Super Bowl Ads - The Winners and Why

The much anticipated and analyzed Super Bowl ads got me thinking about an age-0ld advertising question - do ads that merely entertain actually have an effect on consumer behavior. The key in my opinion is to entertain in a manner that links the entertaining material to the product. If folks enjoy the ads but don't remember the source of the frivolity, then what's the point?

I would guess that if a commercial is so overwhelmingly popular that everyone is chatting about it at the water coolers the next morning or that it spurns some sort of a new catch phrase, then the sponsor will generally benefit regardless of how strongly the material is identifiable with the product. Such a home run is rare, however.

Let's take the VONAGE commercials, for example. You know the one's that were running for some time with videos of a kid throwing a baseball bat through a window or a guy sawing a tree that smashes his car in half. The commercials were funny, but do consumers link the ads to the company in a way that is memorable or that gets people to buy their products and services? I'm not sure.

The Careerbuilder.com ads with the monkeys that began running last year were funny, and they captured office situations and a universal experience in the office place - we've all worked with problem employees at one time or another. And the commercial gives a subtle message through the humor - How much of the annoying or unproductive behavior of co-workers have you tolerated and when is it time to say enough is enough.

Given that criteria, here are a few of the commercials that I felt connected on both (entertain and identify with the product being advertised:

Budweiser

The street dog who feels like an outcast gets a mud puddle splash, giving the appearance of a Dalmation, allowing him to hitch a ride on the Clydesdale wagon as Dean Martin sings, "How lucky can one guy be." You can't go wrong with cute dogs, and the Clydesdales are such an identifiable trademark of Budweiser.

Chevrolet Singers

Celebrities try their hand at singing along with "Chevy" songs, some more comical than musical (notably Dale Ernhardt, Jr.). All of the songs refer to Chevy, some new and some classic. There are 9 brief clips of varying genres, giving the ad universal appeal. "People who love cars love Chevy." Simple and effective.

Blockbuster Total Access Mouse

A rabbit and a guinea pig try to access Blockbuster online by pressing on a live mouse, and Alec Baldwin, the best voiceover specialist going in the biz narrates, "You're just a mouse click away from a better way to rent movies." The scene of a Blockbuster store is visible from across the pet store, underscoring Blockbuster's "unique selling proposition" vs. Netflix - the ability to offer rentals through the store or via the mail.

To see the Super Bowl ads, click here.