Super Bowl

The Hype Begins

20 Jan 2014  

Tomorrow the build-up to the 2014 Super Bowl begins in earnest. It used to be that Super Bowl advertising was just that: Super Bowl advertising. Companies would buy some time, develop a spot and hope it generated some discussion and buzz the following day. The more sophisticated advertisers would add a bit of print into […]

Super Bowl

Soda Stream’s Super Bowl Challenge

13 Jan 2014  

Last year Soda Stream ran its first Super Bowl ad ever. The spot was mediocre; the Kellogg Super Bowl Advertising Review panel gave it a C. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7omFHhNNT4   Soda Stream was smart to advertise on the Super Bowl. The brand was growing quickly and needed to accelerate adoption. A Super Bowl ad […]

Super Bowl

Heinz Steps Up

9 Jan 2014  

Yesterday Heinz announced that it would be running an ad on the 2014 Super Bowl. This is a big surprise; Heinz hasn’t advertised on the Super Bowl in more than a decade. The brand isn’t an obvious candidate. It is a mature, stable business with little competition. In addition, this is off-season. People aren’t buying […]

Super Bowl

Super Bowl 2014: 53 Days Away

11 Dec 2013  

The 2014 Super Bowl is less than two months away. This is the time when marketers all around the world are putting finishing touches on their Super Bowl marketing campaigns. Some are shooting commercials this week; others are meeting with senior management to secure approvals and almost are plotting social media strategy. The stakes are […]

Super Bowl

Kellogg Super Bowl Advertising Review: 2013 Results

4 Feb 2013  

It is clear that advertisers know everyone is watching the Super Bowl. Super Bowl XLVII featured ads that were broadly appealing, safe, and focused on delivering a brand message. The tradeoff, of course, is that it is hard to be distinctive and safe at the same time. This year we saw a lot of ads […]

Super Bowl

Six Brands to Watch on the Super Bowl

1 Feb 2013  

There is a lot to see on Sunday’s Super Bowl: more than 50 commercials, each one costing well over $3 million and a big half time show featuring Beyonce. Oh yes, and there will be a football game. With all this advertising excitement it is easy to forget that part. Every commercial provides an interesting […]

Super Bowl

CareerBuilder Takes a Pass

23 Jan 2013  

One of the advertisers I’ll miss seeing on the Super Bowl this year is CareerBuilder. CareerBuilder first advertised on the game back in 2005. The brand was quite new at the time; Monster.com dominated the space and CareerBuilder was a much smaller challenger. CareerBuilder ran a charming commercial featuring the now iconic chimps. The Kellogg […]

Super Bowl

Launching the Gildan Brand

17 Jan 2013  

The Super Bowl is a great place to launch a new brand; the event’s huge viewership provides a platform for introducing a new product to a significant portion of people in the United States. Brands like Monster, CareerBuilder and Go Daddy used the Super Bowl effectively during their launch. One of this year’s new brands, and […]

Super Bowl

The Ad That Changed the Game

10 Jan 2013  

Every once in a while an advertiser tries something new on the Super Bowl and fundamentally changes the marketing game. Apple’s Super Bowl spot “1984” falls into this group, as does the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl program. It is becoming clear that Chrysler’s 2011 spot featuring Eminem should join this group. Chrysler broke a […]

Super Bowl

Gearing Up for the 2013 Super Bowl

7 Jan 2013  

Super Bowl XLVII, marketing’s biggest event, is less than one month away. This year Kellogg Professor Derek Rucker and I will once again be leading the Kellogg School Super Bowl Advertising Review; we will assemble a panel of Kellogg students and evaluate all the advertisers, awarding grades of A, B, C, D and, on occasion, […]

Super Bowl

GM’s Odd Super Bowl Decision

24 May 2012  

General Motors announced last week that it will not buy any spots for the 2013 Super Bowl. This is a fairly surprising decision because this year  General Motors made a huge investment in the Super Bowl; GM ran four spots, including three for Chevrolet and one for Cadillac. The company also spent an enormous amount […]

Super Bowl

2012 Kellogg Super Bowl Advertising Review

7 Feb 2012  

That was quite a Super Bowl!  The Kellogg Super Bowl Advertising Review results are in.  You can see my thoughts on the ads here: https://kelloggsuperbowlreview.wordpress.com/