I just saw the latest BMW commercial for its fuel efficient 5 series, called simply "Refuel". The ad , seemingly, starts off with the classic sports car racing a jet. The jet starts to lower near the car and the announcer touts the benefits of the car's fuel economy and leads to the mid-flight fueling of the driver's coffee cup.
My rating: *** / *****
It was ok. It seems absolutely overkill for delivering the message of fuel economy in a luxury car. It is an unexpected departure, but it is pretty stupid. Yes it also plays off of the schema that sports cars must be racing a jet or else, but they are selling too many benefits in one ad. They were on to something good, but got carried away.
How I would have done it:
All they had to do was play with the tension of running out of fuel. My ad starts off with as sunset driving scene in a lonely desert. After a couple of car glamor shots, go inside the car and show the look of terror on the driver's face when he realizes he is running on fumes. then show a gas station in the distance. He just makes it and pulls in, then the camera pulls out. The announcer says the mileage benefit and have the driver get back into his car with a new cup of coffee. The driver continues on to Vegas...
This has been the worst tornado season on record. It has also been the most widely viewed tornado season on record. Social networking, Doppler radar, In the filed Tornado Hunters, and live casts mean that knowledge of where tornadoes are is available like never before. Yesterday, I was glued to an all day live cast from Oklahoma; I was thunderstruck. I couldn't help but think how many countless lives were saved as the forecaster could warn towns and cities with enough time for the people in the path to get to safety.
Thank you to the news channel 4 team who followed the storms every movements for hours and to the chasers in the filed who risked their lives to ensure that we knew where the tornadoes were.
I was also struck by another feature of the live cast; a 15 second video advertisement that played before the feed would roll. It really bothered me and it got me thinking. Yes, there were hundreds of thousands of viewers, but isn't there an ethical time where marketing needs to have a break? Lives are at risk, those 15 seconds are very important to concerned viewers who might be in the path of the tornadoes.
There is a place where marketing does not belong.
Forget about the potential impressions the ad will get. Not only is nobody watching the content concerned about what they want to eat, but the ads cross a line. I think there should be a law against playing ads in an emergency situation like that because there is clearly a lack of common concern for human lives. Those 15 seconds could mean life or death.
Insurance is not sexy. In fact, it is as boring as it gets; you hedge your future risks and pay large sums of money. The insurance business is a very crowded, competitive market with many companies offering the same service; yet, the advertising makes it seem like a buffet of services. The advertising covers just about every approach in the books because each group has carved out their niche. Of the many insurance companies, the main players that are leading the industry are: All State, GEICO, Farmers, Progressive, State Farm, and Esurance. Every consumer demographic is represented. Some of the best, and worst, ad campaigns have been the result of the intense battle. Who is doing the best? I think it looks like this:
1. All State
They get the best ranking because of their use of targeting and creativity. They currently run two main campaigns, "Mayhem" and "Are you in Good Hands?". The comforting voice of Dennis Haysbert sells reassurance and safety. It isn't flashy, but neither is his target market; it is effective though.
Mayhem will be in the advertising books for best campaigns of the century. Personifying hazards is one of the most creative and catchy ways to bring the all state name into your everyday life. The campaign leaves you wanting to see how much worse life can be. It also directly jabs at the competition without indirectly selling their company. Keep them coming.
2.GEICO
A Gecko with an English accent, ever watching cash, cavemen, and the near movie trailer stories are why GEICO ranks number 2. GEICO is about icon building. They break the rules by having many mascots, but each is memorable and targeted at different groups.They each use comedy, as well as deliver the serious message about saving money with any one of the icons you go with. For using so many approaches in one company, that earns them second place.
3. State Farm
The subtle use of magic and a jingle that has stood the test of time earn them the number three spot. No frills, but the jingle stands out in your memory with the message of being a good neighbor.
4. Farmers
The Farmers' University ads are annoying, but leave you feeling educated about their offerings. They are bordering boring, but the message is effective. However, their jingle is awful and needs to go.
5. Progressive
No. Why would you choose to model your ad spokeswoman off of the movie "JUNO"? I hate cannot stand these ads; they actually make me mad. While the spokeswoman does stand out, the message of what they are selling is lost. The ads would rather emphasize the zany ramblings of the horribly annoying woman than anything else. I don't want to even talk about her any more, they need to stop the campaign though. Targeting such a small group of wanna be hipster/ art / JUNO crowd is a highly questionable move.
6. Esurance
Esuck. How could an insurance ad be worse than FLO from progressive you ask? Stealing. They thought it was a good idea to actually steal the idea of FLO, enough said. Let's not forget those terrible cartoon based super fail cartoon ads from a few years ago. There's strikes 2 and 3 right there. JUNO sucked and probably 1% of the people who saw it liked that girl; why are you perpetuating it? I cannot wait to never see their ads again.
