GaryMrMets
02-06-2005, 06:55 PM
http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/special1/article.adp?id=20050203114509990015&ncid=SPR0001200501290000000001
Updated: 05:58 PM EST
Crotch Jokes Out, Nostalgia In for Super Bowl Ads
http://cdn.news.aol.com/aolnews_providers/23_article_logo
By SUZANNE VRANICA and BRIAN STEINBERG, Staff Reporters, The Wall Street Journal
(Feb. 3) - No potty-mouthed tykes or amorous monkeys, thank you. Advertisers have readied a slate of sentimental, nostalgic and even puzzling ads for this year's Super Bowl in a risky retreat from broad, crude humor.
MasterCard International Inc. will run an ad filled with such familiar and comforting icons as the Pillsbury Doughboy, Charlie the Tuna and Mr. Peanut. Interpublic Group of Cos.' McCann Erickson crafted the spot. Rival Visa USAInc. will use images that hearken back to the past in a commercial from Omnicom Group Inc.'s BBDO featuring comic-book heroes such as Spider-Man and Captain America.
Hip, young celebrities, a Super Bowl ad staple, are largely out, in favor of stars from other eras. Singer Gladys Knight will plug credit-card giant MBNA Corp., while Burt Reynolds will pitch for FedEx Corp. Cindy Crawford will hawk PepsiCo Inc.'s Diet Pepsi by watching a handsome hunk strut along to "Stayin' Alive" from the 1977 film "Saturday Night Fever."
Meanwhile, ads from Pepsi's Frito-Lay and Diamond of California's Emerald Nuts are so high-concept that they border on the bizarre.
"Everyone is trying to be a little more cerebral this year in reaction to last year's lowest-common-denominator ads," says John Staffen, an executive creative director at Havas SA's Arnold. "Everyone is second-guessing themselves."
Such maneuvering is a gamble. Advertisers are paying a small fortune: The average price for 30 seconds of commercial time during the game is $2.4 million this year, up from the record $2.3 million last year. Super Bowl viewers assume they'll be entertained during game breaks, so ads that defy those expectations may be seen as marketing fumbles.
"I want to see funny ads during the game," says Michael Giachetti, a 21-year-old engineer from Oceanside, N.Y., who will be watching with 30 friends Sunday. "I don't want ads to make me sad or think too much, because you are watching the Super Bowl. It's supposed to be fun and exciting. You don't want to ruin the mood."
Indeed, funny-bone Super Bowl ads in past years have worked on many levels, amusing hard-core fans as well as once-a-year gridiron watchers who are more interested in buffalo wings than quarterback stats. "Our formula is simplicity, surprise and a smile," says Bob Scarpelli, U.S. chief creative officer for Omnicom's DDB, who has created Super Bowl ads for the past 15 years for clients including McDonald's Corp. and Anheuser-Busch Cos. He is overseeing about 10 of this year's big-game commercials, many of which will employ gentle humor. "Since it's such a party atmosphere, you have to entertain and engage," he says.
The ad lineup for Super Bowl XXXIX, set to air Sunday on News Corp.'s Fox, will be working a lot harder than usual to score with audiences. "Crude jokes are easy," says Joe Pytka, a well-known director of commercials who has lent his touch to many Super Bowl ads through the years. "The crotch jokes and the fart jokes -- that's about as far as you can go," he adds. "Since you can't do that, you've got to find something else." In addition to working on an emotional Super Bowl tribute to the military this year for Anheuser-Busch, he directed the Cindy Crawford spot and another celebrity-themed ad for Diet Pepsi that is part of the gridiron lineup.
A series of blunt and wacky ads set last year's Super Bowl advertising tone, including a crotch-biting dog, a monkey making romantic moves on a woman, a disclaimer about four-hour erections for an impotence drug, and a young boy uttering nearly all of a particular epithet upon seeing a cool yellow car from General Motors Corp.'s Chevrolet. And then there was a certain "wardrobe malfunction" at halftime.
Of course, one or more marketers this year likely will reach for something with edge. Among the slated advertisers are Cialis, the erectile-dysfunction drug from Eli Lilly & Co. and ICOS Corp., and upstart dot-com player GoDaddy.com. On the other hand, there is no rule that says ads lacking a frat-boy sensibility can't be successful. "To me, likability is the first thing a commercial has to have. If people don't enjoy watching your commercial, then what's the point?" asks Denise Lee Yohn, an independent branding consultant.
One car maker has run into trouble in its effort to create an attention-grabbing Super Bowl ad. Ford Motor Co.'s Lincoln Mercury late yesterday decided to pull a spot that shows a clergyman lusting over a churchgoer's Mark LT truck in the parking lot. He resists temptation when a father and his daughter arrive to retrieve the truck. The ad was pulled after a victims'-rights group protested, linking the spot with recent scandals involving priests and children. "We think this is an unfortunate misunderstanding. Frankly, we are surprised by the reaction," says a spokeswoman for Lincoln Mercury.
"I had to watch it a few times before I realized what was going on," says Bernice Kanner, author of "The Super Bowl of Advertising." "I think it's risky to try this type of advertising when you have to attract people who are watching in masses." Ms. Kanner viewed the ad, and made her comments, before Ford pulled it.
Certain parts of this year's ad lineup are likely to have viewers scratching their heads. In an Emerald Nuts ad from Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, a maverick shop owned by Omnicom, a unicorn, a Santa Claus who talks like a gangster and the Easter Bunny warn a father not to withhold the snacks from his daughter. A Frito-Lay spot, crafted by Omnicom's Spike DDB, shows kids trying to get their ball back from a grumpy neighbor's yard. Hoping a bribe will work, the boys toss over a bag of Lay's. Suddenly, the kids' lost dog comes hurtling back over the fence, as does dad's 1972 Chevy Impala. And 1980s rapper MC Hammer. What this has to do with eating potato chips might not be immediately clear.
These spots are a far cry from past Super Bowl stand-outs, such as MasterCard's irreverent ad last year featuring animated slacker Homer Simpson. Perhaps the Super Bowl had become too gag-oriented, creative executives suggest.
"Everyone thinks the audience is all men, and that is how that crude humor evolved into a game-day staple," says Gary Goldsmith, chairman and chief creative officer of the New York office of Interpublic Group's Lowe, which is working on a Super Bowl ad for consumer-products giant Unilever that features a strange action figure named "Mama's Boy." "Clients are saying that gag jokes just won't get it done" in terms of making viewers remember their brands. Because of the cluttered environment during the game -- about 60 ads are expected -- some creative executives believe marketers need to make a deeper connection with consumers.
MasterCard executives say they simply will have to see how their commercials are received. "You can't ever predict how people react on Super Bowl Sunday," says Amy Fuller, group head, Americas brand building, at MasterCard International. "Viewers will tell us for sure after the fact."
02-03-05 12:27 EST
Copyright © 2005 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
http://cdn.news.aol.com/aolnews_photos/05/03/20050203123209990004
The Ads You Won't See
http://cdn.news.aol.com/aolnews_photos/06/01/20050203123809990004
Ford pulled a Lincoln ad showing a clergyman lusting over a truck after a victim's rights group protested.
http://cdn.news.aol.com/aolnews_photos/0b/03/20050203160709990006
Network officials rejected a Bud Light spot parodying last year's "wardrobe malfunction."
http://cdn.news.aol.com/aolnews_photos/00/07/20050203125309990014
Fox rejected an ad for the cold remedy Airborne featuring Mickey Rooney's bare backside.
Last Year's Criticisms
http://cdn.news.aol.com/aolnews_photos/0e/00/20050203123709990004
Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" drew criticism along with some ads, including spots featuring a crotch-biting dog and flatulent horse.
What type of ads do you prefer to see during the Super Bowl?
Ads that push the envelope on taste
Ads that are more conservative
I don't care about the advertisements
Do you watch the Super Bowl just for the ads?
Yes
No
Would you like to see the Lincoln Mercury ad run during the Super Bowl?
Yes
No
Would you like to see the Bud Light ad run during the Super Bowl?
Yes
No
Would you like to see the Mickey Rooney ad run during the Super Bowl?
Yes
No
What's your opinion of last year's Super Bowl advertisements?
Many were offensive
Some were offensive
None were offensive
I don't remember
I didn't watch
Updated: 05:58 PM EST
Crotch Jokes Out, Nostalgia In for Super Bowl Ads
http://cdn.news.aol.com/aolnews_providers/23_article_logo
By SUZANNE VRANICA and BRIAN STEINBERG, Staff Reporters, The Wall Street Journal
(Feb. 3) - No potty-mouthed tykes or amorous monkeys, thank you. Advertisers have readied a slate of sentimental, nostalgic and even puzzling ads for this year's Super Bowl in a risky retreat from broad, crude humor.
MasterCard International Inc. will run an ad filled with such familiar and comforting icons as the Pillsbury Doughboy, Charlie the Tuna and Mr. Peanut. Interpublic Group of Cos.' McCann Erickson crafted the spot. Rival Visa USAInc. will use images that hearken back to the past in a commercial from Omnicom Group Inc.'s BBDO featuring comic-book heroes such as Spider-Man and Captain America.
Hip, young celebrities, a Super Bowl ad staple, are largely out, in favor of stars from other eras. Singer Gladys Knight will plug credit-card giant MBNA Corp., while Burt Reynolds will pitch for FedEx Corp. Cindy Crawford will hawk PepsiCo Inc.'s Diet Pepsi by watching a handsome hunk strut along to "Stayin' Alive" from the 1977 film "Saturday Night Fever."
Meanwhile, ads from Pepsi's Frito-Lay and Diamond of California's Emerald Nuts are so high-concept that they border on the bizarre.
"Everyone is trying to be a little more cerebral this year in reaction to last year's lowest-common-denominator ads," says John Staffen, an executive creative director at Havas SA's Arnold. "Everyone is second-guessing themselves."
Such maneuvering is a gamble. Advertisers are paying a small fortune: The average price for 30 seconds of commercial time during the game is $2.4 million this year, up from the record $2.3 million last year. Super Bowl viewers assume they'll be entertained during game breaks, so ads that defy those expectations may be seen as marketing fumbles.
"I want to see funny ads during the game," says Michael Giachetti, a 21-year-old engineer from Oceanside, N.Y., who will be watching with 30 friends Sunday. "I don't want ads to make me sad or think too much, because you are watching the Super Bowl. It's supposed to be fun and exciting. You don't want to ruin the mood."
Indeed, funny-bone Super Bowl ads in past years have worked on many levels, amusing hard-core fans as well as once-a-year gridiron watchers who are more interested in buffalo wings than quarterback stats. "Our formula is simplicity, surprise and a smile," says Bob Scarpelli, U.S. chief creative officer for Omnicom's DDB, who has created Super Bowl ads for the past 15 years for clients including McDonald's Corp. and Anheuser-Busch Cos. He is overseeing about 10 of this year's big-game commercials, many of which will employ gentle humor. "Since it's such a party atmosphere, you have to entertain and engage," he says.
The ad lineup for Super Bowl XXXIX, set to air Sunday on News Corp.'s Fox, will be working a lot harder than usual to score with audiences. "Crude jokes are easy," says Joe Pytka, a well-known director of commercials who has lent his touch to many Super Bowl ads through the years. "The crotch jokes and the fart jokes -- that's about as far as you can go," he adds. "Since you can't do that, you've got to find something else." In addition to working on an emotional Super Bowl tribute to the military this year for Anheuser-Busch, he directed the Cindy Crawford spot and another celebrity-themed ad for Diet Pepsi that is part of the gridiron lineup.
A series of blunt and wacky ads set last year's Super Bowl advertising tone, including a crotch-biting dog, a monkey making romantic moves on a woman, a disclaimer about four-hour erections for an impotence drug, and a young boy uttering nearly all of a particular epithet upon seeing a cool yellow car from General Motors Corp.'s Chevrolet. And then there was a certain "wardrobe malfunction" at halftime.
Of course, one or more marketers this year likely will reach for something with edge. Among the slated advertisers are Cialis, the erectile-dysfunction drug from Eli Lilly & Co. and ICOS Corp., and upstart dot-com player GoDaddy.com. On the other hand, there is no rule that says ads lacking a frat-boy sensibility can't be successful. "To me, likability is the first thing a commercial has to have. If people don't enjoy watching your commercial, then what's the point?" asks Denise Lee Yohn, an independent branding consultant.
One car maker has run into trouble in its effort to create an attention-grabbing Super Bowl ad. Ford Motor Co.'s Lincoln Mercury late yesterday decided to pull a spot that shows a clergyman lusting over a churchgoer's Mark LT truck in the parking lot. He resists temptation when a father and his daughter arrive to retrieve the truck. The ad was pulled after a victims'-rights group protested, linking the spot with recent scandals involving priests and children. "We think this is an unfortunate misunderstanding. Frankly, we are surprised by the reaction," says a spokeswoman for Lincoln Mercury.
"I had to watch it a few times before I realized what was going on," says Bernice Kanner, author of "The Super Bowl of Advertising." "I think it's risky to try this type of advertising when you have to attract people who are watching in masses." Ms. Kanner viewed the ad, and made her comments, before Ford pulled it.
Certain parts of this year's ad lineup are likely to have viewers scratching their heads. In an Emerald Nuts ad from Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, a maverick shop owned by Omnicom, a unicorn, a Santa Claus who talks like a gangster and the Easter Bunny warn a father not to withhold the snacks from his daughter. A Frito-Lay spot, crafted by Omnicom's Spike DDB, shows kids trying to get their ball back from a grumpy neighbor's yard. Hoping a bribe will work, the boys toss over a bag of Lay's. Suddenly, the kids' lost dog comes hurtling back over the fence, as does dad's 1972 Chevy Impala. And 1980s rapper MC Hammer. What this has to do with eating potato chips might not be immediately clear.
These spots are a far cry from past Super Bowl stand-outs, such as MasterCard's irreverent ad last year featuring animated slacker Homer Simpson. Perhaps the Super Bowl had become too gag-oriented, creative executives suggest.
"Everyone thinks the audience is all men, and that is how that crude humor evolved into a game-day staple," says Gary Goldsmith, chairman and chief creative officer of the New York office of Interpublic Group's Lowe, which is working on a Super Bowl ad for consumer-products giant Unilever that features a strange action figure named "Mama's Boy." "Clients are saying that gag jokes just won't get it done" in terms of making viewers remember their brands. Because of the cluttered environment during the game -- about 60 ads are expected -- some creative executives believe marketers need to make a deeper connection with consumers.
MasterCard executives say they simply will have to see how their commercials are received. "You can't ever predict how people react on Super Bowl Sunday," says Amy Fuller, group head, Americas brand building, at MasterCard International. "Viewers will tell us for sure after the fact."
02-03-05 12:27 EST
Copyright © 2005 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
http://cdn.news.aol.com/aolnews_photos/05/03/20050203123209990004
The Ads You Won't See
http://cdn.news.aol.com/aolnews_photos/06/01/20050203123809990004
Ford pulled a Lincoln ad showing a clergyman lusting over a truck after a victim's rights group protested.
http://cdn.news.aol.com/aolnews_photos/0b/03/20050203160709990006
Network officials rejected a Bud Light spot parodying last year's "wardrobe malfunction."
http://cdn.news.aol.com/aolnews_photos/00/07/20050203125309990014
Fox rejected an ad for the cold remedy Airborne featuring Mickey Rooney's bare backside.
Last Year's Criticisms
http://cdn.news.aol.com/aolnews_photos/0e/00/20050203123709990004
Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" drew criticism along with some ads, including spots featuring a crotch-biting dog and flatulent horse.
What type of ads do you prefer to see during the Super Bowl?
Ads that push the envelope on taste
Ads that are more conservative
I don't care about the advertisements
Do you watch the Super Bowl just for the ads?
Yes
No
Would you like to see the Lincoln Mercury ad run during the Super Bowl?
Yes
No
Would you like to see the Bud Light ad run during the Super Bowl?
Yes
No
Would you like to see the Mickey Rooney ad run during the Super Bowl?
Yes
No
What's your opinion of last year's Super Bowl advertisements?
Many were offensive
Some were offensive
None were offensive
I don't remember
I didn't watch