Message from Patagonia: Buy Less

Can a consumer goods company make a profit while making a difference?  We've been looking at that question all semester.  We have looked at many corporations that have an interest in social responsibility and "do good" for the community around them.  What we haven't seen yet (until now) is a company that actually tells you to buy less of their product.  Enter Patagonia. 

Patagonia is asking their customers to "Reduce What you Buy" and are "encouraging their customers to reduce, repair, reuse, and recycle their clothing and equipment." At first glance this might seem as though it would hurt their bottom line, but Patagonia is banking on it doing just the opposite.

They are partnering with eBay in this endeavor.  Yes, you need to read the linked articles to understand the business plan, but once you read it I have a couple questions for you:

What are your thoughts on this?  Can Patagonia make a go of this?  Could other companies do the same?   Does the company that tries this need to have a certain "mindset" before they could be successful at it?

Adieu Foie Gras

Foie gras will become illegal in California in July 2012, so eat up now....if you so choose.  Foie gras, a delicacy popularized in France but eaten by many who desire luxury in fine dining, is a dish made from the liver of ducks and geese that has been specially fattened.

The liver is made fatty by a forced feeding (gavage) of the ducks and geese in the last 12-15 days of their lives, by inserting a tube down their throat which forces the food (corn mash) directly into their stomach, thereby fattening up the liver. This tube is said to not hurt the animal. 

Foie gras has been banned in certain areas before, notably in 2006 in Chicago.  The ban there lasted two years before protestors had it brought back on the market.

Do you think the California ban of 2012 will stand?  Would you support the ban or are you against banning foie gras?  

Fat tax

"On Saturday, Denmark became the first country in the world to introduce a "fat tax," surcharge on unhealthy foods that are high in saturated fat in hopes of curbing bad eating habits."

Everything that contains more than 2.3% saturated fat (bacon, butter, pizza, oil, red meat, cheese, milk etc.) will have an extra $1.28 per pound ($2.87 per kilogram) of saturated fat added to the price.  They are doing this in order to fight the rate of obesity in their country and to encourage healthier eating.  The money that is raised by this additional tax will be used to educate consumers and other obesity-fighting measures.

What are your thoughts on this?  Is it right for the government to try to mandate healthier eating?  Is it fat that is the culprit?  What about taxing sugars and refined carbohydrates as well (or instead)?   Do you think that other countries will follow?

Economist Steve Sexton says that instead of taxing food that is fat, we should tax people who are fat.  He lays out a way for doctors to report to the government who is fat and who is not (allowing for genetic per-disposition) and then levying a tax on those individuals.  Thoughts on this?

Making Tobacco Less Attractive. Literally.

We talked about how, in the U.S., labeling of cigarettes will change in September 2012.  The new labels will require one of the vivid health warnings to cover 50% of the front and 50% of the back of the cigarette package and to be in the upper 20% of each cigarette advertisement.  
 
There are new laws being considered in the UK that would prevent cigarette packages from being colorful and "glitzy."

This is one company's idea of what the packages could look like.  

Australia has already enacted a similar law that will take place in 2012.  "From July 2012, manufacturers would be required to drop all colour and branding logos from cigarette packets."

What are some of the positive points of these laws in the UK and Australia?  Negative points?

Is that meal "all natural?"

Marketers put many words on labels that form an instant connection with the consumer.  "Wholesome," "Healthy," and "Natural" are some of them. There is much controversy (read that as "lawsuits") in the food labeling world regarding the use of the term "natural."  What does it mean to you?   All of these bottles of Wesson Oil are labeled "All Natural" (it is in the banner, above the type of oil). 

The truth though, is that approximately 75% of corn and 95% of soybeans in the United States are genetically modified (GMOs).  This then leads to the oil that results from that corn or soybeans to be GMO as well.  Is this natural?  Maybe so.

Some of you are familiar with the bottled drink known as "Skinnygirl Margarita."  Until recently it was sold in Whole Foods, but in September was pulled off the shelves due to a claim that is contained an ingredient that is "unnatural," sodium benzoate, which is a common (although synthesized in a lab) food preservative. Sodium benzoate is in a large majority of preserved foods and drinks.

What in the heck is natural??  Does anyone know?  Does the FDA have a definition for it and do they regulate the use of that word?  Um, no.  They have largely declined to define the term.  "With the few precious dollars the FDA has, we largely choose to focus on topics that affect public safety.  The 'natural' issue doesn't. That's not to say it's not important, but we frankly have more pressing issues to deal with."

When I type "natural food" into google images, I get the following images:

To me, this means that most people think of fresh fruits and vegetables as natural. But does that preclude other foods or drinks from being in that category as well?  Are we misinforming our consumers if we label something as "natural," since we don't have a hard and fast rule on just what that means?

Crazy Prices, Crazy Consumers, Just Plain Craziness

By now you've all heard that Missoni released a "Missoni for Target" line on Tuesday, Sept. 13th.  It caused madness on the Target website, crashing it numerous times throughout the day, as well as madness within and outside the stores (nearing the length of lines outside an Apple store that precede an iPhone release). 

All of this is because this is a high end designer who is "bringing the high end to the masses." They created a 400-piece line exclusively for Target.  So, they're making cheaper versions of the brand and selling the Target version of the $500 shirt for $100. 

Of course all of those consumers were not buying the products for themselves, but rather because they want to make a tidy profit when they turn around and sell it for five times as much as they paid.  By Thursday there were over 40,000 Missoni products available on eBay and a lot more available on Craigslist. 

Is this crazy consumer behavior?  Would you buy the Missoni stuff from ebay and Craigslist at such insanely marked up prices?  Or do you know friends who would do it?

Thoughts please!

Sharks May Now Keep Their Fins

Living in San Diego, you're probably familiar with news of sharks in the area.  Just two weeks ago there were at least two to three shark sightings just off the coast of Mission Beach.  There's something scary about seeing shark fins in the water, but after all, they *do* live out there. When we, humans, choose to swim, dive, paddleboard, surf, etc. in the ocean we're actually invading their home. That said, I prefer that they keep their distance from me and I promise to not bother them.

This week there is good news for all sharks on the west coast of the United States.  The California Senate passed a bill that enacts a ban "on the sale, trade, possession and distribution of shark fins."

"Washington was the first West Coast state to pass similar legislation in May followed by Oregon in early August. West Coast legislation comes on the heels of related bills passed in Hawaii, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam."

Have any of your eaten shark fin soup?  It is quite a delicacy in some parts of the world.  Read the above linked article and let me know what you think about the new (potential) legislation (Governor Brown must sign the bill by Oct. 8th in order for it to become law).

Pay to not Play?

This is old news by now (two weeks old), but it is still worth commenting on.  Often, celebrities are paid to wear certain clothes or to endorse certain brands. The reason this is done is in hopes of increasing the value of the brand through positive association.  Not nearly as often (I'm not aware of any other cases, but there could be one/some) is a "celebrity" paid to NOT wear a certain brand for fear that wearing it will decrease the value of the brand.  Such is the case with Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino from Jersey Shore. 

Abercrombie and Fitch would very much like all of the characters on Jersey Shore to find another brand to wear.  What are your thoughts on this?

The press release:



"We are deeply concerned that Mr. Sorrentino's association with our brand could cause significant damage to our image.  We understand that the show is for entertainment purposes, but believe this association is contrary to the aspirational nature of our brand, and may be distressing to many of our fans. We have therefore offered a substantial payment to Michael 'The Situation' Sorrentino and the producers of MTV's The Jersey Shore to have the character wear an alternate brand.  We have also extended this offer to other members of the cast, and are urgently waiting a response."

Can you Trademark a Color?

This question came before a NY judge a couple weeks ago.  Shapes can be trademarked - the Coca-Cola bottle shape, for example, is trademarked.  We also know that you can trademark certain color combinations - for example, the combination of yellow, red and black that Kodak uses is trademarked by Kodak.

What about a single color though?  Many of you (perhaps mostly the females and a few aware gentlemen) know that all Christian Louboutin shoes have a familiar red sole. I think that many of us would quickly yell "Louboutin!!" if we were shown a glimpse of a shoe and it had a red sole.  Is that trademarkable?  (Is that even a word?  It should be).

Read about the issue and weigh in. 

TED - Next Generation and Bionic Fight

I was recently sent two great pieces by a couple of your classmates.

Imelda sent me this article that talks about the pros and cons of GMOs (genetically modified organisms).  It features Joel Salatin, the farmer from Virginia that many of you liked and respected from the Food Inc. video.

Nick sent me this short video.  It is an eleven year old (future leader, I think!) who has a sure sense of self and a real idea of what he wants in his food and what he doesn't want. 

As the first article states, "The argument continues. Some say GMOs are the best hope for the world's food shortage, while others say they are our worst nightmare."

What is your take?

100 calorie limit breached

We should have known Americans wouldn't be happy with their 100 calorie snack-packs.  They did last quite a while though.

 
Snackwells has just up'd their snack-paks from 100 calories to 150 calories. 

Protection from...parents?

Megan sent me this great article.  It should provide a lot of conversation (in the comments section or in class).  You should read the article yourself, but the gist is that a Chicago school is now making rules stating that parents can not send lunches to school with their children.  In other words, the children "must" eat in the school cafeteria.  No more brown bag lunches.

This brings up a few issues - does the school provide as nutritious of a lunch as the parents would have?  Could the parents prepare a lunch for less money than the $2.25 they are required to pay for the cafeteria lunch? Might this force the schools to start to more closely examine their lunches and therefore provide more nutritious lunches?

There are also schools in other parts of the nation that are making similar rules.  For instance, a school in AZ allows home-packed lunches, but nothing that contains white flour, refined sugar or other processed foods.  Good-bye Lunchables!  A school in Alabama forbid any drinks in lunches since there was tap water available in the school.

Thoughts?

Consumer Protection or Endangerment?

We have talked in class about whether there should be laws regarding what products can be produced.  If there is a market, should anything/everything be able to be produced and sold?

There is currently controversy over whether apps alerting consumers to police checkpoints should be allowed. "Locate Speed traps, speed cameras, DUI/DWI check points, red light cameras, active police vehicles and police enforcement areas." is how FuzzAlert advertises themselves.  PhantomAlert is another company producing similar software.  They claim that their product is to discourage drivers from drinking and driving.  Four U.S. Senators have called for Apple to pull the apps from their devices, saying that alerting drunk drivers to the fact that police have a checkpoint set up is potentially dangerous for other people on the road who could be victims of the drunk drivers.

What do you think?  Should we have software that alerts consumers to police checkpoints, speed cameras, etc.?

7 Rip-offs and 20 Worst Drinks

Imelda sent me this great article on ways that consumers get ripped-off in the supermarket.  Have you fallen for any of them?  I have a friend who swears by 5-hour energy drinks.  Now I know that I can just offer her a cup of coffee and save her a lot of money.

I thought you might also find this interesting - the 20 worst drinks in America.  Have you had any of them?  Did you realize what you were consuming (in grams of sugar, etc.)? 

1 Rockstar Energy drink = the sugar in 6 Krispy Kreme donuts. Wow.

Don't even think about having a Dairy Queen Moolatte.

Healthy or Wholesome?

We've talked about some of the downsides associated with terms like "low-cal" and "low-fat" and "healthy:"  Consumer associate lack of flavor with all of those terms.  Given a choice between something that is low-fat and something that is not, people might choose the low-fat option but they will assume that it won't taste as good as the regular option.

Sadie sent me an article the other day regarding a newer marketing tactic.  Enter a new set of terms that are being used to describe food.  Wholesome. Fresh. Natural, Premium. Local.  All of these words stir up images of things that are "good" and yet that taste good.  Terms such as this are vague and hard to define so they avoid accusations of not being true while conjuring up "tasty" images.

Thoughts?

Google Goggles

I think we all can admit that Google is pretty cool.  You can find information about practically anything by "Googling" it.  What if a stranger on the street could take a picture of you with their phone, upload it and then, without typing anything, find out everything there was to know about you?

Still cool?

We're getting close to the time/space/place where that technology and reality will coincide. Google Goggles is an application that allows one to take a photo, click the app and...without typing anything....an answer for what you photographed comes back to you.  Now so far, we can only do it with landmarks, phrases on menus, artwork, books, logos, etc.  We can't identify faces yet.  But it is probably only days away.

How do you like them goggles?

Bans

This week in class we discussed the marketing of tobacco products and how bans in certain areas is affecting the use of tobacco.  Today there was an article on how even electronic cigarettes are banned on airplanes (at least in the US). 

Another topic from this week was bottled water.  Carli sent me a few articles about bottled water being banned in certain areas.  There are cities that are banning bottled water.  Attempts have been made everywhere from Concord, MA to San Francisco.  There are a number of universities that are stepping forward and banning the sale of bottled water on their campus. A few that have already banned it are University of Portland, Seattle University, University of Vermont, and Washington University in St. Louis.  The University of Oregon is contemplating it. 

Would you be in favor of a ban on the sale of bottled water on USD's campus?  What might make it difficult?  How could the difficulties be overcome?

How would you feel about sitting next to someone on a plane who was smoking an electronic cigarette?

Deceptive?

A local (San Diego) mom has sued Nutella for deceptive advertising. 

 The California mom alleges in her legal complaint that she fed her 4-year-old daughter Nutella after seeing ads that represented the spread as "nutritious" or a "healthy breakfast."

Nutella lists nutritional information on their website.  They don't, though, list the ingredients.  If you look at the back of a jar, the first ingredient listed is sugar.  The second ingredient is vegetable oil.  

This isn't the first suit that Nutella has faced.  In the UK in 2008 they were sued when the petitioners said Ferrero's advertisements portrayed Nutella as a healthy part of a balanced breakfast. U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority said, "We considered that the ad misleadingly implied the spread made a more significant nutritional contribution to a balanced breakfast than was the case."  The Nutella ad claiming that it was good for children's breakfast was banned in the UK in 2008..

Thoughts?

Harmless Counterfeits?

Have you considered buying counterfeit goods?  The appropriate answer to that, just so you know, is no.

Many consumers buy counterfeit goods, knowingly.  Many consumers also buy counterfeit goods, unknowingly.  There were more than $10 million in counterfeit goods confiscated this week in LA.  

How bummed would you be if you bought one of these, thinking it was an iPod, only to get home to hook it up with your iTunes to find out that it didn't work?  How bummed would you be if you were the "real" manufacturer of goods that were counterfeited?  Or if you were the marketer or other employee who is now out of a job because counterfeiters have taken over your job?   We'll spend a day later in the semester discussing this topic but this was too important to not post now.

Investigators said, "During searches of the locations, Port Police discovered counterfeit products with an estimated street value of more than $1.4 million; stolen electronics, toys and blankets worth about $2.5 million; and bank account receipts that indicate the operation generated more than $7 million in profits."

Counterfeit goods hurt everyone involved and the sales generally benefit terrorist organizations.  

A Couple of Big Misses

Did you think that Groupon's Super Bowl ad regarding Tibet was in poor taste?  Many consumers and analysts do. Many believe that it made light of the deprivation and plight of the Tibetan refugees.  Getting attention is good.  Getting negative attention is not.

*************

Kenneth Cole pulled a big no-no the other day when he tweeted about the political unrest in Cairo.  Drawing awareness to the protests is one thing.  Drawing awareness to the people dying in the streets with the goal of selling your product is....a big mistake.  As pointed out by Harvard Business Review - huge mistake.

Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online at http://bit.ly/KCairo - KC

Mr. Cole has since removed the offensive tweet and apologized: 

I apologize to everyone who was offended by my insensitive tweet about the situation in Egypt. I’ve dedicated my life to raising awareness about serious social issues, and in hindsight my attempt at humor regarding a nation liberating themselves against oppression was poorly timed and absolutely inappropriate.

Kenneth Cole, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer

Too little too late?  Or heartfelt and appreciated?  What do you think?  As pointed out by many, on the internet nothing ever really disappears.

How many of you use twitter?  How many of you plan to use it as a marketing tool for your company?  It isn't a bad way to connect with your consumers.  Remember what it is for though and what it is not for.  Don't abuse the power that comes with ability to reach millions of people. 

 

Super Bowl XLV Ads

So, the Super Bowl is over.  And the ads have been analyzed and critiqued by everyone.  I have my own opinions and thoughts (especially about one company that really disappointed me) but will keep them to myself until you all give your thoughts.  Here is what Advertising Age executives thought (I hope I don't get in big trouble for re-posting it here!!).  Do you agree?  Disagree?  What were your favorites?  Ones you were most disappointed in?  And why?

You can see all of the ads here or here if you missed them.

Super Bowl Ad Review: It Was Bieber Fever and Eminem Epidemic

Chrysler, Best Buy and Groupon Carried the Game, While Anheuser-Busch Fell Flat

By Ken Wheaton
Published: February 06, 2011

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Thank god for Justin Bieber, Timothy Hutton, Best Buy, Groupon and CPB. And please bless Chrysler, Eminem and Wieden & Kennedy. No need to adjust your glasses. I just offered a small prayer of thanks that included Justin Bieber, an American automaker and a hot shop that's made me vow to never eat at Burger King again.

Best Buy used celebs wisely to promote its Buy Back program.

I was fully prepared to spend the night pulling a Hank Williams, crying into my beer over the sorry state of Super Bowl beer advertising. It seemed like we could always count on Bud and Bud Light to give us something-- Clydesdales acting like people, guys being dumb. Even when it was bad -- the farting horse, for example -- it was still worth a chuckle. But this year? Oof. If there's an opposite of most-improved, Anheuser-Busch would take home the prize. It's almost as if there's no clear marketing leader over there. It was enough to make me long for the days of Bud Bowl.
But thanks to the aforementioned saviors, and some solid efforts from Anomaly and Motorola, Amalgamated and CarMax, and Tyler Max and Doritos, the night wasn't a complete loss.
Before I get on with festivities, I'd like to remind print readers that this review was written prior to the game. (We also exclude movie trailers and ads not bought in the national broadcast.)

BEST BUY

CPB, BOULDER, COLO.

They should have called this spot Fail Whale. Not because it stinks, but because it's likely to cause Twitter to crash. Perhaps permanently. LOL, Justin Bieber, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne and some balding grunge creep saying Justin Bieber looks like a girl. OMG, that creep is totally Justin Bieber in disguise. But forget the LOLZ. Not only is the commercial entertaining, it's selling something: Best Buy's Buy Back Program. If, like Ozzy, you're confused by all these Gs, you can sell your 4G phone back when the 5G one comes out six months later.

Eminem shows Detroit pride in Chrysler spot.

CHRYSLER

WIEDEN & KENNEDY, PORTLAND, ORE.

Is Olivier Francois the Alexis De Toqueville of American car manufacturing? I'll say this much. I find it odd -- and encouraging -- that a Frenchman working for an Italian company has figured out a way to make car commercials that play on patriotism interesting. Maybe the Chrysler CMO has picked up the gritty fighting spirit of his new home city rather than the malaise. Because this ad? This two-minute, pod-hogging ode to Detroit? It charges you up. Sure, U.S. automakers have previously tried to convince us that "We are all Detroit" before, but not with creative this captivating. And after a few years of a battered economy, most Americans are more inclined to identify with Detroit than with, say, New York or Sin City, both of which are name-checked here. As the spot says, "We're certainly no one's Emerald City." What starts out as a down-on-our-luck tribute to a broken city morphs into a defiant, we're-back rallying cry faced by none other than Eminem, another broken thing out of Detroit who happens to be staging a massive comeback. Tea partiers and labor unions alike will cheer this one, including the tagline: "Imported from Detroit." Will it move Chrysler 200s? Who knows? Will it move viewers? Definitely.

Timothy Hutton gets laughs, cheap eats in Groupon spot.

GROUPON

CPB, BOULDER, COLO.

Opening on majestic mountains, we hear the voice of Timothy Hutton bemoaning the plight of Tibet. "Great," you think, "now the social-cause crew has invaded Super Bowl advertising to guilt-trip me about something else. Let me drink my beer and, further, GET OFF MY LAWN." But, no! Cut to Hutton sitting in a restaurant and saying, "But they still whip up an amazing fish curry. And since 200 of us bought a Groupon.com, we're each getting $30 worth of Tibetan food for $15 at Himalayan restaurant in Chicago." Good one, Groupon. And the pre-game and post-game spots similarly turn the celebrity-cause-hectoring genre on its head for a laugh while managing to explain what Groupon does to the unwashed masses who've never heard of it. Risky. But it doesn't come off as crass as Kenneth Cole tweeting about Egypt.

NFL

GREY, NEW YORK

The NFL is in a unique position. It doesn't have to sell anything in this game. All it has to do is entertain and maybe thank its fans. Mission accomplished. We get scenes from 20 of America's all-time favorite sitcom families (loosely defined). NFL team gear has been seamlessly superimposed on the casts. "Happy Days" characters are wearing Green Bay, the "Full House" crew is sporting 49ers gear, Tony Soprano and the gang boast Jets apparel. You get the idea. And the inclusion of the Simpsons spot adds a nice touch to the tagline: "Best. Fans. Ever." You're welcome, NFL. Now all you have to do is prevent a lockout next season.

Apple drones march along in Motorola ad.

MOTOROLA

ANOMALY, NEW YORK

It's about time a competitor took a cue from political activists and critics fond of pointing out that Apple has come full circle since its "1984" spot, with the success of iPod, iPhone and iPad -- along with its walled-garden and policing by Steve Jobs -- having turned the design-savvy company into the bad guy, creating a class of white-wearing sheeple isolated from the wider world. Motorola makes the point in support of its Xoom tablet. Might have been better to put more distance between Motorola and the iPad, but the ad gets its jabs in and shows off product benefits to boot.

BRIDGESTONE

RICHARDS GROUP, DALLAS

In one spot, called "Carma," a man swerves to miss a beaver and the life-saving gesture is later returned. But it's "Reply All" that will be remembered. We don't know what the office worker sent in his email, but considering his panicked reaction when told he's accidentally replied to all, we know it's bad. And many of us have been there -- though we didn't necessarily set off in a tire-scorching crosstown odyssey to knock laptops and smartphones out of the hands of our coworkers.

BRISK

MEKANISM, SAN FRANCISCO

Those unfamiliar with Eminem's body of work might be surprised to find the famously prickly rapper to be a charming spokesman in his own way. Tough and defiant in the Chrysler spot, in this ad for Brisk iced tea, he manages to sell out as cartoon character and keep his cred. Refreshing.

CARMAX

AMALGAMATED, NEW YORK

A couple of charming spots make a point about customer service, which has become all the rage again. In "Gas Station," a 21st-century driver confronted with 1950s customer service is convinced he's being carjacked. "Kid in a Candy Store" visualizes a number of absurd statements of happiness -- geek at a robot convention, hippie in a drum circle, acrobat in a mattress store -- leading up to the line "I feel like a customer at CarMax."

DORITOS

"THE BEST PART," CONSUMER-GENERATED

Tyler Dixon, a 35-year-old door-to-door salesman with a budget of $82, handily manages the balancing act of crafting a humorous ad that calls out a truth about the product. In the spot, one office drone polishes off a bag of Doritos. Cue creepy coworker (seemingly channeling Nick Swardson): "Hey, are you going to finish those?" Office Drone: "Sorry, they're already gone." CC: "No they're not, you left the best part." At which point he goes after the best part: the seasoning dust on the other guy's fingers. Well done, Mr. Dixon.

AUDI

VENABLES BELL & PARTNERS, SAN FRANCISCO

Two old coots try to bust out from a prison of luxury. Once outside the walls, one chooses the Audi A8, and the other falls for the oldest trick in the book: a Mercedes. Not LOL-hilarious but funny. And Audi's the only luxury car company that's believable when it claims to transport drivers beyond the confines of old-school luxury (unlike, say, those laughably bad holiday spots from Acura and Lexus).

BUDWEISER

ANOMALY, NEW YORK

The most enjoyable spot of the Anheuser-Busch lot was "Wild West" for brand Budweiser. A bad hombre is scaring the bejeebus out of the locals at a frontier saloon because it has run out of Budweiser. The Clydesdale-powered stage coach arrives just in time. (In their only appearance in the game, the horses are just horses.) Of course, we know Budweiser will somehow save the day, but how? Our stone-faced nemesis doesn't simply smile, he breaks into song -- Elton John's "Tiny Dancer." Seems more fitting for a Coke spot, but ties nicely to the "Great Times Are Waiting" tagline.

BMW

KIRSHENBAUM, BOND, SENECAL & PARTNERS, NEW YORK

David Bowie's "Changes" introduces us to a cast of soot-spewing people and the engine-knocking, outdated diesels (a semi, a Volvo and a Mercedes among them) they drive. A shiny blue BMW sporting the "clean, quiet, powerful" Advanced Diesel system heroically cuts through the smoke. In "Defying Logic," BMW makes the case that every X3 in the world is built right here in America (in Spartanburg, S.C., to be exact) -- and that it broke ground on a new U.S. factory in the midst of a recession. Unlike all those "American" car companies heading south of the border.

CHEVY SILVERADO

GOODBY, SILVERSTEIN & PARTNERS, SAN FRANCISCO

A truck spot that manages to showcase towing capabilities and handling without using either of those words. Also manages to be funny by portraying the truck as a latter-day Lassie repeatedly rescuing the hapless Timmy from wells, whales and volcanoes.

COCA-COLA

WIEDEN & KENNEDY

Coke -- good ol' happy-factory Coke -- seems oddly preoccupied with war this year. In one spot, two border guards glower at one another before finding common ground -- if only for a moment -- by sharing a Coke. In another spot, this one an animated hybrid of "Lord of the Rings" and "World of Warcraft," a horde of orcs (or ogres or goblins) lay siege to a castle and bring forth a fire-breathing dragon. But their warlike plans are laid to waste when the dragon, after drinking a bottle of happiness, starts shooting fireworks instead of flames. Cute, but neither ad carries the emotional weight exhibited by Coke spots in recent years.

E-TRADE

GREY, NEW YORK

The baby is back. Well, a baby is back. He looks different from previous babies. But he's still amusingly smug and, at moments, funny -- like when he shushes his Italian tailor. (See, E-Trade is so easy, a baby can teach a tailor to use it.) But with the gag getting up there in age, the jokes are going to have to be stronger than this. Also, guys, a message: LOLcats, you're doing it wrong.

GODADDY

IN-HOUSE

It pains me to say this, but the spot revealing the new GoDaddy.co domain and the new GoDaddy.co "girl," by building on the company's previously sleazy advertising -- and somehow making fans of the spots and the commercials the butt of the joke -- worked. But it's saying something when the inclusion of Joan Rivers adds class to your act.

KIA

DAVID & GOLIATH, LOS ANGELES

Here's a bit of truth in advertising -- about the advertising at any rate. The "Epic Ride" spot for Kia's Optima is epic. Fans of blockbuster Super Bowl spots with high production value will dig this one. And if you absolutely have to show a car driving down winding roads, you might as well have it journey across the universe and time as well. That's what happens here as everyone in the universe -- evil henchmen, Poseidon, extraterrestrials and Mayans included -- tries to get his hands on an Optima.

MERCEDES

MERKLEY & PARTNERS, NEW YORK

It's the sort of beautiful spot only Mercedes can get away with. Gorgeous models -- past, present and future -- escape their current confines to journey across the world to welcome the newest lineup. Adding a touch of humor to the spot, one of the escapees turns out to belong to P. Diddy.

MINI

BUTLER, SHINE, STERN, SAUSALITO, CALIF.

Sooner or later, a Super Bowl advertiser was going to make an anal-sex joke. I just figured it would be a beer marketer. "Cram It in the Boot" is the faux game show designed to illustrate the Mini Countryman's rear capacity. Tasteless, but cheeky. It also put me in mind of Eddie Murphy's "Boogie in Your Butt."

A tyke uses the Dark Side for VW.

VOLKSWAGEN

DEUTSCH, LOS ANGELES

We don't know if either of these spots are going to move Volkswagens off the lot, but they both deliver on Super Bowl fun. A kid dressed as Darth Vader trying to use the Force on various objects freaks out when it seems to work on the old man's Passat. And the "Black Beetle" spot makes a visually appealing connection so obvious it's a wonder no one's thought of it before.

CARS.COM

DDB, CHICAGO

The funnier of two spots shows the benefits of having someone else go first: a royal food tester, a cowboy who gets shot up with arrows. Message: Learn from the experience of others. In the other spot, computer-animated cars listen to the reviews of their models -- and come awfully close to sexually harassing one of their garage-mates. Gets the point across, but the ads feel dated.

CHEVY

GOODBY, SILVERSTEIN & PARTNERS, SAN FRANCISCO

If Chevy wants to convince consumers that it, like Ford, has transformed from American mediocrity to a car contender, it's going to have to do better than this. In "Al's Chevy," what looks like your typically craptastic local dealer ad turns into something more when a Camaro morphs into a Transformer and flings an abusive mascot aside like a rag doll. Funny -- if consumers don't mistake the first 15 seconds for, you know, a craptastic local-dealer ad and tune out. (UPDATE: Looks like this one didn't run in the game, perhaps due to issues between GM and the studio.)

CHEVY CRUZE

GOODBY, SILVERSTEIN & PARTNERS, SAN FRANCISCO

In "Misunderstanding," a host of seniors in a retirement home misunderstand the MPG message in a Chevy Cruze spot. Funny, but feels like a "Seinfeld" bit. In "Status," a young man ends his first date by driving off and using his car to check his Facebook stream to find his date has declared it "Best. First. Date. Ever." Which raises two questions: "Who friends someone before going on a first date?" and "Is someone going to base a car-buying decision on the vehicle's ability to read Facebook updates?" Please don't answer that second one.

CHEVY VOLT

GOODBY, SILVERSTEIN & PARTNERS, SAN FRANCISCO

Though it feels like the car has been around forever, the Volt is officially introduced to America in this spot comparing it to electrifying leaps forward in other sectors. Thankfully for GM, the average consumer won't remember its previous experiments with electric cars -- though it's going to take a lot more than this ad to convince them to plunk down for a Volt.

HOMEAWAY

VENDOR, AUSTIN

Right product at the right time. Vacation-rental service offering more -- homes, apartments instead of hotel rooms -- for less. To get the message across, it's created a Minister of DeTourism and a secret government agency tasked with saving family vacations from hotels that "hate your guts." For some reason this involves a hotel-room simulator and a catapulted test baby. The joke falls as flat as that poor test-baby's face.

HYUNDAI

INNOCEAN, SAN DIEGO

Hyundai is one of the few marketers that knocked it out of the park in the past couple of years not with gimmickry but with an old-fashioned unique selling proposition just right for the times -- the Hyundai Assurance Program. Now we're subjected to the typical auto-ad pablum. Jeff Bridges might have a great voice, but he's still spouting car clichés. The tagline could just as well be "We're unique -- just like everyone else."

SALESFORCE.COM

DIPDIVE, SAN JOSE, CALIF.

To get the word out about Chatter.com, a cloud-computing tool that allows businesses to create a private-social network, Salesforce.com has enlisted the help of Will.i.am and DipDive. In this spot, Will.i.am and his fellow Black Eyed Pea bandmates are cast as adorable cartoon characters -- The Baby Peas. Perhaps it's an attempt to differentiate this Will.i.am marketing effort from the ones he's done for Pepsi, Obama, Intel and Verizon, but no one was so worried about overkill that they didn't sandwich the two spots around the half-time show featuring the Black Eyed Peas. Whether this is genius or ridiculous may well depend on your age. Young entrepreneurs may find the pitch appealing; older people may feel like the coots in Chevy's "Misunderstanding" ad.

SNICKERS

BBDO, NEW YORK

Turning into Betty White and Abe Vigoda because you're cranky and need a Snickers? Hilarious. Turning into Richard Lewis? Wait, who? There are some second chances in America, but you sort of need to qualify as a memorable celebrity in the first place. Not even the appearance of Roseanne Barr at the end of this spot can satisfy us.

CAREERBUILDER

IN-HOUSE

Recycling a successful campaign originally created by Cramer-Krasselt, the job site brings back the chimps. Once again, the spots successfully target those frustrated with the current job, working with a bunch of monkeys. But the animal-rights activists have convinced us (and a number of ad agencies): Time to stop using and abusing apes in commercials. No matter how hilarious they are. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to get a cheeseburger.

PEPSIMAX/DORITOS

CONSUMER-GENERATED

That's the average I'll give the other five spots -- budgets ranging from $30 to $4,500 -- from the Crash the Super Bowl contest, which offer up such Super Bowl classics as "guy getting hit in the balls," "oversexed guy on a date" and "cute animal in mildly funny situation." There's even a nagging African-American wife straight out of a Tyler Perry movie (but if you stick around until the end, that one actually pays off). Prediction: With the exception of the $30 spot, most of these will do well on the Ad Meter.

TELEFLORA

FIRE STATION, LOS ANGELES (IN-HOUSE)

Faith Hill tells clueless guy to tell his girlfriend what's in his heart. "Dear Kim, Your rack is unreal." The message is that moronic guys should leave the writing to Teleflora's Faith Hill collection. Though I have to question her judgment for showing up in this spot.

BUD LIGHT/STELLA ARTOIS

Only one of Anheuser-Busch's spots is called "Hack Job," but the name could have been used for at least four of them. The company that reliably turns in some of the best Super Bowl creative seemed to be, at best, dialing it in. "Hack Job," by Cannonball, for example, plays off of home-improvement shows. The big reveal of the kitchen remodel? A bucket of Bud Light was added. Get it?!?! "Product Placement," from DDB, is somewhat of a meta-joke -- and one stolen from "Wayne's World" to boot. Speaking of jokes dug up from times past, DDB's other spot, "Dog Sitter," features digitally enhanced dogs serving beer at a party -- and playing poker! Using computers might prevent animal cruelty, but it does nothing to prevent consumer cruelty. And if those spots didn't leave you crying in your beer, perhaps "Crying Jean," a Stella Artois spot from Mother, will. This is how you make your Super Bowl debut, with Adrien Brody singing to weeping women in a French jazz club? Previous spots for Stella I've found entertaining. This one left me wondering who decided to let Adrien Brody sing in a beer commercial.
My one hope is that Bud Light runs the 60-second spot from DDB it "unlocked" on Facebook at the end of the week. Called "Severance," it's the silly sort of fun viewers expect from the brand.

GODADDY

IN-HOUSE

Jillian Michaels, of "The Biggest Loser" fame, joins Danica Patrick to shed clothes and dignity in this annual display of class. And by class we mean "attempt to alienate half the population." It's sort of redeemed by the Joan Rivers spot.

SKECHERS

IN-HOUSE

Skechers is just plain sketchy in an ad that makes GoDaddy look like a class act. Kim Kardashian, perhaps feeling nostalgic for the sex tape that made her a celebrity in the first place, turns in a stiff performance in a commercial that seems to purposely strive for the look and feel of low-budget porn.

Smoke Gets in My Eyes

Tara J. brought this to my attention this morning.  Thank you!!  This is an excellent example of a marketing and public policy issue.

 
New York City Council bans smoking in public parks and beaches. NYC isn't the first city to enact a ban like this although it is the largest city to do so. 

It would certainly cut down on pollution (cigarette butts, air pollution, second hand smoke) but it would also cut into what some people consider a "right" in the great outdoors. 

What are your thoughts on it?

Eat Less

The USDA recommends that Americans eat less.  That is understandable, considering the fact that we have gotten *so* used to eating more.  And more.  And more. We can't continue at this pace.  It isn't good for us, but it's what we do...because it is what the restaurants offer us. And let's be honest.  We all go to restaurants, right?  Who has time to cook at home anymore??

Does anyone need the "All American Jack?"  Which, with small fries and drink add up to 1400 calories?   Honestly, it is $4.99 for the whole meal.  How can you NOT eat it at that price?

What favors are we doing the American public? 

I think the following quote is....oh I can't find the right word for it.  Funny?  Ridiculous?  Honest?  Sad?

"The bottom line is we're in the business of making money, and we make money off of what we sell," said Beth Mansfield, spokeswoman for CKE Restaurants Inc., which owns the Carl's Jr. and Hardee's chains. "If we wanted to listen to the food police and sell nuts and berries and tofu burgers, we wouldn't make any money and we'd be out of business."

What would be your suggestions to the restaurants?

Too controversial for advertisers?

How many of  you have watched the UK version of Skins?  How many of you have watched the US version of Skins?  If you have (and if you've been keeping up with the news about the US version) you probably are aware that many advertisers who originally planned to sponsor the show have since changed their minds. So far (as of Feb.1st, just three episodes into the series), NINE companies have pulled their advertising.   So far, Schick, Subway, H&R Block, Taco Bell, Proactiv, Wrigley, General Motors are among them. 

Too risque for their liking. This is not good for MTV.  What do you think?

MTV has undergone a recent transformation in order to capture the attention of you.  Yes, YOU.  The young viewers.  You're a different beast - tuning in to Jersey Shore (just renewed for its 4th season), Teen Mom, 16 and Pregnant.  Was bringing Skins to US television a marketing mistake? 

Great news!!

For all of those people in class who talked about Google being a good company to work for...there is good news!

Google announced this week that they will be hiring 6000 new employees this year.  They hired 4500 last year.  Why are they succeeding when so many other organizations are failing?

*credit for photo to rustybrick