#2-Superbowl Ads

I really liked the 2015 Super Bowl commercials. Some were funny, but there were a lot that were also powerful as well.

I had two favorites. The first was the T mobile and Kim Kardashian data commercial. I thought that was a really funny commercial, yet it wasn't too over the top either. Kim did a good job of being able to make fun of herself and the product, the data storage, was well represented.

Another commercial I liked was the No More's ad on domestic violence. Though it took a serious tone, it effectively represented an important issue that needs to be discussed. I think its great that they ran this during the super bowl because millions of people were able to see it.

There was some controversy as to why the commercials took a more serious tone. The word "buzz kill" was used a lot on social media  describing some of the ads. People especially didn't like Nation Wide's commercial about a young kid who died, advocating the dangers of household incidents. I however disagree and think that was an important commercial. Yes, people watch the Super Bowl for entertainment, but because so many people watch, its a great time for these important messages to be displayed for all to see.

Budweiser had a really cute commercial featuring a puppy and horse, but they also had another ad that created some buzz. The ad makes fun of certain people and certain drinks like "pumpkin peach ale." I did think the ad was a little funny, but after doing some  quick research I found it to be very hypocritical. Other companies that Budweiser is closely related to (even owned by) sell drinks like pumpkin peach ale, so it doesn't really make sense for Budweiser to target the company it came from. Also the commercial can be considered insulting. Not really a smart move if you want to get more customers.

#1

Looking through some of the advertising agencies, there are a couple that caught my eye.

The first one is the agency Fi. They work with many big clients including Microsoft, USA Today, and Wacom. I like how their design style is. Words I'd used to describe it are clean, creative, and even a little futuristic.

When it came to the 25th anniversary of Nickelodeon kid choice awards (2012), Fi teamed up with Nick to bring an interactive way for kids watching to get involved.  They knew that Will Smith was hosting, so they decided to go with a secret agent theme (Men in Black) and they created a game on IOS to allow kids to feel like they themselves are agents. I love this idea because I know from my past experience, and watching my 4y.o cousin, pretending to be an agent on a secret mission can be really fun for kids.  One of the most exciting things Fi did, was make the game an actual event in the award show, so kids would feel excited that they were actually a part of the show. I think that's a really smart idea. It makes the kids feel more involved with the show, even if they are just watching it from a TV. They incorporated  it by having kids worldwide try to collect the most Slime, which is basically a trademark of Nickelodeon. Kids also were able to receive their own badges which makes them feel accomplished

Basically kids would go on "secret missions" and Nickelodeon stars themselves would send video messages to the kids to let them know what the mission is. This is another great idea, because these are celebrities that kids look up to and watch all the time.

I think Fi and Nick did a good advertising job, this made sure the kids were excited for the actual awards show.

Another agency I like is the Grey agency. I like what they did with the CoverGirl Ad. They had one with celebrities including Katy Perry, Pink, and Janelle Monae. First of all they used the hashtag #GirlsCan.  I love how they're trying to make girls feel more empowered, through social media. Hash-tagging is widely used and I think it's literally changing the world. In this ad they had I loved how they had a diversity of women showing a range of ethncities, not just the Hollywood typical white women. Second of all, they included a variety of occupations too throughout their campaign. Its not just celebrity occupations but for example also computer coding. I love how they're breaking the stereotype that still is alive, that some girls cant go into more "difficult" fields. I think it also makes sense for a makeup agency to make sure that women are feeling empowered through makeup and other aspects of their lives as well.

First post

I decided to take ADV91 because I am considering advertising as my minor. I'm majoring in communications, but I still haven't figured out exactly what I want to pursue as a career. I think advertising might go well with communications, because both subjects are basically trying to communicate and get a message across to the consumer or person. I like that advertising can be creative and fun. Some of the ads on TV, in magazines, or online can be really interesting to watch and even participate in. The annoying thing about advertisements is that they can be boring and some feel too pushy. I also usually get annoyed with the ads when they take away from a show. I don't have a favorite ad but I think the Old Spice commercials can be weird, but funny and memorable. There was one where a group of moms were singing about their sons new relationships. It was really awkward, but kinda funny.