable $3 million 30-second spot (sorry, they may have been a bit cheaper this year, $2.5M?).
Part of my post-game day ritual is to pour through the ads (thank you Internet) and see what strikes me. If you haven’t seen them all and need to waste a bit of your life, Time has a complete list with reviews. My overall impression was that this was a mediocre year for SB ads. Yes, there were some laugh-out-loud moments (Abe Vigoda, chickens in space, Letterman/Leno, milkaholic, “It complements the room, it isn’t free”) but many of the ads were sophomoric and some a bit misogynous.
When Google makes you cry
The one ad that moved me was Google. Using the simple search window and some carefully crafted sound effects, they crafted a love story unfolding one search at a time. Did I feel a bit of a tug? OK, I admit it. It caught me off guard. Whenever I am suddenly pulled in a surprise direction, I have to ask… why?
Google gets it. The tools we use online now are an integrated part of our lives and help us be human with each other. They give us the ability to have a small village relationship with our fellow villagers regardless of location. The boundaries of geographic demarcation are no longer a factor. We travel in multiple circles of family, career, personal interest and belief. Our fellow villagers can as easily be in Stockholm as in Scranton.
It makes a village…
It takes perspective to see how others see you, whether it is a friend or a customer. Google got the perspective from some very bright creatives not about what they are, but about the impact they make in our lives. That is the real story. The human story. So the question is, how does what we do professionally (and personally for that matter) impact others’ lives? The more we can understand that, the better equipped we will be to tell our story effectively. The more effective our story, the more likely the right customers will find us, relate and respond. And when they experience what you have to offer (assuming you deliver!), they become a fellow villager.
Your thoughts?
Please participate in the conversation. Your feedback and comments always complement our village.
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Bert, I agree the ads were ho hum this year. Nothing BLOCKBUSTER like the Macintosh introduction or the Mean Joe Green Coke ad in the past. But the eTrade babies were great (always are) and the Tim Teboe message was warm and caring, not strident as we were led to believe it was going to be. Its a crime that our tax dollars bought an ad when they could just as easily use annual tax returns (with a few more questions) to create a census of responsible Americans, including those who don’t pay any taxes yet.