Comments on: Super Bowl Ads Near Sell-out … WHY?????

By: Cheyenne - PR Curmudgeon

Cheyenne - PR Curmudgeon — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 02:04:31 +0000

First observation: Marvin Donkey must work in advertising, because you certainly hit a nerve. But branding, advertising, or whatever for the sake of making a splash is just a grand gesture. However, depending on the purpose, if it is part of a well-planned, strategic overall plan, then it does have a place. The problem is that Super Bowl ads seem to have taken on a life of their own, to the point where they are no longer effective as ads because they’ve become entertainment. I’ve made a similar point in my most recent blog (I hope) about publicity, one of the many tools in the PR exec’s toolbox – and since I took your name in vain in the post, I thought I’d better make sure to let you know I tend to agree with you.

By: johnsondirect

johnsondirect — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 18:15:23 +0000

Thanks for your response, Marvin.

Marketing today is about accountability, not branding and unaided awareness. I could be wrong, but poll some recent CMOs who were brand evangelists, if you can find them. I think they last on their jobs 18 months on average.

I think you may have heard of GEICO, MBNA, Capital One and Victoria’s Secret? How were these brands launched? DM.

I guess they must not have understood that, as you put it, “Advertising and sales are different marketing functions for a reason. Sentence branding to the same rules as direct marketing and you’ll lose all mind-share and only have your pennies to count.”

Oreck, Dell, Lands’ End, Sears … should I go on?

DM has now taken over as the dominant spend in advertising and marketing. And for good reason. It works!

Grant Johnson

By: marvin clonky

marvin clonky — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 17:27:29 +0000

You have a problem with branding?

Which cash cow of a brand do you resent spending money on “killer creative?” Bud Light, Got Milk?, Nationwide, Mastercard, Dove…?

Take shots at idiots like GoDaddy, fine. They have no brand (though last time I checked, their lights are still on). But a crapload of insight and strategy goes into a successful brand before the registers start to ring.

Advertising and sales are different marketing functions for a reason. Sentence branding to the same the rules as direct marketing and you’ll lose all mind-share and only have your pennies to count.

And finally, something DM will never understand, big rewards require risk. Deadenbacher (Miller Lite was fired, rightfully) was a risk that failed horribly. Fail harder.