The Post-SuperBowl Blog

The hype was big. The ads were expensive. And the biggest winner in my book was... The Boss. Yes, in an age of lip-synching, studio-created pop jokes, this 59 year-old legend showed a thing or two about live music. The man has enough energy to make the Arizona Cardinals think about adding a roster spot for him. Maybe, just maybe, he could have caught Jerome Harrison on that 100 yard interception romp into the endzone?

I am a fan of Bruce and you may think this particular blog has little to do with marketing or trends, HOWEVER, there is something a marketer could learn from a guy like Bruce. Thus, I've detailed out 5 things we all could go to school on from Bruce and his performance.

1) Engage the audience. Right after he took stage, Bruce looked straight into our living rooms and told us exactly what to do. "Put down those chicken wings... walk over your TV and turn up the volume." He knew what his viewers were up to, spoke to that and got them involved right away.

2) Adapt. Bruce changed the lyrics of Glory Days because the venue was the SuperBowl. He not only gave fans a new twist on a old favorite, but he embraced the event at hand. Very smart.

3) Love what you're doing. There's nothing worse than watching a performer mail it in or robotically go through their routine. Bruce does not know how to do this. And advertisers should be the same. Look at a brand like Pedigree -- they've gone from a dog food company to a company that loves dogs. Loving what you do really goes a long way.

4) Be genuine. Standing the test of time is a most difficult task in any business, but especially the music business. Fans and consumers will be loyal to those who don't change for a quick buck, lower their standards for a easier way or rest on their laurels.

5) Don't make it all about YOU. Bruce certainly is the boss, but his accompanying cast of Clarence Clemons, Patti Scialfa, Steven Zandt, Max Weinberg are always given plenty of props and time to shine.

The Boss is a brand, but you'd never think of it that way... which again is something any marketer should aspire to create. So here's to Bruce, my non-football related SuperBowl winner.

And here's a couple performances for fun.

Absolute Radio

I had never heard of this radio channel, probably because I don't live in the U.K., but their youtube channel and campaign definitely merits a look. It's just a bunch of nonsensical shorts (pardon the pun... as you see a dwarf named Doug in their spots) that are frickin' hilarious. Check out their channel HERE and below are a couple of the shorts.

Ah, the Superbowl is almost here

With the big game looming, there are so many questions us marketing people have.

Will the ads suck?

Will the ads be more interesting to watch than Kurt Warner praising the lord for giving him Larry Fitzgerald to throw to?

Will these tough economic times make the funny commercials unfunny?

Will GoDaddy.com show cleavage in their commercial?

What animal will Budlight choose to make us laugh... a burping skunk, a sweaty penguin?

Which client will have wasted their 3 million dollar media buy?

Which agency will realize their big idea is not so big?

Anyhow, on Sunday we'll know the answers to these questions. And to get us all prepared and ready for this all so important day in advertising, here's a preview of Careerbuilder's campaign. It's pretty hilarious. That's of course, if you forget that most people right now are just happy to have a job, and that there are many who would gladly take a paycheck, even if it meant sitting next to a bald man in a banana hammock.

A Video That Sticks

As I started watching the below video, I very quickly found my mouth wide open desperately trying to find a word of description. Of course, the only thing that came out was an understated, yet powerful, "Whoa." That simple statement sums up the effort and creativity behind this interesting piece of work.

Created by Jeff Chiba Stearns, this film details a period of time in this guy's life and his obvious obsession with writing notes to himself. You get to know a good deal about him through this massive collection of 2,300 yellow sticky notes. The stop motion animation is pretty sweet, too.

See more about him at: hapanimation.com

In honor of the Agency of the Year

Recently Creativity Magazine deemed Cripin Porter + Bogusky the advertising Agency of the Year. I was a little surprised considering they were responsible for those less-than-inspired Bill Gates/Jerry Seinfeld pieces. However, as I read the article and thought, "They've done some really some cool stuff." And when I say cool stuff, I mean advertising that thrives on different media platforms, ideas that break free from traditional thinking and yes... work that actually helps their clients succeed. Here are a few of their 2008 gems.

It's the VW Routan Baby Maker. You saw the commercials with Brooke Shields so seriously informing us that people were making babies just to buy this car. Well, here's the online component where any expecting, or not, couple can get a preview of what their precious little one may look like.



Domino's BFD Pizza, that's Big Fantastic Deal, allowed customers to create, name and order their customized pizza online. Plus, Domino's teamed with TiVo to enable couch potatoes everywhere to order a pizza direct from their remote. Ah, who has time to pick up the phone anyhow?





And of course, there's the Whopper Freakout. A contrived setup with real reactions of people thinking their beloved Whopper has been retired.



This Freakout launched a fleet of parodies. The most popular being this Ghetto Freakout. Pretty funny.

Bringing Peeps Together

Check out this spot from Cisco. Don't know if this commercial is staged or not, but nevertheless it's a cool idea. Cisco technology creates a window into another world right your home town square. Imagine the horror if they placed one of those in the French Quarter of New Orleans during Mardi Gras and the other in say Dubai. Now that would be interesting.

Can a hotel improve your rapping skillz?

Holiday Inn Express carries on its long-standing campaign with this very funny spot. In Eminem 8-Mile fashion, this white boy from corporate-ville takes a verbal smackdown from some guy on the street and throws it right back in his face with an even funnier, smoother and rhymier freestyle. Great casting, writing and extension of an already solid ad campaign.