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Dish Your Dirt: Favorite Super Bowl XLIX Ads, Dadvertising, Millennials and More

Written by Gina Yeagley | Feb 3, 2015

Warning to major brands! Millennial thoughts are inside! We get it. Really, we do. Your attention span, just like ours, is short - so let's cut straight to the conclusions. It was obvious to most of us that Super Bowl XLIX may be the first year that the exiting game play surpassed the oh-so predictable advertising we witnessed. The top two conclusions we came to are:

  • Millennials ignore Advertising (source), oh - they also dislike McDonalds and Budweiser (ouch)
  • Nissan's "Dadvertising" rocked- an example of story making vs. storytelling at the perfect time and place.

It might be the day after tomorrow since the Super Bowl was relevant, however, we hope you continue reading to see a Cleriti team chat on all things Super Bowl XLIX Advertising. Start your day with something fun!

Alicia Inman

Raise your hand if you watched the superbowl.

Or, as I like to call it, the Superb Owl

But back to my line of questioning: What was your favorite commercial and why?

Emily Inman

Esurance

I always go for the funny ones

Jami Edgington

mine was the one that didn't air: http://office.worthytales.net/banned-budweiser-commercial-hilarious-every-office-needs/

Matthew Barthel

My favorite commercial was the mountain dew kick start commercial because of the dancing dog

Aly Schweigert

I like the BMW i3 commercial "Newfangled Idea" with Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel. The callback to their confusion over 'that internet thing' was great -- it was funny and subtle, but classy

Emily Inman

(Esurance was the Walter White one, btw)

Jami Edgington

Aly, that was my second fav!

Aly Schweigert

Also, I probably shouldn't admit this, but I thought the Brady Bunch one was funny.

Alicia Inman

I just watched that Bud Light one -- hilarious!

We should have a swear jar.

Emily Inman

We did, You guys never paid in

It's still sitting on the window sill

Alicia Inman

Oh that's right. But it was like $1 per swear, wasn't it? That's too much.

Alicia Inman

I feel like I didn't have a favorite this year. Some I laughed at, but it's not like any of them stuck with me. Except for that stupid lost puppy commercial. Lost/sad cute animals make me cry.

Aly Schweigert

And the slowed-down version of "500 Miles." I also laughed at Newcastle, Band of Brands

Alicia Inman

Back to that BMW commercial, did you see that Katie Couric admitted she drove an Audi?

And Audi had an a+ response tweet?

 

Aly Schweigert

Haha, her recovery line is just beautiful though: “[Couric’s husband] John actually has a BMW, but I’m scared to drive it because it’s so nice.”

Alicia Inman

Gina, Ken, Andrew - what were your favorite commercials and why?

Daniel, you too.

Andrew Rogers

My favorite was also banned :-( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blDezzNEX3E

Alicia Inman

Nooooo! More lost puppies!!!

Gina Yeagley

The Brady Bunch one was good - I have to admit I am a little guilty to watching many bad (yet awesome) Danny Trejo films. Talk about range - from Breaking Bad to the Brady Bunch.

The lost puppy commercial was awesome too. Who doesn't love puppies? And odd animal friend combinations. However, who here has ever even drank an actual Budweiser beer?

Aly Schweigert

Me. I did it. I don't want to admit it, but it was me.

Alicia Inman

I have had an actual Budweiser, but only so I could get the "All-American" badge on untappd.

Daniel Tilmes

Not a funny one but I liked the 100 year old dodge commercial. i mainly just thought it was a great commercial

Aly Schweigert

Feisty older Americans were a good touch, I agree

Alicia Inman

Ohhh I did think that one was sweet. I had no idea it was going to be a car ad

Gina Yeagley

The chevy commercial was a little off - you know you want a truck. Actually, no, Chevy, I don't.

Aly Schweigert

....that one just stretched the limits for what people assume about someone based on looks alone. Not a fan.

Gina Yeagley

Have you seen the USA Today Ad Meter? http://admeter.usatoday.com/results/2015

Alicia Inman

I do NOT understand the "Pay with Lovin'" campaign. What is the goal here?

Aly Schweigert

You had mentioned millennials earlier, and I think you may have nailed it

Emily Inman

They're desperately trying every way they can to be relevant again, and I think Aly's right with the millennial thing. According to most reports, a generation very much concerned with social responsibility and things like that. I can kind of see how that would translate into that Pay with Lovin' in a strange circuitous way.

Gina Yeagley

How relevant or appealing is it with this many thought out and documented rules to the campaign?  http://www.mcdonalds.com/pwlrules/

Alicia Inman

Lol, yeah, I can see how they got there, but I don't think they thought through the implications.

Emily Inman

They didn't share that on the commercial though. And who reads the terms and services?

Alicia Inman

Or why millennials don't go there anymore in the first place

Emily Inman

So I mean, the initial effect is still there. I suppose. I feel like whoever is guiding their marketing strategy only knows about his audience from what he's learned in books. I mean have you seen the weird Classic Chicken sandwich commercial? About how you like it because it's not new? I feel like the man behind the curtain is going "Millennials! Hipsters! They love old things! This is perfect!"

Gina Yeagley

I agree with you there, the ads in general this year all had a dark and see through theme trying to remind us we only have a limited amount of time on earth left so buy stuff

Aly Schweigert

And that, if you want to have sex, you need a pickup truck (or, in Pierce Brosnan's case, a Kia)

Alicia Inman

Yeah, there were a lot of heart-tugging ones this year.  I suppose it's brands' attempt at "authenticity"

Which they've all been told ad nauseum they must attain

Emily Inman

But have no idea what that means, so invariably the go with "gritty"

Gina Yeagley

@Aly - "Dadvertising"

Emily Inman

or the heart-string approach

Aly Schweigert

OMG, Gina, yes. But you know what was kinda cool? The ad companies and creatives that made the Nissan commercial were tweeting about their dads and how they inspired them, and that was real and sweet.

To see the accounts guy tear up online that his dad wasn't there to see his commercial - and I'm pretty sure that wasn't part of the campaign - but showed that the Dadvertising impacted the creatives who made it.

 

Gina Yeagley

Absolutely - that is a great instance of where an ad worked and inspired to both be more and appreciate more - there was a lot going on social at the same time from celebrities and people sharing inspiring stories about their Dads. I saw so many great tweets under #withdad. It gave people a chance to contribute, not just the brand "telling us"

Emily Inman

That's actually a really interesting point. Branding experts have been hammering away at the difference between storytelling and story making.

I feel like that could actually work for us now

Aly Schweigert

....especially with Millennials.

Gina Yeagley

It's the key difference between broadcasting and networking

Aly Schweigert

Getting people to share their story is important. That's why people love the new Budweiser commercials...It's a story about how the Clydsdales teamed up to help their buddy. And it's a continuing story

Gina Yeagley

And the story is kept in tact to the point where their audience can relate to it year after year after year.

Aly Schweigert

Bingo! I would almost be disappointed if we don't get a puppy update next year (a pup-date)

Gina Yeagley

Even if I don't love their beer, I recognize the excellent branding.

Alicia Inman

Agree.  Aside from that craft beer dissing one. You know they called out breweries who make "Pumpkin Peach" beers? And just last week, they bought a brewery that makes exactly that product - how's that for irony??

Gina Yeagley

It was a very contradicting ad, we just talked about letting people make the story and story making vs. storytelling. The tactic or angle might have been to make people angry and call them out for it. “Hey guys, don't ever forget about me. I inspired you to drink beer and now you've found ways to make it your own.” As they say in public relations, no publicity is bad publicity It was a way to put themselves on the trends radar. Craft beer surpassed their domestic beer sales in the USA in late 2014.

Alicia Inman

I don't think the ad was aimed at the craft beer drinking demographic. I think it was aimed at those that think craft beer is prissy stuff - to reinforce their decision to drink Bud and stop the hemhorraging to craft.

Gina Yeagley

2015: The year of the Budweiser A/B testing

End of Chat

By the way - we're listening. Join our conversation and keep it going in the comments below!