This morning, our account executive Anna shared with us a piece she read from Advertising Age. The piece, entitled “Why Metrics are Killing Creativity,” really hit home to those of us in the ad world.

Don’t get us wrong; metrics definitely have a place of importance in the ad world. We are realistic, we know our clients have to measure success somehow, to see a return on their investment. But it becomes tough when we’re ONLY thinking about numbers. When metrics inhibit taking risks or executing strategic creative because we’re not considering anything but how many impressions, leads, clicks, conversions, etc. we’re going to get, we’ve become sorely misguided.

While numbers can’t be everything, neither can creativity: don’t do it for the sake of doing it. This is where strategy comes in. Having a cool ad is one thing. Having a fresh, big, new campaign that is targeted at your audience and will resonate with them on an emotional level is another. The latter, if done with strategic purpose, can (and will) deliver the numbers and metrics that we rely on. But to get there you have to put the metrics aside and step outside of the numbers box.

And as much as metrics has become the norm for measuring success, we cannot and must not deny the emotional aspect of branding. Emotional connections are what cause people to identify with brands. Its the break from the norm, the challenge of convention, that stays with consumers. Not the numbers.

I recently saw a commercial that made me laugh out loud (which is a rare thing). The product advertised was Old Spice Body Wash. The commercial (and a shorter version) appeared during breaks in comedy sitcoms – so I think it was perfectly targeted for the audiences that were likely to be watching. Take a look and see what you think:

We are always seeking the best ways to appeal to our clients’ target audiences. Do you think funny ads are more effective?

We were shocked and dissapointed to read about Brazil’s Conar (their self regulatory entity) launching a huge investigation into the Devassa Bem Loura beer commercial featuring Paris Hilton. According to them, the spot is too sexually provocative. After reading about all the investigations and complaints we were excited…er, expecting to see some crazy stuff in the ad, but then we watched the spot and now we’re just confused. It uses sex appeal for sure, but overly provocative and sexist? Really?! I mean this is a Brazilian beer commercial, they’re KNOWN for being particularly racy. And Paris Hilton in the little black dress seems to be wearing more than most models in Brazilian beer commercials (examples below). American standards are a bit more stringent, but if we can’t have foreign ads pushing the envelope, who will do it? Maybe those of us at the Cyphers Agency are just a little desensitized. What do you think? Does the spot warrant all the negative attention and investigation?

Some other risque commercials from Brazil:

One of the most expensive media buys a company can make, the superbowl is always paid close attention by hundreds of millions of viewers. And so of course everyone likes to give their opinions on what ads were good, bad, or just weird. We generally have to suspend our opinion on great strategic ads, because the superbowl spots are always more about entertainment that solid ad messaging. But we’ve pulled together a list of some winners and losers below, with the embedded ads. Let us know in the comments section which ads were your favorite.

Winners:

Google – With Google’s first-ever television media buy, it showed everyone how integrated it has become into our lives, and also emphasized all the different things you can do on Google. Add in some warm and fuzzy feelings at the end and you’ve got a recipe for success. However, we were confused that Google released the ad online before it aired during the superbowl. Why ruin the surprise?

Denny’s- There is nothing more captivating than screaming chickens. With an ad message tied well to the promotion, these ads were funny and strategic.

Dodge – This commercial speaks to men, and is enjoyable for women. With grabbing creative, this was an easy favorite.

Doritos – Lot’s of commercials and consistent messaging make Doritos a consistent superbowl success. We thought the ads this year were the funniest yet, and hope they can keep it up.

Losers:

Bud Light – Although the spot was entertaining, there was only one spot! We’re used to seeing several bud light commercials, and seeing much funnier ones than the Lost parody that they aired. Sorry Bud Light, but you set the bar too high, and our expectations were let down. Hopefully you’ll be back in full force next year.

Focus on the Family – This commercial sparked a lot of controversy before the superbowl for it’s strong anti-abortion message, which had everyone poised to pay attention. Yet when the ad aired, the abortion message was taken out, and so the message came across as weak. Without a strong value proposition the ad did little to attract supporters, and didn’t drum up any outcry from the detractors (which is sometimes a good thing).

What did you think about the superbowl ads? Which were your favorites?

If you haven’t heard, Toyota has recently been hard at work cleaning up the mess of its 2.3 million vehicle recall. While it is potentially devastating for Toyota, whose entire brand image has been based on vehicle reliability, it led for some pretty opportunistic moments for others in the auto industry.

Hardly anyone took advantage, but GM stepped up to the plate with an awesome incentive program that helped capture what would otherwise be some pretty loyal Toyota consumers. The best part about GM’s plan is that they didn’t alter their positioning at all. They haven’t made any new promises or changed their advertising. They simply allow Toyota owners (who terminate their Toyota lease, of course) to get up to $1,000 off a new or leased GM vehicle: a pretty good incentive for making the switch. Toyota’s fumble couldn’t have come at a better time for a company like GM; it has allowed them to really push their own promises of reliability and quality to a very tuned in audience with a specific set of needs. So whether or not Toyota is handling their recall the right way is almost beside the point; GM has stepped in at exactly the right time to take advantage of their competitor’s weakness.

As far as any business goes, it is important for your company to be able to handle problems and crises with foresight and grace, but it is just as important to know what is going on beyond your company. Keeping tabs on your industry and your competitors can bring advantageous opportunities to really reach your audience.