Was the Super Bowl Super?

The game sure was, but what about the Super Spots?

Every year, advertisers ante up to entertain America with their best spots in the Super Bowl. This year was certainly no exception, but was the $2.7 million investment worth it for advertisers?

Of course, you can take a look at any number of polls and critiques of the spots. The morning after the game, opinions are flying all over the place. You can hear from the trade critics, agency bigwigs and of course, football fans.

But at Blue Horse, we wondered about the opinions of marketing executives – the people who might not have an ad in the game, but whose job it is to oversee their own budgets and advertising efforts. What do they think? What spots would work in the marketplace? Which spots were a waste of money?

We sent out a number of invitations to marketing pros to communicate their thoughts to us either online or by phone. Here are the top six things they told us:

1. No one was impressed with the overall quality. While some marketing pros felt the body of work was better than last year, more said things like Larry Weissman of Cousins who remarked that the showing was “poor – run of the mill.” David Andrews of Assurant went so far as to describe the assembly as “terrible.”

2. As testimony to the lack of innovation, nothing really stood out as a favorite. The Doritos “Mouse,” Bridgestone, Budweiser’s “Rocky,” Planters and the Bud Light wine & cheese party all got good reviews. There were others right behind: NFL “Chester Pitt,” selected Bud Light spots, Coke’s “Dueling Balloons” and others were among them.

3. What did stand out as a big loser was the Salesgenie effort. It was almost universally panned by our marketing pros.

4. Not surprisingly, some spots were polarizing: Life Water’s “Lizards,” Planters, Vitamin Water and Audi. Our pros either liked ‘em or hated ‘em. Especially polarizing was the E-Trade baby series. “The gross out award,” said Larry Weissman. “I hated it,” said Hank Hakewill. But for some others, it was a favorite.

5. It was noted by many that a number of spots were, as Bruce Hutchison of Sears noted, “only half the story” because they sought to drive people online. It would only be fair, he said, to check out all the online stories and see if they paid off.

6. Several marketers cited the Hyundai Genesis effort as being laudable in that it elegantly portrayed the car as a Mercedes that is not a Mercedes. Roger Klement felt that this could be the most effective spot for business reasons. David Andrews said he would “withhold judgment until this summer.” He wondered, because of this commercial, “Will people hold off buying a Mercedes? It set expectations high. This is a risky move. The car must be quality and everything must be ready for the launch.”

The question has to be asked: has the escalating cost of production and time made everyone risk adverse? That would include the NFL who, in an effort to stay clear of the FCC, hired a rock musician who was big when some of us were in high school.

Consider the amount of “looking back.” Old music, even old comedic routines like Pepsi’s “Bobbleheads.” Bud Lite working to its “formula” of beer jokes. Then there’s Under Armor trying to break through and succeeding only in being a pale imitation of Apple’s “1984.”

One final note. Given the fact that a large portion of the audience says they watch the game only for the advertising (and with two East Coast teams, that might be particularly true this year), isn’t it rather ironic to note that this contributes so mightily to driving up the cost of the advertising?

Maybe if we just eliminated the game. Ah, but then Larry Weissman, the self-described “only Giants fan in Wisconsin,” wouldn’t have had nearly as much fun.

Christmas in September: The Rep launches “A Christmas Carol”

When I was in Chicago, I was privileged to be on the board of the Goodman Theatre. The Goodman did some truly wonderful work, which included their production of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” the timeless story of redemption. I can fondly remember my older son Chris getting a “walk on” role. It didn’t exactly launch him on a career in the theater, but it sure was fun to watch.

Here in Milwaukee, The Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s production of “A Christmas Carol” is one of the city’s great holiday traditions. The Rep stages it, but the play is performed in the venerable Pabst Theater, which is right next door.

This year, Rep Managing Director Tim Shields gave the marketing committee, me and of course, everyone at Blue Horse, the assignment of rejuvenating the advertising. In the past, Scrooge and his ghosts are usually the focus of the ads. Tim and Marketing Director David Anderson wanted to bring the joy of the music, dance and holiday festivities back into the message. They pointed out that this is a family event and that while there may be a scary ghost here and there, it’s really about wonderment and merriment. Oh, and James Pickering was back in the lead.

Blue Horse Senior Art Director Lynn Schoenecker took on the assignment of delivering a whole new look. She selected illustrator Laura Williams in North Carolina and together they designed the poster and set the style for all to follow. Photography was done by Allan Knox and prepress by Pro Graphics.

Meanwhile, for the television work, David put us in touch with a wonderful production house in L.A. by the name of Cinevative that specializes in theater advertising. Mark Ciglar came to Milwaukee for the photo shoot and using these visuals plus music from the production, made the story really come to life.

It’s very satisfying for us to be able to take an “old” product in a new direction. And the entire process of working with the folks at the Rep was a terrific experience. The staff and board members, like Wendy Blumenthal, stepped up with their perspective, their comments and new ideas for the whole marketing effort. So did the Blue Horse folks including account supervisor Laura Rodriguez who managed the process in her usual efficient manner.

You can see the poster and :30 spot among the work on the Blue Horse Web site. We’d love to hear any comments you might have.

You can also order tickets online at milwaukeerep.com or by calling 414-224-9490.

Sponsored again this year by the good folks at Miller Brewing, “A Christmas Carol” is something everyone should make a part of their own holiday family activities.

The joyous tradition lives on!

Blue Horse proudly welcomes our newest client: The Marcus Corporation.

All of us are happier people when treated to a movie, a spa experience, fine dining or an overnight stay at a luxury hotel. And so we at Blue Horse are delighted in the news that The Marcus Corporation, a leader in the lodging and entertainment industries, selected us for their marketing communications needs. Great company + cool product = fun work.

Marcus Theaters® currently owns or manages 608 screens at 50 locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, North Dakota and Iowa, and one family entertainment center in Wisconsin. Marcus Hotels and Resorts owns or manages 20 hotels, resorts and properties, with one additional hotel under development.

If you live around here, you’re very familiar with the Marcus name. It’s a company that has been a great example of steady, thoughtful growth in the communities in which it functions. The company believes in making quality, long-term investments.

For example, Marcus Theatres is developing a totally new theatre concept that will be a complete entertainment destination. The new theatre includes traditional auditoriums, their signature UltraScreens®, a multi-use venue and a restaurant, café and lounge. Marcus is also moving the industry toward digital cinema, testing hardware and software in selected theatres.

Marcus Hotels and Resorts has recently completed or is in the midst of several new projects under construction, including a condominium hotel project in Las Vegas, a historic hotel renovation in Oklahoma City and the major remodeling of the Wyndham Milwaukee Center, now known as the InterContinental Hotel.

We’re excited about getting to work with these fine people and on such wonderful projects. We are grateful to them for selecting us as marketing partners.

And we can’t deny the delight at the chance to dine at a few of those great restaurants, either!