THE PRICE FOR CREATIVITY – SUPER BOWL 2012

Having just run a Southern Oregon awards program (On the Mark) for the best locally produced commercials, I must admit I’ve enjoyed all the online contests to select the “best” Super Bowl TV spot. What did you think was the best spot? If you missed a few (or didn’t watch the game), you can find them here.

It was pretty easy for me to pick the worst spot. For me it was Teleflora’s sexist “You can get anything with flowers,” spot featuring supermodel Adriana Lima.Talk about dumb. I also thought that the half-time spot by Chrysler featuring Clint Eastwood should have been a political campaign spot (for either party).

The real ad winner was Doritos and their “Crash the Super Bowl 2012” contest. They have been running this mock amateur contest for years and it’s a very clever idea. Not only do you get every out-of-work film maker trying to win the top prize of $1 million, you get a year of social media “buzz” and fan involvement that Teleflora or Chrysler could only dream about. This year Doritos upped the ante by featuring five “finalist” commercials, plus they gave cash awards to the top three rated spots.

So, what Doritos spot took the top spot on the USA Today Ad Meter or the USA Today Facebook Super Bowl Ad Meter (the criteria for winning the million)? The winning spot, which reportedly cost $20 to produce (I doubt it), was also one of my favorites, Man’s Best Friend.

The marketing take away here? The same message I’ve been sharing with my On the Mark awards. Marketing creativity doesn’t come with an expensive price tag. It comes when someone is willing to think creatively and take risks. This wouldn’t be a bad goal for your businesses in 2012 if you want to be a winner.