Super Bowl 2012 4.0

Today’s the big day.

For the fourth installment of our pre-Super Bowl advertising commentary, we’ve asked SBC Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer Neil Widerschein to weigh in on past ads as well as to see what’s got him excited for today’s game.

After all, connecting brands with consumers is what Neil, and all of us at SBC, does for a living. And, let's face it, the Super Bowl is all about getting consumers to connect with brands, with a little football thrown in for good measure.

Be sure to check in with us during the game for more color commentary and insights on the ads by checking out our Facebook page and following the Twitter hashtag #SBCsbads. And don’t forget that you can join the conversation too.

Neil Widerschein, Executive Vice President, Chief Creative Officer

What has been your favorite commercial of all time? Why did it work?

There have been so many great spots it’s really hard to pick a favorite. But I think mine would probably be the Fedex Caveman spot. It’s the simple, funny story of how Fedex can help you succeed (or epically fail) in the business world, when so much is unfairly beyond your control. The usual formula for a Super Bowl spot seems to be babies, cute animals, and/or celebs. This is definitely not that.

Which advertiser are you most looking forward to and why?

I’m really looking forward to two (mostly because they haven’t released much yet). One is Doritos, but not because of the spots. Their real genius is the strategy. They leverage the power of the Super Bowl months in advance to engage the nation in their brand through crowd-sourced creative and national voting.  And they extend the engagement long after the game. The other is Anheuser-Busch because they bought four-and-a-half minutes and have the experience, money and inclination to blow everybody else away.

What are you tired of seeing in Super Bowl advertisements? Why does/doesn’t it work? Do you expect it to show up again this year?

Movie studio promos. I’m sure they’ve done the metrics and have found the investment works (at least I hope so), but standard movie promos in an environment of such creativity seems odd. It’s especially odd when you consider that studios are selling a creative product without any creativity. I get that they’re just in it for the audience size, but it has to feel kind of awkward to always be at the bottom of the rankings.

This year there are more first-time Super Bowl advertisers than ever. Who were you surprised to see in the lineup?

Century 21. Given the state of the housing market, it’s impressive that a real estate company is stepping up. Sure, it’s branding 101 – invest when things are at their worst – but it takes a really forward-thinking marketing and management group to actually do it. Regardless of how their effort fares in the inevitable ratings, give them credit for smarts.

This year, Chevy is introducing a Super Bowl app for smartphones and tablets. The game time app, available in the Android Market, Apple's App Store and at chevy.com/gametime, will award thousands of prizes to viewers using the app during the game. Will you download?

I like prizes. Of course I’ll download it. And I think it’s a great example of leveraging the power of social networks and multi-screen platforms to dramatically increase the value of the investment. But I think the Mayan “Apocalypse” spot is silly, except for the Twinkies at the end. That was amusing. But is the last thought you want in your truck spot … a soft Twinkie? Hummer did an end-of-the-world spot awhile back that was funnier.

The Chevy Sonic “Anthem” spot has some amazing stunts and is clearly aimed at younger drivers. But again, Chevy struggles with the ending – an older guy delivers the “Chevy Runs Deep” line at the end. Yes, it’s their brand standard, but maybe just let it happen graphically in something aimed so young.

Volkswagen debuted its Darth Vader commercial prior to the 2011 Super Bowl and ended up being one of the most talked about ads of the night. This year, it released a teaser and then the full commercial. What are your thoughts on the strategy? Do you think it will work again?

The Vader spot worked because it was such a surprisingly simple and beautiful story and subtly makes the car part of the family. It’s probably impossible to repeat that because the surprise factor is gone. Their “The Bark Side” teaser is really fun and you can watch it over and over. The actual VW Beetle Spot that will run is, of course, really well done. The charming dog taking control of his weight as a set-up to introduce the new slimmed-down Beetle keeps you in it. But it’s the self-referential appearance of Darth at the end that got me. Didn’t see it coming and I loved it.