Appearing this morning on the Today show to talk about Super Bowl commercials, The Donny says he doesn’t understand the need for all the buffoonery. He wants to see smarter work than he saw last night, which is likely a popular opinion within the industry, but one that does not concern the typical viewer.
What does USA TODAY’s Ad Meter, which tracks the second-by-second responses of a panel of viewers say? It says Snickers. And it says people like physical comedy. The second and third best spots (from Doritos and Bud Light) on the Ad Meter’s list also make use physical comedy.
Interestingly, the Google spot which is being praised by The Donny and other industry insiders, ranks a lowly #43 in the USA Today panel. Personally, I like the Google spot, but I question the media buy. The spot relies totally on our willingness to read, and that’s not something nacho-eating, beer drinking football fans are ready to do deep in the third quarter of a tight game. Of course, the media buy can act as the launching point for an extended campaign. From that angle it’s working wonders, for Google’s getting a ton of mostly positive attention right now.
