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For Our Marketing Team, These 7 Super Awesome Commercials Are Big Winners

Our Favorite Super Bowl 2019 Ads

Our Favorite Super Bowl 2019 Ads

It’s an absolute phenomenon.

According to the sacred laws of modern television, digital, and on-demand viewing, consumers spend a whopping 364 days a year actively avoiding advertising and marketing messages.

From strategic bathroom breaks and the embracing of alternative, bingeable entertainment channels to the installation of ad-blockers, consumers want to avoid unsanctioned commercial interruptions—whenever and wherever they’re enjoying content.

But when Super Bowl Sunday rolls around, it’s Opposite Day—and for a few glorious hours, we’re on the edge of our seats with excited anticipation of the next ad to dance across the screen. It’s the Super Ad Bowl.

For the average consumer, this phenomenon is simply an entertainment tradition. For marketers, it’s a series of case studies in marketing storytelling, creativity, and boldness in action.

And this year, there were several case-in-point ads that entertained the TopRank Marketing team as consumers and inspired us as marketers. Below team members share their winning picks for the ads that won the “Super Ad Bowl.”

#1 – Google’s “100 Billion Words” Leaves Us (Nearly) Speechless

In a time of political and social upheaval—a time of distrust and divisiveness—Google takes time remind us that we are united by a common language: A language of gratitude, affection, and connectedness. And, of course, it’s multilingual Translator service helps bring people and these love languages together.

[embed]https://youtu.be/uXfJc8up6cM[/embed]

As a search engine that is increasingly powered by machines, in this piece Google showcases the tangible human benefits its platform offers, while also encouraging us all to choose unity. It’s a stunningly beautiful message and incredible brand marketing. This one topped my personal list of 2019 faves, and my colleague, Social and Content Marketing Manager Lane Ellis, felt the same:

“Google helps put the ‘G’ in global with its Google Translate Super Bowl 2019 spot, with a touching look at how its translation services are being used every day to say small things that mean so much,” he shared.

#2 – Bud Light and HBO Riles Game of Thrones Fans

Since the summer of 2017, Bud Light’s medieval marketing campaign featuring the “Dilly Dilly” catchphrase has been a beer lover’s favorite. With several commercials now part of the series, it’s safe to say that Super Bowl viewers were anything but surprised once the beer company’s newest ad started rolling on Sunday—that is until “The Mountain” of HBO’s hit show, Game of Thrones, made his appearance.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fhOItB0zUM[/embed]

“It was a good reminder that breaking audience expectations is really effective in creating genuine surprise and excitement,” Content Strategist Annie Leuman shared.

But the real marketing magic, Annie said, is happening on social media—with both brands leveraging the “Bud Knight” as a way to continue the buzz and excitement.

Game of Thrones Bud Knight on Twitter

Good Night Bud Knight

Valar Morghulis Bud Knight

Of course, with many avid GoT fans around the office, Annie wasn’t the only one moved:

“This ad had a fabulous surprise ending and we saw the merger of two fabulous brands,” Debbie Friez, Influencer Marketing Strategist, said. “I’m not sure it sold me on Bud Light, but as a Game of Thrones fan, I’m even more excited for the final season.”

#3 – Burger King’s #EatLikeAndy Stands Out Thanks to Simplicity

Creativity in marketing comes in many forms—and sometimes it’s in the simplest form. With over 50 Super Bowl commercials competing with each other and the hype of the game, there was a lot of noise during this year’s event. And for our CEO Lee Odden, the most memorable ads were simple and singular in their focus.

“The commercial that exemplified simplicity best for me was the #EatLikeAndy spot from Burger King,” he said. “There’s basically no dialogue or promotion. It’s just vintage video of the real Andy Warhol opening a BK bag, pulling out a Whopper and eating it, finishing with the #EatLikeAndy hashtag.”

[embed]https://youtu.be/8fIfPKpY7HQ[/embed]

Lee added: “It may have been the retro simplicity that made the BK commercial stand out, the fact that we can all relate to the ketchup bottle struggle, or Casey Neistat’s recent BK joke video making the Burger King brand top of mind. Whatever the reason, the #EatLikeAndy commercial is the one that stood out amongst a blur of ads during one of the most boring Super Bowls I’ve ever seen.”

#4 – Microsoft “Levels the Playing Field” with Emotional Storytelling

Our brains are programed for stories. And Microsoft’s story-centered ad aimed at showcasing the power of technology—accessible technology that is—engaged our minds and our hearts in its cause.

“Everything about this commercial tugged at the heartstrings,” Account Manager Claire O’Neill shared. “There wasn’t a dry eye in my house.”

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM2QJO2IDFo[/embed]

Storytelling can help marketers build trust. Storytelling can break down barriers. And stories can build connections.

“This ad pulled at my heartstrings with all the feels,” Debbie seconded. “But what made it really incredible was the story—it was great content; a great story with a beginning, middle, and great ending. In addition, Microsoft has featured some of these kids in other ads, too, showing off some creative repurposing.”

#5 – Bubly Busts the Awareness Bubble with the Help of Michael Bublé

Over the last couple years, sparkling seltzer has become the new battleground for many drink makers. Of course, La Croix is perhaps the most well-known of brands. And as any up-and-coming or niche brand knows, gaining awareness ground is the first order of marketing business.

PepsiCo’s young Bubly brand is coming up in the world, according to Influencer Marketing Strategist Jack Fitzpatrick.

“For me, nothing will beat Michael Bublé sitting on the floor of a gas station pouting, surrounded by cans of PepsiCo’s Bubly sparkling water,” he laughed. “This commercial fit perfectly into the brand’s fun-loving personality and featured the well-liked Canadian singer as the spokesperson. This total please-all ad for a makes sense for a brand that is working to grab market share from sparkling water goliath, La Croix.”

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1uNrSJKV34[/embed]

#6 – Hulu Strikes Intrigue and Fear with Trailer for Season 3 of The Handmaid’s Tale

Tension is a key storytelling element—and perhaps one that marketers don’t leverage often enough. Tension builds excitement and intrigue, and it commands attention.

Hulu’s intense adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale checks all those boxes—within each episode and it’s teaser trailers.

As Account Manager Jane Bartel describes it: “The trailer capitalizes on all my fears as well as they do in the show, and makes me not want to miss the next season.”

[embed]https://youtu.be/PuWg6AyzETg[/embed]

“From a marketing perspective, it very effectively teased the content to existing viewers (and probably attracted some new ones) by using an almost ‘propaganda-esque’ opening showing how women are entering the workforce in large numbers, and healthy babies are being born all over the place,” Tiffani Allen, Associate Director of Search and Analytics, adds.

“The spot then takes a turn to show that this is, in fact, not the reality and shows the movement of women actively fighting back and ‘burning’ the system,” she says. “It was powerful to see that kind of contrast within messaging while staying on narrative.”

#7 – Stella Artois Plays on Familiarity While Encouraging Change

Nostalgia and familiarity are incredibly powerful marketing and engagement tools. Look no further than the resurgence of classic tales such as those from the Star Wars franchise hitting the box offices every year.

This year, Stella Artois leveraged three iconic characters—each of who are well-known for having a signature drink—to evoke nostalgia, while also challenging potential customers to embrace change.

And yes. I said three iconic characters. Sarah Jessica Parker reprises her Carrie Bradshaw character from Sex and the City, while Jeff Bridges appears as “The Dude” from the cult classic The Big Lebowski. Finally, in the full version, we briefly see Jonathan Goldsmith, who for a decade portrayed “The Most Interesting Man in the World” for Dos Equis.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=439muvajodg[/embed]

Share Your Super Ad Picks

When Super Bowl Sunday rolls around, the brands and their ads are the showstoppers. Which ads and marketing messages resonated most with you? Tell us in the comments section below.

You can catch TopRank Marketing at several upcoming events, including this week on Feb. 6, 2019. Join Lee Odden as he presents a live webinar with BrightTALK on the future of collaborative B2B content.

The post For Our Marketing Team, These 7 Super Awesome Commercials Are Big Winners appeared first on Online Marketing Blog – TopRank®.

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So You Want to Be a CCXP…

Image courtesy of CXPA

Are you looking to earn your CCXP this year?

I get a lot of questions every week from customer experience professionals who are interested in taking the CCXP exam but aren’t sure how to prepare for it. There’s a website for the exam with a lot of details and resources; it now also includes a document that lists books, whitepapers, websites, etc. that you can read to help you prepare.

But there’s no substitution for experience and having done the work.

Tags: 
ccxp
Annette Franz (Gleneicki)
customer experience

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Brand Update : Welcome back Santro

This October saw one brand coming back to life. Hyundai decided to name their new entry-level hatchback as Santro. Indian market is witnessing an interesting brand name phenomenon of a resurrection of dead brands. After Santro, Mahindra is launching the Jawa brand. Ads of Dianora ( remember Dyanora brand ?) brand is there in some channels in Kerala. 
Santro in the earlier avatar had a dream run in the Indian market. It paved way for Hyundai to become the second largest car maker in the highly competitive Indian market. However, Hyundai decided to put the brand to rest and opted for a strange alpha-numeric brand i10 as the successor. Although the brand found acceptance, it was not a blockbuster brand like Santro. 
The new Santro has no similarity with the old models. Neither in looks or in the technical specification. The product looks like a car born out of i10 and Chevrolet Beat. 
In the brand communications, Santro tries to link itself to the old Santro’s USP of a tall boy design, however, the new Santro does not look like a tall boy. 
 Just like the relaunch of Baleno, here the company has used a very famous brand name for the new launch. There is no need to be nostalgic about it. There was some nostalgia when I heard the news of Santro relaunch but that vanished when I saw the new Santro being totally different from the old. 
So why a sudden rush for dead brands. The only reason is the brand awareness that some of these brands carry across all these years. For example, Jawa and Yezdi still have huge awareness among the Indian riders. We also know that these bikes were real headaches in terms of mechanical failures and ride quality. You need extra-strong calf muscles to make a Yezdi start. But since those were the only options, consumers tend to buy it. When better bikes came, these brands died. 
In the case of Santro, it had strong equity created out of excellent product performance. Old Santros are still running without any issues. 
By launching the new product with an old brand which has excellent brand awareness ( recognition + recall) gives a  real boost to the launch efforts. There need not be any investment in building awareness by using an old brand. Since Santro did not have any issues in the previous life, it does not come with any baggage. Hyundai just had to fuel a hype of an old brand resurrected, the media will take care of the rest of promotion because of the news value. The launch of Santro had earned a lot of earned media space just because of the brand name. 
Hyundai had priced the new Santro in a sweet spot and according to auto-portals, the product offers excellent value for the price paid. Automobile market success heavily depends on product and service related attributes and less on brand-related attributes. Santro again depends on how the car works and with Hyundai’s track record, it will not be a problem for the new brand. 

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Why SEO Should Be An Essential Aspect of Your Business's Promotional Activity?

If you haven’t remained aloof to modern marketing techniques you would have definitely heard and read a lot about search engine optimization. For most people it is a means to improve their digital footprint and grow their brand digitally. But SEO services are often misunderstood in terms of value they add to your promotional activity. They are merely seen from the narrow prism of traffic and rankings on the search engines. On the contrary a SEO services company would offer you much more than mere traffic and visibility and here we take a look at why SEO should be an essential aspect of your business’ promotional activity.

It Adds Credibility to Your Brand

Recall the good old days when businesses would paint the town with hoardings and posters to promote products and services. The reason behind such campaigns was to put the brand in front of the potential customers’ eyes. When done smartly they would strike the right note in the minds of the target audience. SEO does much the same in the digital space. When your brand is constantly in front of the audience it lends credibility. After all most of us like to choose products and services that we know of rather than unknown ones. By tying up with a professional SEO company you would be able to improve brand recognition.

You Don’t Need to Burn a Hole in Your Pocket

As a small business you may have shoestring budget for marketing. This would have so far prevented you from trying out traditional channels of marketing that remain out of reach for most small businesses till date. Search Engine Optimization on the contrary is one of the most cost-effective ways of marketing your brand, products and services. A few hundred dollars each month is all that is required to run an inspiring campaign online. SEO also promises you the lowest customer acquisition cost and garners maximum eyeballs for every dollar spent in the campaign.

Get Insights into Your Potential Customers

Traditional marketing techniques were handicapped by limited means to get insights into your customers. A SEO Company would offer you deep insights into your customers. From who they are, what their age is and where they are coming from you would be able to generate valuable data that helps you run more targeted campaigns in the future. You would also be able to use this data while improving your products and services to meet the aspirations of your customers.

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Cadbury Crispello : Let Something Good Happen !

Brand : Crispello
Company : Mondolez India

Brand Analysis Count: #587

Cadbury recently launched a new brand Crispello in the Indian market. The new product is the company’s second entry into the crispy chocolate segment, the first being Perk. The new brand will be fighting with the likes of KitKat, Galaxy etc. While this segment is dominated by chocolate covered wafer products like KitKat, Cadbury’s Crispello is a wheat crispies covered with chocolate.
The Rs 8000 crore chocolate market is witnessing intense competition with global players fighting it out for the share of the pie. Now the who-is-who of the players are in the market and to be in the game, brands need to constantly innovate. 
Crispello is targeting the new generation of customer who is always looking for a variety of experiences. Crispello is targeting the customers who want light indulgence snacking options. According to company reports, the brand understands that customers of this generation want multi-textured and complex experiences and the brand aims to deliver that option. 
The new brand follows the same brand architecture of other Cadbury brands. The new product is endorsed by the category brand- Cadbury, followed by the family brand – Dairy Milk. 
The brand also follows usual positioning of Dairy Milk centered around the concept of  » Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye « .
The launch advertisement is also in sync with the positioning. Interestingly Crispello is positioned as a healthy diet snack targeting women in Europe.
The strategy followed by Mondolez which has been ruling the Indian chocolate market is to keep the excitement going among the consumers. The Cadbury brand has seen a lot of product launches which had kept the brand in the limelight. Some of the launches have been highly successful in the likes of Dairy Milk Silk. 
With global brands like Mars, M&M etc stepping up the game, the market leader is also making aggressive moves to stay on top. Exciting times ahead in this market. 

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Digital Signages as a Tool of Omni-Channel Marketing

It has long been said that the generation of millennial in the first place is responsible for breaking up the foundations in the traditional marketing due to the habit of its digital technologies. Hereby hangs a tale not that often but X generation and baby-boomers are not that far behind. Rampant development of digital communication, which went through the era of PC to smartphones and tablets, explains why this trend is long-term, but not some kind of short-term devotion. We read up-to-date headlines from the screens but not from the printed sources more often. Digital devices have become so ubiquitous that deliver required information wherever you go.

Retailers feel constrained to expand the boundaries of traditional interaction with customers. Millennial change the system using their mobile devices for searching for more profitable proposals, communication with brand, purchase and products discussion. In addition, availability of a brand in the ordinary for them virtual environment is as important, as the pricing policy.

Data on tendencies in traditional shopping represented on the webinar of the Blackhawk Engagement Solutions, Inc:

  • 89% of millennials use their smartphones for Internet access daily.
  • 55% rely on social media as the main source of news and information (television is on the 6th place).
  • 95% keeps a high sensibility for a price.
  • Majority compares purchase conditions in different stores by means of smartphones.
These tendencies led to an active development of omnichannel marketing. It assumes integration of all the way of communication, online and offline, and delivers an advertising directly to a customer. It suggests personalization so a user can get information, which fits in his/her style of life. Digital signage is an effective tool of omnichannel marketing, they target advertising, gather detailed information about customers, serves as means of effective brand communication and customers on the sale spots. It is a logical continuation of online in an offline environment. Traditional retail approach and the virtual world are impossible to imagine without effective digital signage.
Here is what the latest studies say about digital signage:
  • In accordance with Arbitron study, videos displayed on public attract the attention of 70% customers.
  • According to Samsung, 84% of retailers in Great Britain believe, that a digital signage significantly increases a brand visibility, which emphasizes the importance of keeping a complete, focused on digital technologies image of a brand.
  • Price-Waterhouse-Coopers study shows, that retailers may decrease a customer`s stress using digital signage to inform and entertain clients, waiting in a queue.
  • In accordance with NCR Global Consumer Research, 87% of customers would want no matter where in the world you are (no matter, online or оoffline) to have an equal access to services.
Change and use all the opportunities for effective interaction with your clients. Digital signage perfectly fits for implementation of the omnichannel marketing concept. It is an important tool to engage customers resonating with their way of life.
About the author

About the author: Melisa Marzett who is into marketing and keeps track of events currently writing for http://smartessayrewriter.com. looking for more guest post opportunities. If you happen to be an enthusiastic reader who enjoys her article with a website accepting guest posts on a free basis, her is the email

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How Facebook Messenger Bots Can Elevate Your Online Business?

facebook marketing

An online presence has become paramount in the prevailing global economic conditions. Unless you have been living under a rock, you have watched Facebook evolve from just an online ‘meet me’ spot to a staple in business. This phenomenal online platform has instituted steady improvements over the years and one of the latest ones being, Facebook messenger bots.

Facebook messenger bots are autonomous messages that can interact with clients on your behalf using automated responses. How are they beneficial to my bottom line? – you may ask. These bots provide a number of benefits such as:

1. Saves You Some Face Time
You no longer have to be glued to your monitor, Facebook messenger bots can interact with customers on your behalf through words, videos and pictures depending on customer queries.

2. Help Gather Customer Information
Facebook messenger bots can read and interpret customer queries through artificial intelligence after which, they will deliver relevant answer templates or furnish you with the information needed to respond to the customer query yourself.

3. Easy Customization
These bots amplify various Facebook resources such as chat extensions, sharing capabilities and visual components to help extend your reach. These bots can also be customized to accept customer payments in the messenger window.

4. Broadens Your Reach
Customers are seeking to patronize businesses with bots, which exposes your businesses to a larger audience. Ensure you retain your patrons by giving them a memorable experience.

5. Helps in Delivery
Bots also come in handy in dropping your product offerings and ads right into customer inboxes.

Statistics show that more than 100,000 businesses are using bots with that number set to rise. Customers have also expressed an affinity and preference for businesses they can message effectively. These two facts alone highlight the importance of incorporating Facebook messenger bots into your online business.

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