All tie-ins are not created equal.
Try as the marketers behind this awkward spot may, human-killing aliens and Coors Light just do not work well together here.
Over the years marketers have successfully and seamlessly tied thousands of products in with one another. The best marketers sell you something (Coke, Budweiser, or a BMW perhaps) without you even knowing by building an emotional connection between you and the product while you think you are simply watching your favorite madcap group of tele-friends ham it up while you sit on your couch or the newest romantic comedy in the theaters.
This ad, unfortunately, is clumsy, overt, and more awkward than me in eighth grade.
Tie-ins do not work if the audience notices them. I am not the only one who knows this. I promise the folks behind this ad know it, which is what makes a fumble like this so confusing. Television ads are not cheap. Producing them is not especially inexpensive either. To me, the biggest problem with this ad is the waste and disconnection from the current situation of potential consumers.
How far could those same marketing dollars have taken either company if spent on a new, vibrant, creative social media push?
Ads like this make me question how much marketers have really learned over the past decade. This spot smacks of the lazy, money-blowing old guard. Companies cannot afford to treat their marketing like this anymore.
The American auto industry collapse provides constant examples of what not to do while your business model evaporates around you, and one of those lessons is “Do Not Waste What Money You Have on Television Ads Just For The Sake of Having Them.”
Hollywood is definite offender. The American film industry can complain about how nobody goes out to see movies anymore, but Avengers and fine films like Midnight In Paris are proof that audiences will still spend money on GOOD movies. The extra cash to toss away on crappy films has gone away, which means that it is more important than ever to put a thoughtful marketing push behind any given film. This ad is proof that at least one person hanging around the upper strata of Hollywood still does not get it.
disconnected
When creating a new marketing campaign, companies should try very hard to remember to stay connected.
The best ads and ad campaigns are entertaining, sure. But they are also (at least somewhat) connected to what they are trying to sell.
The campaign Bridgestone started out with in 2012 never really felt like a solid bridge between sports (which I love) and the product. The effort is worth noting, but the execution just never panned out.
Marketing campaigns, remarkably, still have to be a little connected with reality in order to resonate with consumers. Campaigns like the Bridgestone Performance Balls campaign are too disconnected from reality to make consumers pause and pay attention. It is a fine line to walk indeed, the line between to dull and too unrealistic.
Part of the problem might be that Tim Duncan has the least personality of any athlete in my lifetime. In fact, spalding basketballs have more personality than Duncan, but I digress. The larger problem is that when an idea gets too unbelievable, goofy or ridiculous, consumers get bored.
…And when consumers get bored, they pay attention to other things. And when they pay attention to other things, you do not make money. And when you do not make money, you go bankrupt. Don’t go bankrupt, make interesting, connected ads.
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Posted by Jeff Osborn on May 31, 2012
http://dontadvertisetome.com/2012/05/31/disconnected/