Used to be that $2.4M was a lot of money.
Nobody would spend that much on a single commercial advertisement
without being reasonably certain it would create awareness, deliver
your message and build your brand into a bond with consumers.
Well, not any more, I guess. Sunday's Super Bowl ads were, well,
mystifying. A little too eager to entertain without offending,
too many missed the biggest opportunity of the year.
Any question to whom they were advertising? Men, of course. The
Super Bowl is football, and, as everyone knows, the football audience
is men, right?
Well, not so much, now. Over 40% of the Super Bowl audience is
women, and more women watch the game than watch the Academy Awards.
It's an uncontestable fact that women make most of the buying decisions
in most of the categories advertised during the game, beer and
trucks being the most notable exceptions.
Makes you wonder, then: Why aren't Super Bowl advertisers trying
to connect with women?
Some auto makers are starting to get it... they understand,
for instance, that women buy 60% of all new cars. Of the eight
brands advertised during the game, three – Saturn, Lexus
and Prius – ran ads that resonated well with women. All commercials
showed people; Saturn and Lexus showed genuine family moments;
and, the Prius is founded on a principle women generally care about
more than men – the environment. The commercials for the
Cadillac V-Series, Nissan and Volvo all platformed on the conventional “faster
than a speeding bullet/rocket” story, languishing in the
generally accepted men's world of faster, stronger and cooler.
Cadillac even went so far as to show a father who seemed to care
more about his XLR than his daughter's future. I'd say probably
not the best way to connect with women, wouldn't you?
An informal survey we conducted suggested the AmeriQuest “Don't
Judge” spots were somewhat popular. Many of those viewers
sampled, though, missed the tie-in to mortgages, and the brand
awareness suffered. They also missed the opportunity to connect
with women who are often “judged” by financial advisors
as inconsequential to the decision process.
Honda knows most trucks are purchased by men, and so expertly
directed their ads toward that segment, with the Ridgeline conquering
mountain tops as the voice-over spoke about horsepower and integrated
frames. I don't understand, though, why Silestone thought the best
way to speak with their obviously female-dominated market was to
use three retired Chicago football players and end with Dennis
Rodman in a tub.
The vast majority of new businesses are started by women today,
70%, in fact. FedEx/Kinko chose to ignore this obvious market for
their product and service, though. In fact, they ignored their
product altogether, making the advertisement itself its own reason.
This is a company that can be an incredible resource for these
new business owners, and what is their message? Optional.
It is de rigueur that Super Bowl ads entertain. An ad without
the humor, ingenuity or poignancy viewers have come to expect,
though, is not only ineffectual but potentially damaging. Dancing
bears and a rugby-playing Gladys Knight are simply not enough. The game gives advertisers access to the largest audience from
the most significant market segment there is - - women. Those who
speak to that audience, and in an entertaining way, will have received
good value for their $2.4M commercials.
Our eyes are on the women's
market.
Are yours? |
