Get To The Grapes

September usually marks the complete line-up of Super Bowl advertisers; however, this year, September highlighted a lot of holes.  Companies such as FedEx, Garmin, General Motors (surprise!) and Salesgenie (who really had no business advertising with the big boys given its random and weak creative) are all out.  

Those willing to pony up the $3 million per 30 second spot thus far include, Monstor.com  and CareerBuilder (smart move given that so many people are out of work) and Anheuser-Busch Cos. Ltd. (a category that thrives in economic turmoil) as well as Audi, Coca-Cola, Bridgestone, GE and of course, what would we do without GoDaddy?  As a consumer and marketer, the Super Bowl is something I look forward to every year.  I am just hoping a few more companies will step up and capitalize on an opportunity to really build their brand (although Super Bowl time is not right for every company i.e. Silestone…).  Given the current economic challenges, people will be looking for a light at the end of this very scary economic tunnel, and those companies willing to step up and offer a ray of light will reap the long-term benefits. 

Given all of this uncertainty, let me provide you with one thing for sure, a laugh or two at some former high-ranking  Super Bowl Ads  that gave me a chuckle or two… Enjoy!

‘Tis the Season! Happy Holidays to all that enjoy the agency life!

Beck's Beer

So, Beck’s Beer has launched a blog, ”The Daily Different.”  They’ve hired a comedian that looks 12 and is WAY too pretty to really drink beer.  So will it resonate with its ‘drinkers?’

Well, according to a survey by Forrester Research, only 16 percent of people trust what they read on  corporate blogs.  That number falls below message posts and direct mail.  The global marketing manager states that the goal of the blog is to create “relevant and entertaining content that is not about beer…”  However, if it’s not about beer, and it’s not truly an authentic blog (remember, the comedian is being paid by Beck’s or its agency), then what is the point of the blog?  Not to mention it’s flash-based which is very non-blog(ish). 

From a marketing perspective, corporations should align their marketing efforts more closely to their brands – ensuring relevancy.  At least when Miller launched a blog (brewblog.com) it talked about what else? Beer.  Although when trying to find the site, I couldn’t, so maybe that wasn’t such a good idea either…

Social media is not for every company and it shouldn’t be forced.  So professionally I give the blog a ‘blah’ and personally, well, common, we’re Merlot Marketing: I drink wine.

The world of Social Media can be a bit overwhelming for someone just joining the Web 2.0 scene.  If you are new to the game, I highly recommend checking out the Common Craft “In Plain English” videos.  They are short, sweet and extremely easy to follow. In one stop, become an expert and learn more about blogs, social bookmarking and wikis.

For your first lesson in Social Media, start here:

Social Media In Plain English