STRONGBRANDS    Professor Tim Calkins, Kellogg School of Management

One of the most difficult things for a Super Bowl advertiser to get right is linkage. It isn’t enough to develop a clever commercial that stands out and is memorable. You have to link the creative idea to the brand. If linkage isn’t strong, the ad simply won’t work very well. People will remember the […]

The Super Bowl reflects American society. This year, the American population is working through issues related to gender. Super Bowl advertisers study the U.S. population for months, trying to understand what is significant and what people are thinking about. They then develop ads that build on and reflect these insights. The ads you see on the Super […]

Earlier this week Professor Derek Rucker and I wrote an article for Fortune highlighting four Super Bowl spots that never should have run. GoDaddy was about to secure a second spot on that list, setting up next year’s article on five spots that never should have run. Yesterday afternoon, however, GoDaddy pulled its ad. The company […]

GoDaddy just released its Super Bowl spot featuring Buddy the very cute puppy. There is just one problem. People seem to hate it. A few early comments from You Tube: “If you don’t remove this video I will cancel all my websites and business and go elsewhere.” “How dare you depict breeders who love and […]

Every once in a while you see a marketer make it all look easy. The advertising delivers a benefit. The communication generates interest. People respond. This week, Victoria’s Secret provides an example. The brand is making all the right moves as it heads into the Super Bowl. Let’s review some of the brand’s recent activity. […]

We now know who will be playing in the Super Bowl on February 1. It should be a good game. We don’t know much about the more interesting part of the event: the advertising. The Super Bowl advertising hype is just beginning. To date, only a few advertisers have rolled out their pre-game campaigns. Skittles released a […]

Carnival will be advertising on the 2015 Super Bowl. The move makes sense; Carnival Corporation is by far the world’s largest cruise company and wants to get people in the U.S. excited about taking a trip. This a good time for such a message; the economy is getting better and people have money to spend. […]

GoDaddy announced last week that it will be advertising on the Super Bowl again in 2015. The announcement was not a surprise; GoDaddy has used the Super Bowl effectively to build its brand over the past decade. This will be its 11th appearance. GoDaddy also announced that its Super Bowl ad will feature a cute […]

The Super Bowl is just over two months away. Once again, Derek Rucker and I will be leading the Kellogg Super Bowl Advertising Review. I’ll be posting about Super Bowl ads in the weeks leading up to the game. Last year Derek and I had a dedicated blog for the event. This year, I’ll post our thoughts here. […]

The 2014 Super Bowl was a marketing extravaganza. Never has the world seen such massive hype and discussion about advertising; during the two weeks leading up to the game, companies released dozens of teaser spots and social media campaigns. Advertisers clearly invested heavily in this year’s game; it was a remarkable mix of celebrities, famous […]

In just a few days, advertisers will spend millions of dollars running Super Bowl commercials. If history is any guide, most of these spots will feature funny jokes and impressive special effects. Few of these ads, however, will make an emotional appeal. They will try to amuse and dazzle more than touch the heart. This […]