[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” menu_anchor=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”center center” background_repeat=”no-repeat” fade=”no” background_parallax=”none” parallax_speed=”0.3″ video_mp4=”” video_webm=”” video_ogv=”” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_loop=”yes” video_mute=”yes” overlay_color=”” video_preview_image=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” padding_right=”” admin_toggled=”no”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” center_content=”no” last=”no” min_height=”” hover_type=”none” link=””][fusion_text]

This year, April Fool’s Day was mostly stuck in Easter’s shadow. However, the opportunity to capitalize on a day of shenanigans was not overlooked by some of the big brands in the consumer market.

Let’s take a look at 3 of our team’s favorites, and why they’re so genius!

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” link=”” target=”_self” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” undefined=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” hover_type=”none” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” margin_top=”30″ margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_text]

[fusion_youtube id=”WLLm2jar57w” alignment=”right” width=”” height=”” autoplay=”false” api_params=”&rel=0″ hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=””][/fusion_youtube]1: Beautiful Bond Salon

In partnership with Instagram influencer and self-proclaimed Dog-Dad, Topher Brophy, Petco began advertising their new service to make “parents” look like their “animal children.” The advertisement opens with Brophy, whose resemblance to his dog is funny to viewers who don’t recognize him, and even more engaging to those who do. The video is hilarious and relevant to the industry, but does not call attention to any of the advantages of Petco’s actual goods or services.

So does beautifulbondsalon.com provide any benefit besides engaging users with the Petco brand?

While the company does not use their ad to promote differentiating factors that contribute to their brand’s value, they did collect data and generate leads by creating a website for Beautiful Bond Salon. They can analyze the site’s traffic to determine the demographics that this type of humor appealed to, and their button to book an appointment pulls up a short form requesting the user’s name, email, and pet type – providing clear lead and segmentation opportunities.

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” link=”” target=”_self” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” hover_type=”none” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” padding_top=”” padding_right=”” padding_bottom=”” padding_left=”” dimension_margin=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_separator style_type=”default” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”20″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_2″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” link=”” target=”_self” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” hover_type=”none” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_text]

[fusion_youtube id=”KfWx2-QkEdI” alignment=”right” width=”” height=”” autoplay=”false” api_params=”&rel=0″ hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=””][/fusion_youtube]2: Jäger Balm

In this 1:15 spot, Jägermeister advertises its new “Jäger Balm,” infomercial-style.

But what makes this ad so great?

While this clear play on words and humor are clever, this ad is particularly impressive because the company was able to use a joke product relevant to their industry to explain the benefits of their real product – Jägermeister.

The salesman in the video describes Jäger Balm as bold yet balanced, sweet, bitter, fruity, and spicy. He also mentions its German origins and that its ingredients include a blend of 56 botanicals. These are all key features that Jägermeister uses to differentiate its real product.

The “Product” page of their website reads, “Every German masterpiece contains equal parts precision and inspiration. Bold, yet balanced, our herbal liqueur is no different. Blending 56 botanicals, our ice-cold shot has always been embraced by those who take originality to the next level.”

Jäger Balm is not only relevant to the company’s industry, but also reinforces Jägermeister’s existing messaging.  

… And it gets better.

When you dial the 1-800 number on the “infomercial” screen, callers are offered a 10% discount on their 3-bottle tap machine. Good going, Jägermeister!

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_1″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” link=”” target=”_self” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” hover_type=”none” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_separator style_type=”default” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” sep_color=”” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”20″ border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” /][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ layout=”1_2″ spacing=”” center_content=”no” link=”” target=”_self” min_height=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=”” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_position=”left top” background_repeat=”no-repeat” hover_type=”none” border_size=”0″ border_color=”” border_style=”solid” border_position=”all” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”left” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_offset=”” last=”no”][fusion_text]

[fusion_youtube id=”blaL64WbI2s” alignment=”right” width=”” height=”” autoplay=”false” api_params=”&rel=0″ hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=””][/fusion_youtube]3: Honda Sixth Sense

Honda’s prank also did a great job of advertising their existing product, but made sure to keep it brief. The ad primarily focused on the humor of their new app, “Honda Sixth Sense,” designed to prevent distracted walkers from making collisions.  

For the first ten seconds, the narrator introduces the issue of pedestrian collisions, and introduces Honda’s existing sensing technologies that will allow them to expand into this new market. They show a clip advertising their vehicles’ sensing capabilities for about three seconds:

The video continues to explain the services offered by their “Sixth Sense” app, relating each to the existing sensing technologies of their vehicles. They show a young texter being alerted when he begins to veer of the sidewalk, explicitly referencing lane departure warnings, and then as he casually navigates obstacles with his “collision system”– all while staring at his phone. The ad then completely centers on the comedy, introducing a premium feature that enables users to receive a warning when someone they don’t want to run into is nearby.

In the end, they brought it back to the Honda brand, using the tagline “Creating Safe Mobility Solutions.”

Honda addressed the two biggest concerns with comedic advertising.

The two main concerns while using humor in advertising are that it will not “land” with the intended audience, and that the viewer may remember the joke but not the brand behind it.

This ad was clearly targeted towards a younger audience, and by honing in on what type of humor would relate to them, Honda avoided the first common pitfall. To ensure viewer retention of the company advertising, Honda continuously weaved their branding and product features throughout the ad. They were able to successfully retain humor while incorporating key messaging, and ended on a tagline that called attention to Honda’s focus on safety.

We love to talk ads – check out our blog to see what marketing topics we’ve been buzzing about lately! You can visit our website to learn more about our agency, or give us a call at (352) 600-5050.

[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Super Bowl ads can be just as exciting as the game itself. There tons of people who normally don’t watch football, but tune in to the Super Bowl just for the ads! Whether you’re an avid football fan or all about the ads, we’re here to expose the truth behind Super Bowl ads.

 

You said how much?

Normal commercial ads run about $1,500-5,000 depending on the TV station and time of day. This is just for 30 seconds on the air. So how much different is the cost during the big game? Advertisers spend an average of $5 million to secure a 30-second spot during the game. They’re also putting themselves at risk, because running bad or seemingly political ad during the Super Bowl can have vast PR consequences.

 

Remembrance

Think back to the last Super Bowl ad you remember. What was it promoting? It’s likely you don’t remember, and that’s exactly what the company was planning to do. The Super Bowl isn’t the time to promote something new, it’s about showcasing their brand to the world.

Many advertisers use comedy, emotional appeal, or storytelling to forge a personal connection between their brand and the audience. They don’t necessarily want you to remember the product or service being advertised, rather how you felt while viewing the commercial, and the company who created it.

One memorable Super Bowl ad in recent history was Mountain Dew’s “Puppy Monkey Baby.” It aired in 2016, and used comedy and repetitiveness to gain viral status (view it here). When you watch the commercial and try to recall the product, you have a hard time remembering. Why? It’s because of the repetitiveness off the “Puppy Monkey Baby” jingle. So, instead of remembering Mountain Dew’s Kickstart commercial, you remember it as Mountain Dew’s Puppy Monkey Baby commercial. If you thought it was funny, you now associate Mountain Dew with something humorous, and have forged a positive mental association with the brand.

This ad is also an excellent example of how Super Bowl commercials can be a risky investment. Running an ad that relies on humor is inherently risky, as the type of humor used may only appeal to a niche market. Scheduling one during the Super Bowl has the potential to turn into a PR blunder, as viewers who “don’t get it” may complain online.

 

So why invest?

The idea of running a one-time, $5 million ad seems ridiculous! But obviously, it must have its perks. The Super Bowl is essentially the only time that a significant number of people actively watch advertisements. Most of the time, it is hard for advertisers to measure the reach of their ads, because it’s essentially impossible to determine how many people will leave the room, put the TV on mute, or simply not pay attention during commercial breaks. There is significant data that indicates ads at the beginning and the end of breaks are the most viewed, however advertisers cannot pay more for these spots– commercial ordering is completely random.

For many large companies, it’s considered a huge risk not to run an ad during the Super Bowl. For instance, Coke will always run ads during the Super Bowl, because they know Pepsi will always run ads during the Super Bowl. If they don’t run an ad, that huge market will have a recent emotional connection to Pepsi, and Coke will see a drop in sales. This sales drop won’t come from loyal Coke fans switching to Pepsi, but from people who don’t regularly drink either beverage, or don’t have a strong preference. These consumers’ choices are more subconsciously influenced by ads, and for companies as large as Coke, their infrequent purchases really add up.

 

We love to talk Marketing! Give us a call at (352) 600-5050 if you think your business could benefit from some expert advice!