Jaffe Juice

Television Malfunction. "The best way to tell consumers about the benefits of a brand isn't TV ads, where you just say it ... It's giving them a way to feel it for themselves," says Chrysler's Julie Roehm, as quoted by Suzanne Vranica in The Wall Street Journal (1/24/05). " That's why Chrysler apparently won't be spending $2.4 million for a 30-second spot to reach about 90 million viewers during Super Bowl XXXIX. Instead, the carmaker is diverting its dollars to a live event a few days later at the Chicago Auto Show -- a "56,000-square foot exhibit," including "1,100 cubic yards of topsoil, boulders, gravel, concrete and coarse timbers" -- where consumers will get a sense of what it's like to off-road in a Jeep. When Chrysler "tested a smaller version of the racetrack at the New York Auto Show last year, it "found that the average time consumers spent at its display area soared to 22 minutes from an average of seven minutes a year earlier."

Motorola won't be buying any Super Bowl spots, either. Instead, "at a park across the river from the stadium, people can participate in a Motorola-sponsored football obstacle course. In addition, several six-member street teams, dressed like chefs, office executives and people in other occupations, will roam the city sporting Motorola Bluetooth wireless headsets that connect to cellphones," and invite consumer to "try out the new gadget." Comments Motorola's Kathleen Finato: "This is not about saving money -- it's about being smart with how we spend our money ... It's more about having consumers experience the brand, something you can't always get with a TV ad." Joining that party is Campbell Soup, which, for the second year in a row, will hand out samples of "hot Chunky soup and chili" to Super-Bowl goers.

Cadillac, meanwhile, will be running a spot on the Super Bowl, but it will also "have 400 vehicles ... shuttling Super Bowl attendees to restaurants and ... top hotels. GM also plans to take over an entire city block for a celebrity go-cart race." Says Cadillac's Jay Spenchian: "There is less and less network viewing by our target, and event marketing is one way to give customers firsthand experience with our products." In 2004, Cadillac spent some 10 percent of its marketing budget on events, up from 5 percent the year before. The carmaker would seem to be on-trend: "U.S. spending on event marketing grew 15 percent, to $152 billion in 2003, according to the Promotion Marketing Association, www.pmalink.org. While total spending isn't available for 2004, the group says it expects there was an increase of more than 15 percent."

SUPER BOWL ADS ARE A BIG DRAW FOR YOUNG VIEWERS

So essentially we're talking about 25% of 18-24 year olds who are also most likely to be inebriated, partying, socializing, peeing, and other things which are best left up to the imagination...

The New York Times > Business > Media & Advertising > Advertising: Fake Commercial Spots Spread Quickly on the Internet

It's a shame that the fake ones seem to get all the credit, but what's really happening here is the power of consumer generated content and its distribution potential. The iPod ad is another great example - this time positive. Of course Apple is not going to issue a cease and desist, however put yourself in the shoes of the creatives at Apple's agency....me thinks we might be seeing a revamp to the silhouette and rainbow backdrop sooner, rather than later.