Super Bowl Ads and, Yes, A Little Romance in Advertising Class.
Today in advertising class, we discussed the upcoming onslaught of Super Bowl advertisements, and one new ad in particular that’s already out there for consumption, the new Honda CRV commercial that features Matthew Broderick. The ad harkens back to Broderick’s character as Ferris Bueller in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” only now he’s Matthew Broderick, screen actor, who is middle-aged and needs a day off. Needless to say, because Ferris was iconic during my younger days, I adore this ad. It’s clever, but not over-the-top-crazy. I’ve always enjoyed Broderick’s sense of humor—not to mention that he seems like a pretty nice guy. My husband ran into him on the streets of New York a couple of years ago and they had a quick, friendly, amenable chat on the street.
We also discussed Apple Macintosh’s 1984 commercial that advanced the company’s name, reputation, and product. Steve Jobs spent $1 million on that spot, it ran one time during the Super Bowl, and voila! A star was born. The switchboard at Apple lit up and Macintosh sold a ton of computers.
But I couldn’t leave it at those two ads for the day. I had to throw some romance in there just for my own satisfaction.
So here’s my Valentine to a company—
Google. I love you. Thanks for showcasing your product during the 2010 Super Bowl the whole way through, never letting us forget your brand during the one-minute air time. Additionally, thank you for bringing a little romance to your product as well as to the Super Bowl.
3 Comments
billritson
All three are great commercials! I’m a bit conflicted about the Honda one though… The two minute spot doesn’t speak a lot about the product’s benefits. There are only a few visual references about cool features, but nothing really unique about the car. But I guess the nostalgically fun, “badass-ness” of Broderick in this ad is compelling enough.
One nice touch: The boss-man was driving an Acura, the boss-version of the Honda Accord. Nice cross-promotion of Honda’s luxury brand! Well played, Honda!
Steph's Scribe/Stephanie Verni
Hi Billy,
I agree about the product/its benefits…we even discussed that in class with the Honda ad…the car appears a handful of times. However, I think you’re right–Broderick’s pull along with its nostalgia will make it a winner. I already love it. BTW–is that Sarah Jessica Parker’s voice on the phone in the car? I can’t tell…we were wondering. I assumed it wasn’t. Am I wrong? Who is the caller?
Google is my favorite ad as you can well guess. It still gives me little goosebumps.
🙂
Jack
I’ve always loved the Super Bowl ads. I think they’re the most creative spots on TV! I also think the ad companies spend all year long developing the campaigns in order to deliver the maximum impact on the viewership. I happen to agree. The 1984 Mac commercial, which I still remember to this day, sparked my imagination to purchasing a computer “in those days”–hehe–now you can figure out how old I am if I said I am Broderick’s age! 🙂