Leading Off
February 5, 2012 by Andrew Schneider
Super Bowl Winners: Car Brands
This year’s crop of Super Bowl Spots produced some winners and losers but it seems like advertising was the biggest loser – so many spots were teased or released early this year that some felt anti-climatic. VW’s follow-up to last year’s best in show, the “Little Vader” was posted to YouTube Wednesday last week and had already been seen over a million times by Thursday.
VW wasn’t alone, of course, also releasing spots were Chevy, Kia and Honda among others. Marketers are fusing social media together with the trend of sharing content with consumers earlier has replaced, at least this year, some of the anticipation that ruled in years past, with advertisers holding back their spots to make a big splash.
Still, there were some winners and losers.
In my personal winners column:
VW
I have to start off by mentioning the latest VW “Star Wars” spot. While it definitely lacked the charm and humanity of last year’s, it was a solid entry. The buzz it generated I think largely is on the coat-tails of last year, but it was still a fun spot with a relatively unexpected and fun.
Chrysler
I’m a sucker for Clint Eastwood – it was nice to see a moment during the game, other than the National Anthem and the Half Time Show that at least tried to strike a note on a larger issue. Plus, Clint Eastwood.
Honda
Maybe I just really like Ferris Bueller, but the Matthew Broderick homage with the Honda CR-V was fun. It was no corvette, but I’ve been driving an old CR-V around for a while and I enjoyed seeing two things I know well put together.
Honorable Mention:
Sketchers
They really deserve some credit for racing a French Bulldog against a pack of Greyhounds.
Losers:
Bud Light Platinum
Maybe it’s just the product line since InBev took over, but the brewers behind the “King Of Beers” are having a hard time catching the craft beer revolution, that could be a structural problem for them. I give them credit, though, for reaching outside the target demographic of slapstick that has been their stock in trade for a while.
H&M
David Beckham during the Super Bowl?
Chevy Camaro
I know I said that cars were typically winners, but the Doritos tie-in didn’t work