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Happy Monday
The Atlanta Falcons clearly aren’t big Mighty Ducks movie fans or they could’ve pulled off the Super Bowl LI win by, yes, flying together.
The field goal attempt was within range to put the game out of reach for the New England Patriots late in the fourth quarter by the Atlanta Falcons, but the offense wasn’t in sync and, consequently, their chances of winning went bye-bye-bye.
Christopher Walken knows what I’m talking about.
New England Patriots 34 – Atlanta Falcons 28 in OT.
Admittedly, Super Bowl LI (51) did not present the greatest slate of commercials. Still, there were a few amusing submissions. The Bai drink ad above, the Budweiser journey and the Mr. Clean commercial with the hilarious twist were quite entertaining. Interestingly though, the shortest ad was arguably the best last night.
The creative team at Amazon Echo, which is essentially Siri for the home, wrote and produced a genuinely sweet moment between a father and daughter watching football. The simplicity and the smile-worthy moment was not only what fans of all ages needed and appreciated, but desperately what the NFL needed and appreciated (ie – ratings decline).
Will there be a Little Giants sequel…?
Have a Better Week Than Last Week.
Food-Safety-Guacamole
“Puppy-Monkey-Baby, Puppy-Monkey-Baby…Puppy. Monkey. Baby.”
Soda, cars, taxes, beer (and post-Super Bowl intimacy) were a few of the diverse industries that spent millions of dollars on commercials and brand messaging during Super Bowl 50. Most of the ads were pretty standard for marketing’s biggest night of year. Actually, as yesterday’s Happy Monday! blog post highlighted, the best ad wasn’t technically an ad at all.
Peyton Manning: Super Ad Champion.
Surprisingly, the one company that would have benefited from an informative (and reassuring) prime-time Super Bowl commercial didn’t say a word on Sunday night.
In other words, Chipotle’s kitchen was closed again.
With a months-long problem of patrons getting sick from E.coli in multiple locations nationwide, the logical next-step for the favorite food franchise seemed to be one commercial away. Imagine if Chipotle founder Steve Ells faced the camera and directly addressed the painful concerns customers have (literally and figuratively) and explained what he and his restaurants have done, are doing and will do to comply with and resolve their health issues to recover the damage done to its reputation?
An ad without spin would’ve been refreshing. In many ways, a refresh is what Chipotle needs right about now.
Simplicity and candor seemed to work brilliantly for Peyton Manning and Budwesier.
Betting Big on a Message
“I want you to want me”
Late last night, the quintessential ’90s romantic comedy (with raw emotional depth, edge and incredible deftness at the angst and hilarious realities of living within the relentless tornado of high school cliques) 10 Things I Hate About You played on HBO and it was a wonderful escape. This movie, with a pitch perfect cast, shows what can happen when creative storytellers (actors and actresses) are given a creative story (the script) to interpret intersections of romantic quests, heartbreak with seemingly immovable barriers and the continuous dancing on the edge between funny and crude.
For those who have seen 10 Things, the latter always fell on funny.
And that’s the point. The 100-minute movie still sparks repeat views and flashbacks of happy, nostalgic memories because it told a fantastic story that connects with people in a positive light. This despite its all-to-familiar gut-wrenching moments of trying to find and understand love. The journey was tough (with subtle nods to a tame Shakespeare play), but genuinely worthwhile and enjoyable. While I could write a glowing analysis of more than 10 things I love about this movie (c’mon, I had to), the purpose of this blog post is to highlight the investment people will make for a story that takes the time and effort to be worthy of being paid attention to.
There are lots of substantial topics one could write about from this 1999 classic, but the issue today is highlighting its storytelling prowess. If you think about your favorite television commercials or advertisements, falling somewhere within the digital and print universe, odds are high they are clever and likely don’t appear like a linear plug of a product or company. They’re different in some way. These companies made the choice to be distinguishable, while maintaining high standards. And it’s the firms that choose to mix some traditional themes with a little bit of unorthodox communication and engaging characters that establish themselves as more than a product or company.
They become a story worth investing time and money in. These firms elevate their message and image above the competition with the rare quality of continuously maintaining people’s attention, like a movie that’s still as popular, unique and relevant today as it was 16 years ago.
And isn’t the quotation at the top of the page (the name of a song covered in 10 Things I Hate About You, as well as a major plot point) the primary message of any business?
Jimmy's Daily Planet 