Where Do You Want That Commercial?

In late January, YouTube reached 4 billion views per day. That's pretty close to a view per person in the entire world's population (and history tells us that number will only continue to grow).

It seems kind of funny to still be talking about YouTube like its new 8 years after it was first launched, but that just speaks to how quickly its changing and the new ways people are finding to use it everyday. I want to talk about all online video viewing, but it's impossible to talk about that and not start with the site that made that medium what it is.

This year, CBS charged between $3.8 and $4 million for a 30 second spot to air during the Super Bowl.

In a study done by Google, The ARF, Nielsen, Stanford & Wharton in 2011, it was found that online video ads drove 1.5x the brand breakthrough of TV ads. 

Why do they think that was? It's kind of simple, really: Clutter. 

Television viewers will spend %75 of their time watching actual TV and %25 watching ads. Whereas %1.3 of all online viewing (even taking into account non-monetized videos) is spent watching ads (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V7_87SNebg). Now, those numbers may speak to the merits of advertising on television on the surface, but consider that that %1.3 percent is making more of an impact, simply because you view one to two videos max online before getting to the content you want to see. You're more engaged with those two ads because they're not lost in the horde of ads you see watching an hour long program on any broadcast or basic cable network. 

Not only is your ad more likely to make an impact online these days, but you can measure that impact (be it good or bad) in greater detail. With built in analytics, you can more accurately track why your commercial is succeeding or why it's failing. Reaction to a TV-based commercial is even partially measured through online/social media reaction these days, so why wouldn't you just host it there for better returns? 

Also consider that while live television viewership has decreased over time, the cost of advertising on television has only risen. Some might argue that those live viewers are still there, they're just watching in different ways. But those different ways are via DVR (during which they'll skip commercials) or online viewing through Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Video on Demand (where your commercial will make more of an impact). 

Are TV commercials a dead medium? No, absolutely not, and they probably never will be. This is all just to say that it's probably time to start considering how to best use those advertising dollars when you want to air some sort of commercial. Is the cost of television worth it? Or should you start to embrace the growing medium of online video viewing? 8 years and 4 billion views a day later, I say that it's probably safe to start. 

Super Bowl Commercials: The Good, the Bad, and the Meh

The year's biggest football game watched by over 100 million people and what are we discussing the next day year after year?

The commercials.

Brands spend millions of dollars for the largest audiences in history to see these ads and in return, the audience puts them under extreme scrutiny. It's a lot of fun. Without further adieu, here are Kearley's picks for the good, the bad, and the meh Super Commercials of Super Bowl XLVII:

The Good:

Viva Young-Taco Bell

Terrible Spanish translation? Yes. Funny, energetic, oddly-heartwarming commercial? Also, yes. 

Farmer-Dodge

Um. They used Paul Harvey. The Raven's didn't win the Super Bowl; this commercial did. Because they used Paul freakin' Harvey. 

Whole Again-Jeep

It is a well-made commercial, it gives a nice shout out to the troops, overall it's great. However...did they really just quote Oprah in a commercial that she's narrating? Oprah has not reach quote status yet.

Space Babies-Kia

Baby animals in a Super Bowl ad could easily feel like going after the low-hanging fruit. Thankfully, this Kia ad avoids that by staying not-so-subtly inappropriate. Thumbs up, baby panda. Thumbs up indeed. 

Leon Sandcastle-NFL

Primetime will always bring a smile to your face. Throw in an afro and a mustache and you've got one great commercial. 

The Bad

Coronation-Budweiser Black Crown

We're cool, everyone! Hey, hey, hey, you! We're cool! Did you hear us say we're cool? No? Let me show you in an all style, no substance ad! 

Perfect Match-GoDaddy (or any other GoDaddy ads)

Go away, GoDaddy. Go away and leave our Super Bowl ad space alone. You've hurt it enough. Just stop. Please. Stop. 

FebruANY-Subway

I'm not sure I follow their marketing idea here: Come with an idea that's too hard to pronounce and then fun of it in a million dollar spot? Cool, Subway. Almost as good as you telling your customers that Footlongs don't have to be a foot long. 

Concept-Calvin Klein

The best question I've seen posed in response to this commercial: "Is it 1992?" Well-shot? Yes. Dated and probably not striking a chord with your average Super Bowl viewer? Also, yes. 

Prom-Audi

Drive an Audi and you'll gain the confidence of a lonely teenage boy! Does Audi sell a lot of cars to teenagers? Or do people seriously not to do demographics research anymore? 

The Meh

Get In. Get Happy.-Volkswagen

We had such high hopes for VW after "The Force". This is just underwhelming. 

Save It-E*Trade

Oh look, it's the E*Trade baby! I would be excited if it was 2008. Harmless commercial, but I think it's time for the baby to dip into its savings and retire. 

Journey-Bud Light

Bud Light took a campaign that I've enjoyed throughout the year and reduced it to a potentially-offensive cultural stereotype of New Orleans. Well done. 

All movie trailers

We didn't get much new footage of anything interesting and not a lot of upcoming films bothered with the Super Bowl this year (Man of Steel, The Wolverine, Captain America: Winter Soldier, The World's End). 

All CBS spots

I don't need to be constantly reminded that CBS is the number one network on TV. Why do I wanted to be constantly disappointed while I'm watching a great football game?

Share your thoughts in our comments section!  

Kentucky Kicks...Butt? The Art of Slogan

"We certainly would not sanction or endorse that phraseology. These guys are Kentucky natives and they love the state, but they have a different constituency. Which is no one."-Kentucky Tourism Department Spokesman Pat Stipes

Full disclosure: Before I moved to Texas in 2008, I lived in Kentucky for almost four years. In fact, the year I moved there was the year that the state slogan, "Unbridled Spirit," was launched.

If you had asked me now what the state slogan is, I definitely would not have remembered to answer "Unbridled Spirit" and it's very doubtful that I would have remembered what it was when I actually lived there.

That's not to say that "Kentucky Kicks Ass" is the solution to Kentucky's slogan and tourism problems. That is evident in the particularly divisive reactions from YouTube commenters:

"I watch this every 3 hours to lift my spirits. I love the commonwealth." 

"This is just plain great. Kentucky does, indeed, kick some ass. :)"

"They did a great job at doing exactly the opposite of what should be done in order to 're-brand Kentucky'. If anything, all they did was reinforce a stereotypical perspective of the state."

"This is ridiculous. As a proud Kentucky native, a passionate professional marketer and an experienced destination branding consultant - this is not a strong tourism branding direction for Kentucky."

And therein lies the oft-encountered problem with slogans: They can either play it too safe and suffer from being forgettable or take a risk and suffer from being divisive. It's either this or this. 

While I do think "Kentucky Kicks Ass" is much more memorable, fun, and state-spirity than "Unbridled Spirit," I also don't think it works as anything but a spirit-booster for people who already live in Kentucky. Where "Unbridled Spirit" succeeded in saying something about what makes the state special, they did it in a forgettable way whereas "Kentucky Kicks Ass" succeeded in being catchy and memorable but failed to say anything that any other state couldn't say. 

No other state could say "Everything's Bigger in Texas" than Texas and no other state could say "It's Good Being First" other than Delaware. 

This slogan practice doesn't start and stop with state slogans, it's something to think about with any brand. Your slogan, no matter how edgy and button-pushing, can't be so generic to where people still don't know what makes your brand special. But it can't be so safe that it's going to blend in with everything else in the market.

No matter what you're selling, if you don't both recognize what makes your product special and have an unmatched passion for it, people will not hop on board. Your slogan is one of the first impressions you get to make and it's important that you not mess it up. 

Share your thoughts with us: Do you prefer "Kentucky Kicks Ass," "Unbridled Spirit" or neither? Have any thoughts about slogan writing? Sound off below! 

The Top Commercials of 2012

The Kearley team voted, and (ranked in no particular order) these are what we considered to be the best ads of 2012. Check them out and let us know what you agree with and tell us your favorites in the comments below! 

Volkswagen-"The Bark Side"

The simple and fun answer to last year's Darth Vader Super Bowl spot. This ad left millions barking in their heads for hours after they saw it. 

Google Chrome-"Coffee"

Was it "Dear Sophie" or "Parisian Love" Part 2? No. But "Coffee" continued that same Google tradition of showing how their products and services can have a huge emotional impact. It's not Google's best ad, but it is another great one. 

Coke Zero-"Unlock the 007 in You"

Say it's not real, say it's stage, say whatever you want, this is still a fun ad from Coke Zero. I'm going to be the believer who thinks it's real, but I don't think that matters. What does matter is that Coke made an effective, viral ad that celebrated 50 years of one of the cherished movie franchises of all time. 

The Guardian-"Three Little Pigs"

By the hairs on my chinny, chin, chin, this ad will be remembered fondly far beyond 2012. A twist on a classic tale turns into faux social commentary while never veering from its humorous origins.  

Canal+ - "The Bear" 

A French bear-skin rug directing big budget movies. That's the only thing you need to know. 

Nike-"Find Your Greatness"

Strangely enough, this campaign from Nike flirted with some controversy due to one of its standalone ads. Nevertheless, this ad made everyone watching the Olympics feel like they could recreate it in their backyard. And that is no small feat. 

Sportscenter-"John Clayton"

I myself, and I imagine many others, have watched Sportscenter for years and have always enjoyed John Clayton's presence on it. He's the rare analyst who, even when saying something disagreeable, forces you to respect his wisdom and the way in which he handles himself. All of that contributed to making this "This is Sportscenter" spot the best in years as Clayton is revealed to be a long-haired Slayer fan living at home. 

Carlton Draught-"Beer Chase"

What starts off as a nod to the end of Trainspotting quickly becomes the funniest police chase you've seen in years (movies and TV shows included). An imaginative way to say "don't drink and drive" and "don't sacrifice your beer" simultaneously will leave you charmed and possibly craving a Carlton Draught. 

DollarShaveClub.com-"Our Blades are F***ing Great"

Do I doubt that these blades are f***ing great? Oh, absolutely. But this hilarious ad has so many quirks and moments that couldn't have been staged (throwing the package at the bear), that you forget to doubt that you can get a great blade for a dollar. 

Cartier-"L'Odyssee de Cartier"

What did I just watch? I don't know and I don't care. All I know is that Cartier crafted one of the best ads of the past decade and something so cinematic that and well-shot that even Terrence Malick had to have been amazed. 

Facebook is like what?: Letting Your Brand Speak For Itself

Watch the video before continuing if you have yet to see Facebook's "Things That Connect Us" commercial. 

Yes, it's okay to laugh.

Facebook released this ad, their first real commercial ever, after they reached a billion users. A billion users, that's great, that's something I'm sure no one ever thought could happen even a few years ago. MySpace only ever surpassed 100 million at the height of its popularity.

Facebook obviously wanted to do something to celebrate this monumental occasion. But did it have to be this?

Suffice to say, reaction has been negative for the most part and numerous ridicule sites have already been born:

arechairslikefacebook.com

The Tumblr account: http://arelikefb.tumblr.com/

And you'll find endless parodies of the commercial on YouTube (search it).

The big question here is: Did Facebook really need a commercial?

Based on this commercial, we'd say "No". The problem here was that Facebook didn't let the brand speak for itself. Facebook has a strong brand and people know what it's there for. They don't need a somewhat (let's be honest) pretentious and self-important commercial to tell them what Facebook does and why it's important. If they had just shown someone reconnecting with a friend they hadn't seen since high school or sharing wedding photos, then you might have a good commercial. It's like what Google does with every one of it's ads. It doesn't say: "Google is Everything in the World." At it's core, Google just says, "You can search, email stuff, chat, and get creative with how you do those things."

Every great brand does not give the impression that it's bigger than it is: Coke is refreshing, Nike is physical fitness, Apple is casual and cool, the list goes on.

At the end of the day, if you have a brand that you're confident in, you can't beat people over the head with that confidence. You have to find a way to let the brand speak for itself. In the Chairs commercial, did we even once see a Facebook timeline or the website at all? Did we see what Facebook's actual usefulness in our world is? Did we seriously just get told that Facebook is like doorbells (yeah, doorbells).

Bottom line, if you like your brand and you like what it says, let it talk. It probably has a strong enough voice on its own.

Let us know your thoughts: Did Facebook hit or miss the target? Did they even need a commercial at all?

Social Media Campaigns

Billboards, newspaper ads, magazine ads, those are all good tools to market and start a campaign. However, these days, when looking for a younger audience, you’d be hard pressed to find something that works as well as a social media campaign.

Social media campaigns take place across any social media platforms you may choose, but the three you probably want to leverage most are Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Obviously, you can include others like Pinterest, Tumblr, Blogger, WordPress, etc., whatever those may be. We feel there are some things to keep in mind when working this kind of campaign. Let’s examine Old Spice’s immensely successful social media campaign:

Give them something to share

Your product might be the best on the market or, if you’re speaking with humility, it might not be. Either way, you need to give your intended audience something to share via social media. Whether that’s an image, a hashtag, or a video (as with Old Spice’s “The Man You Could Smell Like” commercials), you have to give your audience some snackable content. Something they can look at during work and laugh, something they’ll show their friends on their phone or even post to their Facebook wall.

It’s not that you interact, it’s how you interact

With social media, it is very important how you talk to the people who “like” you, your followers, or whoever is watching and commenting on your video. However, it is also important to consider the way in which you do this. Who are you going to notice more at work? The guy who grunts “Good morning” to you, or the guy who says that cheerfully, asks how your day is, and then tells you a joke. You all know about the “The Man You Could Smell Like” commercials and if you watch the video we just linked to previously you’ll see that it has 43 million views to date. Which is astounding because it means people are seeing it on TV and then watching it over and over again online.

What’s more important is that Old Spice took things a step further and took questions from Twitter fans and then launched response videos also featuring “The Man You Could Smell Like”. Here are the stats from this response campaign:

On Day 1, the campaign received almost 6 million views (more than President Obama’s victory speech)
On Day 3, the campaign had surpassed 20 million views and 40 million after the first week
Twitter interaction increased 2700% for Old Spice
Facebook interaction was up 800%
Oldspice.com traffic was up 300%
The OldSpice YouTube channel became the all-time most viewed channel
After 3 months, sales were up 55%
Old Spice became the #1 body wash brand for men

Amazing, right? All because they thought about how they could best interact with their fans.

Presentation

So Old Spice has a new brand, now they have to make sure it’s consistent. Here are images from their current Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages:

Notice the consistency? Most people don’t realize it, but there is a way to make design a key element of social media campaigns. Yes, interaction is the most important thing, but you also want to keep your brand recognizable and consistent across social media platforms.

There are detractors out there who will tell you not to trust the ROI of social media campaigns and their are people who try them and fail and say they don’t work as a result. However, as we can see from this Old Spice campaign, the ROI can be unlimited and that if they’re organized correctly and meticulously, they can enhance your brand in a way you never thought possible.

Did You Get My Text?

650,000. 

That number signifies the number of mobile apps in Apple’s App Store. That number also signifies that mobile is here to stay and that people will use their phones for everything they can. 

Mobile marketing is a growing trend and will continue to trend for a number of reasons:   

1. Smartphones Have Taken Over

Yes it’s true, smartphones have broken the 50% barrier and are now more prevalent than regular old mobile phones. 

2. Text Messaging Is Always on the Rise

Text messaging has risen to 8 trillion SMS in 2012 which is a rise of over the billion SMS sent in 2011.

3. Social Media is Still Growing

eMarketer estimates that by 2015, the population of mobile social network users will reach 79 million. Social networking was also the fastest-growing category among users of both apps and mobile browsers. In short, people are using their phones to be social more than ever and it’s only getting more prevalent. 

So how can businesses get involved with mobile marketing? Well, there’s two terms that you should make yourself familiar with if its something you want to pursue, those being: 

• Long codes
• Short codes

Long codes and short codes are how SMS marketing deploys or receives its message. Short codes are great because they are used to generate a response from your marketing activity. Short codes are how people vote for their favorite singer on American Idol. It is taking a 5 digit “short code” and texting it to a certain number. They then receive an automated response letting them know what will happen next.

Short codes are the costlier of the two options, but it’s because the number is shorter (and therefore easier to remember and text), you can do large text blasts, and short code platforms are generally easier to use. The downside is they are more costly, people can “opt out” of your campaign, and you have to register with all mobile carriers. 

Long codes are the cheaper option, but it also has its pros and cons. For one, clients can use their own long code (instead of registering a five digit number as with short codes). Long codes also don’t have to be registered with each cell phone provider and (as I said before) they’re also cheaper. 

However, the cheaper the product, the lesser the benefits. Long codes are, well, they’re long which means it will be more difficult for people to remember that number as opposed to a five digit one. You are also limited to the number of texts that can be sent as opposed to short code texts with which there are no limits. 

There are a lot of great options to consider with mobile marketing and the trends prove that it’s something worth looking into. It may not be the biggest tool around today, but we also may not be far from the day when it is.