Monday, February 2, 2015

Some thoughts on last night's commercials.

I guess my biggest impression from the commercials during last night's game is kind of simple: Virtually everyone is following the same brief. "Make my brand a part of popular culture." Make me cool. Make me relevant. Make me buzzworthy.

Information is dead.

Talking about the actual attributes of a product or service is passe.

Useful consumer information is no more.

I understand this if you're Snickers. Or Pepsi. Or Doritos.

I don't get it if you're selling a product that's more complicated and more expensive. Do people really buy a car just because it's cool? Do they book a vacation because you've used a dead president as a voice over?

It seems to me we are not doing our full job. We are not appealing both to heads and hearts. We are the communications-equivalent of running for class president in the 7th grade. The most popular kids win.

I'll admit I am almost wholly divorced from popular culture. I think less of esurance for using Lindsay Lohan in spots. Less of T-Mobil for using Kim Kardashian.

Most of popular culture to me is vulgar, stupid and ugly.

So commercials that say "we're with it," estrange me.

But no advertisers talk to me.

My household income is in the top 5%.

I'm in the wrong demo.

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