It’s the big time. Super Bowl advertising space. For leading global brands, this is their time.
And the companies really get into it. I guess they have to for the price.
Volkswagen this year already made a campaign promoting the work on their “upcoming” Super Bowl ad (Volkswagen Wings). It turned out to be a good ad, but will never be a legendary VW ad.
Then on game day, companies like T-Online actually aired three different ads, done by different ad agencies. This shows the importance of “awareness”, not just reach. With so many ads, with so much hype, it’s not easy to get noticed.
The ad for me that shows how much effort you have to go to to gain “awareness” is this 3:45 minute ad from Budweiser (one of three, I think). Here they pretty much have tried everything that is modern in marketing today – real life characters, testimonials, effects, and a big whopping believable story. Well so it seems. Does it work – you can decide. I think it’s ok, but will never be a classic.
Another “big” effort comes from Kia, they almost re-created another Matrix shortmovie. And all this to bolster a car brand, to try to get it to the next level – luxury cars. All in the hope that this sells other “cheaper” models, and enables them to start getting out of the price war.
Then there is the “all-American” Chrysler ad staring Bob Dylan. Nice ad, but sort of makes me think that this ad shows what the problem is with American car companies – the past is gone, and you can’t just rely on “pride”. Although it is a nice message, and probably works in the US.
But maybe I too have fallen to all the hpye, hoping and expecting for the amazing each and everytime. At the end of the day, it’s media space; reach. The “awareness” of good advertising can occur at anytime, on any channel, in any country. We don’t have to wait for the Super Bowl 2015.