At AdSavvy we’ve come to the conclusion that one of the 10 biggest events of the year is the release of the SuperBowl Commercials for that year. We even think it should be considered an entirely separate event from the Super Bowl. Because really, it’s a cultural phenomenon.

The day after the SuperBowl each year, all of the top searches on Google are people looking for this or that superbowl commercial. The most popular videos on YouTube end up being superbowl commercial videos. More people talk about their favorite super bowl commercial at work the next day then they do about the SuperBowl itself.

It will be no different in 2011. Long after people remember the game, people will still be talking about the commercials.

This year, AdSavvy will be posting every single 2011 SuperBowl commercial on our site. We will also be providing analysis and our votes for the best Super Bowl commercials of 2011.

The Problem: Budweiser’s sales were down 9% last year and are down another 9% this year. The brand’s been losing customer loyalty consistently over the past 5-10 years, as can be seen in their ranking among national product brands – which slipped from 16th in 2003 to 220th in 2010.

The Reason: The major beer drinking age demographic, 21-34 year olds, consists of ironic hipsters and testosterone-challenged “progressives” who are switching to microbrews, wine, and abominations like Smirnoff Ice in droves. In fact, microbreweries specifically have more than doubled their production since 2004.

What Budweiser is doing about it: Good advertising…

The beauty of this ad is in it’s simplicity, and in the fact that it embraces a sense of masculinity that has been absent in most advertising, and is definitely absent in the apparent tastes of most 21-34 year olds. Plus, aesthetically, it’s just a good commercial. It gets me excited about the weekend, makes me want to go get a six pack of Bud.

There are no gimmicks or forced humor, in fact there’s no talking at all, just rousing music and rapid fire shots of baseball, concerts, girlflesh, grilled meat, and swimming pools; and Budweiser between each shot. Plus there is a tiny touch of patriotism there at the end, which is another possible faux pas when you’re trying to appeal to the 21-34 year old self-hating American progressive.

Bud is semi-unfashionable, just like being pro-America is semi-unfashionable. But Budweiser embraces it, because America is cool, concerts are cool, and baseball games are cool – especially when badass fighter jets fly over the stadium while you’re drinking beer.

A few years ago, president of Anheuser-Busch, August Busch IV, said:
First, while beer is America’s favorite beverage with 58 percent of overall alcohol servings, we must continue to improve the image and desirability of beer. Second, we must keep beer fun and social. Third, we must grow beer occasions. And fourth, we must continue to improve our retail execution.”.

Honda’s new commercial for the 2010 Insight has a deceptively simple appearance. A series of shapes and patterns flash across what looks like an old Lite-Brite set, or maybe an LED panel, or perhaps even just a series of computer generated dots on the screen. It’s nice to look at and nice to listen to, due to the pretty music playing along. Simple and nice. The interesting part is that the flashing dots are actually the flashing headlights of 1,000 actual Honda Insights. One thousand full sized automobiles, arranged in a gigantic grid in such a way so they appear to be a perfect rectangle from the camera’s vantage point.

Check out the “Making of…” video near the end of this post:

The calming music used in the commercial is “This Little Light of Mine” by Berend Dubbe.

The commercial’s director, Erik Van Wyk, set out to film the ad entirely “in-camera” – a daunting task given what he wanted to show. According to the Van Wyk, he “was quite militant about doing it all in-camera using real lights in a gigantic grid. People sense the honesty in the sweat and commitment of other people, not CG.” Which is, of course, absolutely correct.

Filming something like the “Let It Shine” ad is extraordinarily complex. Given the way perspective works, you can’t just line up the cars and expect it to look right. The process includes a lot of math and a lot of trial and error. The crew apparently used laser sights, GPS, and surveyor’s equipment to get all the locations right. The heights and angles and exact distances had to be tweaked and re-tweaked to make sure everything was in the right place.

Van Wyk said of the final edit, “After all the research and precision planning required; seeing the test animation play out for the first time from camera position 61.5 meters up in the sky was inspiring. It was perfect”

The Making of the Commercial…

—Official Press Release—
Honda Shines Bright In New TV Ad To Support Affordable Hybrid Car

‘Let it Shine’ was directed by Erik van Wyk and creative directed by Jeff Kling, John Norman and Sue Anderson.

This German ad for Bontrust Finance is… unexpected, to say the least. This sort of thing would never fly in the US. Well done though. Unfortunately, it looks like the Bontrust girl is a total whore. How dare she cheat on Lincoln… and with Mao of all people.

Credits:
Client: Bontrust Finance
Agency: Grabarz & Partner
Creative Director: Fedja Kehl,
Paul von Mindahl
Production Company: Optix Kreation
Animation Director: Andreas Pohl
Art Director: Petra Delitsch
Lead 3D Artist: Markus Geerts
3D Artist: Michael Gottschalk,
Florian Weyh,
Marc Goecke

LaSexta is the sixth nationwide broadcast television station in Spain and, starting this year, the only channel in Spain that broadcasts Formula 1. So they commissioned the creative agency Kotoc to make some intro spots and they came out really nicely. My only complaint is that the ships don’t look like their going fast enough. Other than that, the pod racer feel of the whole thing is pretty interesting and the look is definitely nice.

Check out the rest of the intro spots:

Client: laSexta
Produced by: Kotoc | Director: Freddy Córdoba | Executive Producer: David Diéguez | Direction: Roger Córdoba | Art Director: Ruben Córdoba | Production Manager: Vanessa Diéguez | 3d Modelling: Alex Monge, Bernat Fortet, Kepa Casado, Marc Calvelo, Omar Sarmiento, Roger Tortosa, Ruben Córdoba | Animation: Freddy Córdoba , Hugo Garcia, Marc Calvelo | Light/Render/Compositing: Eduardo Lasierra, Marc Calvelo, Roger Tortosa, Sergio Pinto | Graphic Design: Josep Bernaus | Visual Effects: Bernat Fortet, Roger Tortosa | Audio Direction: Alex Candela FLow-Audio | Recording Studio: The Room Bcn Estudio (Jordi Navarro, Gorka Desbrach) | Collaborators Audio: Xuxa Levy, Miguel Pino | Systems: Fran Quinto

via Kotoc

These are some super fantastic new Scrabble ads designed to liven up the game’s image a bit. Over the past 60′s years that it’s existed, Scrabble has sort taken on a reputation as a favorite of only English majors and elitist word geeks; so it looks like their trying to reach out to a wider audience. They get it, they’re “hip”. Also, is that Ween playing?

The concept of all the words on the board coming alive and interacting is great, but I’m not so sure everyone will “get it” at first. I mean, the people who already like Scrabble probably will, but the more mainstream people they’re trying to recruit, less likely. Still, I love this ad, and the other two in the series:

Ad Info:

Title: THE BEAUTIFUL WORD
Advertiser/Client: MATTEL
Product/Service: SCRABBLE
Agency: OGILVY & MATHER, Paris
Country: FRANCE

Credit Details:
Chris Garbutt Executive: Creative Director Ogilvy and Mather
Arnaud Vanhelle: Copy Writer Ogilvy and Mather
Benjamin Bregeault: Copy Writer Ogilvy and Mather
Mihnea Gheorghiu: Copy Writer
Antoaneta Metchanova: Art Director Ogilvy and Mather
Alex Daff: Art Director
Najin Ha: Art Director Ogilvy and Mather
Benoit de Fleurian: Managing Director Ogilvy and Mather
Marie-Charlotte Lafront: Group Director Ogilvy and Mather
Herve Parizot: President Mattel
Arnaud Roland Gosselin: Marketing Director Mattel

I only wish ads like these would play in the US.
My questions to you: Do people still buy board games in this digi-techno-online-quickness culture? And, seriously… is that Ween playing in the first video? It sounds just like them, and they’ve done commercials in the past. Remember the “Where’d the Cheese Go?” commercial for Pizza Hut? Ween did a version first, and was rejected. Check them out:
Where’d the Cheese Go?
and
Where’d the Cheese Go? (explicit)

Here’s a direct quote from Deaner about those two minisongs:
“Earlier in 2002 we were hired by the largest advertising firm in the country to write music for a Pizza Hut commercial. Pizza Hut had hired them to come up with a whole new image to promote their new Pizza, “The Insider” which had all the cheese inside the crust. In keeping in line with their new cutting edge image, the agency hired Ween to do the music, and we delivered in a big way. Unfortunately, they didn’t like a single piece of the 6 tunes we submitted and they had us rewriting the song every day for a couple of weeks before they hired someone else. In my opinion, it is one of the best tunes we wrote all last year.”

Update:
Here is a very cool (although completely unrelated) stop-motion animation commercial done for Scrabble’s 60th anniversary. This one is from a few months ago:

AT&T had a series of commercials back in 1993 that had examples of some of the cool new technologies that the company had hoped to develop in the future. The ad agency that did the commercials must have had a professional futurist working for them, because they were strikingly accurate.

It’s now 15 years later, lets see how well they did:

Have you ever borrowed a book from thousands of miles away?
The internet fits this description pretty well. In 1993, the web was a baby, and most people didn’t even know the word “Internet”. So the concept of reading a library book from anywhere in the world seemed fairly radical. Now it’s commonplace.

…crossed the country, without stopping for directions?
I think this one is the most impressive. The first GPS-based vehicle navigation system was released in 1995, two years after this commercial. And it wasn’t until 2000 that Selective Availability was ended, which made GPS units a real marketable precision. The video in the commercial looks like it could be any modern car equipped with a modern GPS unit. Spot on accurate.

…or sent someone a fax, from the beach?
This is an example of the basic idea of the technology being available, but not in the same way that it’s shown in the commercial. You may not be able to send someone a fax from the beach, but you can send someone an email, which has the same effect. This one not only assumes tablet PCs or touchscreen PDAs, but also assumes some sort of wireless communication system. Another good one.

Have you ever paid a toll, without slowing down?
Electronic toll payment had been an idea as far back as the 1980s, but it wasn’t until 1997 that the EZ Pass system really took off. Between 1993 and 1996, the entire NY thruway was fitted with EZPass, and that’s when it really started growing. So they had this one beat by 4 years.

…bought concert tickets from a cash machine?
You can buy concert tickets from kiosks at the entrance of most venues. Movie theaters have the same thing, those rows of ticket kiosks where you can slide your credit card and buy a ticket for whatever show you please. Or you can just do it online.

…or tucked your baby in… from a phone booth?
Ouch, they were doing so well until this one. People have been dreaming of future videophones for many many years, but we still don’t really have them. They’re the staple future-gadget for any sci-fi segment, but despite the fact that we have the technology to create them… they’re just not commonplace. The demand isn’t there for them apparently. And then… “phone booths”? I haven’t even seen a payphone for weeks. Do they still exist? This one is a strike for AT&T.

Have you ever opened doors, with the sound of your voice?
Biometrics is another one of the future-gadgets that are common in science fiction, and just like videophones, still not commonplace in real life. Keys work so well, and are so much less expensive, that any sort of biometric door lock (fingerprint, retina, voice) would be pointless and prohibitively expensive. Strike 2 for AT&T.

…carried your medical history, in your wallet?
I don’t really know about this one. With insurance companies creating vast databases, your medical history is no doubt linked to your social security number by now. So in a sense, this one is true.

…or attended a meeting, in your bare feet?
Another videophone one? Not really, this one is more realistic since video conferencing is fairly widespread. Videophones are for one person calling another person; video conferencing is for a group interacting. Video conferencing is a reality now.

Have you ever watched the movie you wanted to, the minute you wanted to?
Digital cable is a fairly recent development, and it allows for two-way communication between the viewer and the cable company, so that the viewer can do things like pick the movies they want to watch at any given time. Also, with the constantly increasing capacity of broadband internet, sites like Hulu.com could make it possible to view anything you want to watch, at anytime, anywhere.

…learn special things, from far away places?
This is basically a function of the internet. It seems to be showing a classroom via the internet, which is a common use of the internet.

Overall, its an amazing series of ads from AT&T. About 80% of the calls they made came true, and they were strikingly accurate with the ones they did get right. Good stuff.

One more reason to get a TV tuner card for your computer:

In the eternal arms race between advertisers and viewers, the DVR is the viewers nuclear weapon. Finally we have a way to completely bypass commercials. It doesn’t matter how clever or interesting or infectious the ads are, we just hit fast forward and don’t have to deal with them; or at least that’s the way it was, until now. There is no equilibrium in any arms race, and advertisers, who were immediately looking for some way around the DVR loophole and back into the brains of viewers as soon as the digital recording technology came out, have been offered a clever new way to display ads by TiVo.

The new “Pause Menu” feature from TiVo will insert single-line, targeted ads whenever a user pauses or fast forwards a program. Advertisers will be able to pick specific genres or keywords of program descriptions so they can reach the right audience. The ad will be on single line of text, and another line will link the viewer to TiVo’s Universal Swivel Search. Swivel Search lets viewers find info about the program and the any related content via the programming guide. TiVo is selling the new Pause Menu as an “upgrade“. Check out the official press release:

TiVo Expands Ad Solutions Portfolio, Enables Advertisers to Reach Viewers When Programming Is Paused

- Mercedes-Benz and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment are First Advertisers to Begin Using New ‘Pause Menu’ Feature -

ALVISO, Calif., Dec. 9/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — TiVo Inc. (Nasdaq: TIVO), the creator of and a leader in television services and advertising solutions for digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced the launch of Pause Menu, the latest addition to its suite of interactive ad solutions designed to grab the attention of fast-forwarding viewers who consume TV differently and often do not watch ads the way they are traditionally delivered.

Using the TiVo Pause Menu, advertisers can, for the first time, reach audiences with targeted product messages displayed within the pause screen of a Live or Timeshifted program. The new feature can be particularly impactful for traditional TV and non-television advertisers that have product integration or a significant media investment in a specific TV show. Alternatively, they can opt to cast a wider net by targeting entire genres or keywords within a program description.

The feature provides an original solution for advertisers seeking to capture the fast-forwarding viewer. It’s another example of how TiVo offers unique and different solutions for advertisers looking to get viewers to watch advertisements who avoid traditional spots.

The new Pause Menu also provides broadband connected TiVo subscribers with a direct link to TiVo’s Swivel Search feature, allowing subscribers to easily find program information, related shows and downloads when they click on the “pause” button on the TiVo remote.

Esteemed brands already have plans to launch Pause Menu campaigns. Mercedes-Benz USA, one of the first to sign on, plans to use the feature to help promote its new GLK SUV early next year by targeting football viewers. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is taking advantage of Pause Menu for their Dr Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who DVD and Blu-ray release on December 9.

David Sandford, Vice President Marketing and Product Management for TiVo Inc. said, “With the number of DVR homes on the rise, TV advertisers are facing a very serious commercial avoidance issue that must be addressed now. The launch of Pause Menu moves us another step closer to achieving our goal of providing a comprehensive suite of interactive advertising solutions designed to help the TV industry reach viewers in a DVR world.”

Sandford continued, “It’s important to note that our interactive ad solutions have been so well received because they are non-intrusive and actually enhance the viewing experience. For example, our research tells us that linking the Pause Menu to our popular Swivel Search feature gets very positive viewer reaction. This creates value for viewers and effectiveness for advertisers — a win, win situation.”

Promotions on the Pause Menu will be displayed as a single line of text and another line will link the viewer directly to TiVo’s Universal Swivel Search, allowing TiVo users to explore content without missing a second of their favorite show and creating a seamless, integrated experience.

The new feature is available today to all TiVo(R) Series2 subscribers.

Toyota’s new Australian ad campaign for their 2009 Corolla hatchback is freaking solid gold. It’s just this kind of bizarre stuff that gets people interested and talking about the product, especially in their target audience, youth. “We just really wanted to make something a younger audience could be intrigued by, and sell a different side of Corolla, other than how practical it is,” says Micah Walker, Creative Director, Mojo Sydney.

The kitten headed hero’s story doesn’t end with the commercial though, his story is fleshed-out in an animated graphic novel online called The Getaway. We learn his name is Max and he has a sidekick named Misty; and he gets into a series of adventures: 9 Lives and Counting, Landing on all Fours, and The Sound and the Furry… clever, right?


meow

The ad campaign was developed at Publicis Mojo, Sydney, by creative director Micah Walker, art director Michael Spirkovski, copywriter Grant McAloon, account service team Amanda Wheeler, Sara McConkey and Damien Pashby, planner Ian Cassidy, and agency producer Jasmin Ferguson.

The whole thing is surprisingly well done, and the story seamlessly includes all the specs and info about car and tons of downloadable pictures and media. Digital creative director Joel Thomson said, “This idea felt perfect for an illustrated strip, we were confident the ad would drive lots of people online and we wanted to give them something just as cool there to get into and share. It certainly feels like a fresh move for a car site and perfect for Corolla.”

Director of the commercial, Garth Davis said, “This idea, this film, unapologetically celebrates that rich and wonderful world of the imagination… It’s not everyday you make a little film about kitten headed people. I love the innocence of kittens, in a playfully seedy world, and how we explored a new fighting style; a hybrid of kung fu and kitten. For me, this film ultimately reflects the easy going fun and adrenalin of Corolla… I love it, and am very excited about tickling people’s minds.”

My only complaint with the campaign as a whole is that they didn’t show off the car as much as they could have. The new Corolla is a really nice looking car and they had ample opportunities to let it be seen, unfortunately, no such luck.

the website

The final episode of the Audi’s Arrested Development inspired advertising campaign, Meet the Beckers, has been released, and I’m excited.

In a world without new episodes of Arrested Development, it doesn’t take much to excite me. Even a commercial that’s vaguely similar to the greatest show of all time can give me a reason to get up in the morning.

Anyway, in the first episode, we meet the whole family. Jason is the regular guy, and the Audi driver of course. He’s bringing his girlfriend to meet his dysfunctional family for the first time. His aggressive brother Billy drives a BWM cuts off a Prius. His drunken, country club-visiting father (The Commander) drives a Mercedes. And his doormat brother (or brother-in-law, maybe) Lewis, drives a Lexus. It’s hilariously accurate and has lots of subtle jokes you may miss if you’re not paying attention.

Episode I: Meet the Family

Episode II: Getting the Bird

The internet gives businesses the freedom to make these kinds of advertisements, and reach a huge audience with them. These ads seem fairly expensive, but if they succeed in rebranding Audi as the regular guy of the high end automobiles, while simultaneously rebranding BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus as the Douche, Old Man, and Wimp of the automotive world, respectively… then these commercials have paid for themselves many times over.

Audi sort of hints at this at the end of episode III when Jason says “I can’t let them win anymore” or something to that effect. This may mean Audi is ready to take the gloves off, so to speak. The automotive industry is financially tight right now, everyone is losing market share and money, so the peaceful “live and let live” atmosphere may be over for now. This may be the start of some attack style ads as companies start fighting over the very limited amount of consumer spending out there.