The Super Bowl has become a celebration uniting our diverse nation in a way few things can. And this year’s game was the most-watched television event in history. Millions and millions tuned in from old folks to young tikes. There’s no doubt about it, the Super Bowl is a national treasure that spans across multiple generations.
As exciting as the game is, the commercials contain their own intrigue. At about 3.5 million bucks per ad, we watch them and expect something remarkable.
One such ad was the “God Made a Farmer” ad by Dodge Ram. Quite frankly, as a South Dakota man, I choked up watching this. It reminded me of the kind of folks who make up my great state.
This was more than a sales pitch for a truck, it appealed to something intrinsic in us. A sense of pride, determination, and strength. The things that make our nation great. This is what great storytelling does. It moves us.
Dodge not only created a classy and compelling ad, but it made me want a new truck.
Contrast this ad with GoDaddy.
I hesitate to even mention them because it’s exactly what they want. To create controversy in order to get people talking.
As usual, their ad was lame and tasteless.
It’s not that I”m a prude. If the commercial aired while my wife and I watched Sons of Anarchy, I would write it off as another stupid ad. But when your family is cuddled around you watching the big game, it’s rather disturbing.
The fact is, millions and millions of impressionable children watch the Super Bowl. Little boys and little girls. And GoDaddy has proven time and again, they could care less. When a company knows young children are watching, and they intentionally create ads like they do, it comes across as sick and creepy. Which is why I won’t do business with them.*
It makes you wonder. If you’re a company who’s going to invest a few million dollars on a Super Bowl ad, why not be creative, interesting, funny, or powerful? This is your chance to shine and give us a reason to use your product or service. Tell your story, make us talk, and show you care.
This is what Dodge did. And today, I’m sure they have a sense of pride in their message, their trucks, and their organization.
That’s what good marketing is all about.
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* There are many alternatives to choose from to get a domain name. I’ve used Bluehost.com and Name.com and found them to be easy to work with.
Great contrast there Jason. I had pretty much the same reaction to the ads you mentioned above. The Dodge ad was especially well done. The Jeep/USO ad was a close second in my opinion. GoDaddy just has no respect whatsoever for the FACT that their are children sitting there watching the game and really focusing on the commercials – because we have created an expectation of something big from these commercials.
But, I guess the two different commercials are also evidence of a larger problem in our society and media in general. We need more “Dodge” and less “GoDaddy”.
I missed the Dodge commercial. It was great.
My wife cleaned a farmers house today. He came in and made a bottle for a new calf half way through the day.