Let the Game(s) Begin!

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have been doing a lot of digging to uncover the dirt on this year's top competitors in the quest for Super Bowl stardom.

Note: The Steelers and the Cardinals don't even make the honorable mention list.

Rather, this year's big hitter votes will be split down the middle of the beverage industry. One champion will reign supreme as the TRUE king of beers, and one will inspire millions with uplifting messages and iconography. Which poses a question to all --
Whose team are you rooting for?

Anheuser-Busch vs. MillerCoors

In the battle of the beer gods, Budweiser has staked it's claim to the "King of Beers" title. But what will the "Champagne of Beers" have to say about it during the Super Bowl this year?

Evidently not much.

Miller High Life has purchased 1-second spots on local NBC affiliates. Yes, that's right 1-second spots. So, what message are they selling in this one second of time?

Paying $3 million for a television commercial during the Super Bowl simply does not make sense.

And it especially doesn't make sense during these hard economic times when marketers are scrambling to re-evaluate their marketing plans, making significant budget (and staff) cuts while still keeping their product top-of-mind. The key is not cutting advertising (like most seem to think), but rather redirecting your strategy -- much like Miller has done. Instead of going the route of the competitor, they have taken a much less traveled path and succeeded in stirring up a lot of buzz about the campaign.

Miller has strategically been feeding their audiences tastes of what's to come, streaming game week setup ads which promote the 1-second ad during the usual late-night comedy and talk shows. Backed by the notion of "Common Sense in a Bottle" and fueled by the political activity of the past couple of months, Miller High Life has been inviting fans to join the Common Sense Party since September, with actor Windell Middlebrooks at its helm. The hilarious, no-nonsense (and yet lovable) spokesman can be seen in this teaser ad:



And if you want to see outtakes of the 1-second ads, they can be viewed here. Or at 1secondad.com

An original and brilliantly executed strategy from none other than Saatchi & Saatchi. I'll be interested to see the reactions to the spots on Sunday and the continued chatter in the online world.

So then you may be wondering what the guys at Anheuser-Busch are cooking up, right? Funny you should ask -- four minutes and thirty seconds of ad time, actually. Three traditional Clydesdale spots for Budweiser. Two spots that play up the humor (and "drinkability") factor for Bud Light, one of which will feature Conan O'Brien. One for Bud Light Lime. And one for Bud American Ale. (Quick, somebody crunch those numbers!)

But hey, when you're the big guy you can do these things -- and honestly at this point I think people still somewhat expect them from you. Okay, so seven spots during a recession might be a bit excessive, but significant Super Bowl presence is still key. (And obviously DDB agrees.)

One thing A-B has done that I found particularly interesting was launch a social media newsroom on the site AB-extras.com to promote consumer interaction with the brand. Only . . . there is virtually no promotion for it. And I'm pretty sure I would have never heard about it if I hadn't been digging around, which most people are not inclined to do. If people do somehow happen to stumble upon the site, however, they can view clips of the commercials that will be aired during the game, read stories of the Clydesdales and their trainers, and subscribe to the blog. The interactivity of the site could be developed more, but generally a nice effort.

And then there's always the other guy with the slick moves and the fancy name...



Boy, I'd love to meet the copywriter at Wieden+Kennedy who worked on this one!

Coca-Cola vs. PepsiCo

Since TBWA/Chiat/Day launched their new campaign for Pepsi brand at the end of the year (and just a month after winning the business), much dialogue has surrounded both soft drink category leaders. Pepsi and Coke have recently adopted new campaigns, hopping on the wagon of "change" that Obama drove into the hearts of millions and latching on to the idea of "optimism" that both brands hope to drive home in the minds of their consumers. However, they do so in interestingly different ways...

The first Super Bowl spot that Wieden+Kennedy dreamed up for Coca-Cola is entitled "Heist" and is reminiscent of their Happiness Factory spot that became popular a few years ago. Immediately I recognized the music from Peter and the Wolf. The spot is very whimsical and, maybe it's just me, but it almost has a sort of James and the Giant Peach vibe going on...



While the Happiness Factory, introduced in 2006, branded a favorable tagline -- "the Coke side of life" -- this new campaign moves consumers to "Open Happiness." Still favorable, but many have met it with criticism. However, that's a discussion for another time.

The other Coca-Cola spot that will be shown during the game features people as avatars going throughout their crazy, digitally-driven day. In the end, a guy and a girl share a moment over a Coke. Cute, but not as powerful of a message as I would have liked. It reminds me of the Bill Frist/James Carville ad last year. It was a nice thought at the time -- two rivals putting aside their views to share a Coke and spend some quality time together -- but afterward you were bound to forget about it. In fact, you probably hadn't thought about until I just brought it up, had you?

And then there's Pepsi -- and it's hope to inspire others to "Refresh Everything." Definitely calling out to a younger generation, the spot utilizes Bob Dylan's hit "Forever Young" as performed by Will.i.am and features clips that recount memories of the past and juxtaposes them with things in the present...



I'll give it TBWA -- pretty creative use of song and imagery. But I'm not so sure that several other brands couldn't say they've been around for just as long, find someone to give them a make-over with a coat of optimism, and sell this same idea to the future generations.

. . . But then I did grow up in Atlanta (down the road from the World of Coke) so my chance of bias is unavoidably higher ;)

Thoughts? Opinions? Who's team are you rooting for? Discuss!

And don't forget to stay tuned for more Super Bowl XLIII coverage this weekend, both here and on twitter (@guiltyofcraving).