Advertisers phoning it in on Superbowl XLII

You’ll notice Superbowl XLII didn’t generate much "buzz" about the advertising this year.  The spots were dull and boring…. almost as if everyone was just  "phoning it in".  After all… the outcome was inevitable if you listened to the "experts".  No one was expected to watch the massacre!  Why even bother playing the game…. just crown the well deserving (cheating) champions and let’s get on with it.

OOPS!  Turned out Superbowl XLII was an INCREDIBLE game.   It was a classic "David vs Goliath" and by gum, David (a.k.a. the Giants) pulled out a win, with the game being won with a mere 2 seconds left on the clock.

So, with 97.5 MILLION viewers at stake, advertisers who had previously turned in "game winning " performances on the advertising front didn’t this year.  Salesgenie.com’s ads were so horrible, I can’t help but wonder if they did more harm than good!  It certainly didn’t make me want to sign up for their services… and as a business owner, I AM their target audience!!!

I never have understood phoning in any advertising campaign, but especially not one as expensive as a Superbowl ad buy! 

Hear that?  It’s the sound of 97.5 million viewers who weren’t even tempted to sit through the commercial breaks by the third quarter.  It’s the sound of getting more eyes than you paid for watching your ads.  It’s the sound of a collective yawn nationwide.

The only exceptions were these mildly entertaining spots:

1. the Budweiser ad with the Clydesdale and the Dalmation
2. the Bridgestone ad with the screaming squirrel/wildlife

As if to add insult to injury and to commemorate their mediocrity, this year there’s a myspace page featuring ALL the (mostly) crappy ads!  Yet another reason for advertisers to NOT to phone it in that was ignored.

If you’re a small business who feels like you’ll never "understand" how to effectively market your business… take heart.  All the money in the world doesn’t seem to be able to buy good marketing sense.

If you need a step by step guide to creating truly effective marketing messages for your small business- pick up a copy of my book Beyond the Niche: Essential Tools You Need to Create Marketing Messages that Deliver Results.