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?

I asked around the office to see what our choices were for favorite ad of 2009. Here are a few of the responses.

Darren chose:

Anna picked a few: “It’s kinda recent, but I’ve really enjoyed Target’s holiday campaign. They’re funny and entertaining, while actually conveying the point – gifts (toys, electronics, etc) from target come at surprisingly low prices.”

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Usually we like to use our blog to comment on industry trends, or significant campaigns in the advertising world. Today though, I’d like to keep it personal, and show you one of my favorite advertisements of all time. And I encourage you to do the same; please post your favorite ads in the comments section.

Hopefully you agree that this ad gives the viewer an incredibly intense emotional connection with the brand. The ending literally makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Here’s why I think this ad is so great:

• Music – The music is an excellent choice, one of those songs that perfectly matches the visual portion. If I ever am driving really fast in the rain to break up a wedding, that’s definitely going to be the song I listen to. The song is named “One Million Miles Away” by J. Ralph.
• Filming – The production value of this piece is obvious. Volkswagon put money into the ad, and it paid off with quality that rivals major motion pictures.
• Meaning – Volkswagon is saying that their owners are passionate and unafraid to rock the status quo (or disrupt a wedding). The life of a VW owner is intense and exciting, sometimes scary. They geniously use a tagline (“fasten your seatbelts”) that holds two meanings. First of all, they want you to fasten your seatbelt. But the second meaning is more evocative: when you get a VW, things get so intense that it’s a good idea to fasten your metaphorical seatbelt. Of course some don’t necessarily think that is a good image to portray, but those aren’t the people that Volkswagon is targeting.

So what are your favorite ads and why?