Did Groupon Drop the Ball with Their Super Bowl Ad?

What would the Super Bowl be without a social-media fueled frenzy? And since this year's halftime show was too boring to cause any wardrobe-malfunction-type lashing by the online masses (I'm sorry, but Fergie singing Guns N' Roses? No thanks), it was up to some poorly-planned commercial to anger viewers.

Groupon did just that with their recent ad campaign featuring celebrities pleading for a charitable cause before abruptly pitching the daily-deal giant. People were not happy about Groupon poking fun at causes such as saving the rainforest or raising money for Tibet.

The CEO of Groupon took the blogosphere to defend the company, saying that the intention was to mock themselves and not the causes. He also pointed out that Groupon does give money to various causes, including those mentioned in the ads.

Maybe Groupon approved the ads knowing the amount of press they'd get based on the backlash? Maybe there just wasn't enough concept testing beforehand? Maybe it's as simple as a disconnect between the company's intention and how it was received. However, intentions don't mean much in the online space, because people are going rail against a company they feel is in the wrong regardless of what the company intended. 

Personally, I've seen the ads and even though I'm not necessarily offended by them, I don't see how Groupon could think the commercials are in any way self-deprecating. But controversies like this are a perfect example of why you really need to have a grasp on your audience's perceptions of your ad campaigns.

Here's to the German Automakers

OK, there's no secret to the fact that I'm a car nut; willing to spend all my disposable income on the latest and greatest with four wheels, preferably from the Fatherland. Needless to say, I was thrilled that some of the best ads during last night's Super Bowl were the ads from BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen.

Chrysler, which is now controlled by the Italian automaker Fiat, had an ad showcasing the Detroit heritage of their revamped Sebring, the Chrysler 200, which I thought was less than convincing. Let's not forget Chevrolet. They had several ads and even sponsored the FOX show Glee after the game, turning it into a giant non-stop commercial. My favorite was the transformer ad shown during the game.

One of the two BMW ads really struck a cord with me, since it made good fun of Americans' perceptions of diesel engines (I bought a VW TDI last summer), showing a diesel truck driver and an ancient Volvo station wagon spewing acrid black smoke and then showing a sparkling clean 3 Series motor away with its Advanced Diesel engine.

I loved the Mercedes ad that showed the wonderful heritage of the brand, with famous models coming 'alive' and meeting up with the new models. Of course, everyone's favorite is the VW ad for the 2012 Passat (See Steve's blog from last week) that features a little boy as Darth Vader...shouldn't it have been Luke Skywalker?? Oh, well, it was cute and simple, which is all you can hope for during the Super Bowl, when we're saturated with multiple images and messages. The teaser ad for the upcoming Beetle was awesome as well.

As Steve mentioned, what's most interesting is that VW previewed their ad in full on YouTube before the game, and garnered plenty of interest before the ad even aired. It shows the power of online marketing and the fact that smart manufacturers make these ads into complete campaigns that stretch over several weeks or months. Whether or not anyone ever puts VW into their consideration set when purchasing a new car remains to be seen. And of course the Today Show had the mini Darth Vader on this morning. George Lucas must be very happy, not to mention VW.

May the Force be with you! (I had to say it).

The Future of Super Bowl Ads?

Every time my friends and family gather around the TV to watch the Super Bowl, there are two main camps: those who watch the game for the football and those who watch it for the commercials.

The high-priced, highly-anticipated Super Bowl commercials are a huge part of the big game experience, and practically every year there are several ads that are teased in the days leading up to the commercial's big Super Bowl reveal.

But Volkswagen is taking a different approach by releasing the full version of their soon-to-be-aired Super Bowl ad on YouTube. 

After garnering 5.6 million views and counting, it's safe to say VW's contrarian approach paid off.

The commercial features a kid dressed in a Darth Vader costume trying to use The Force around the house to avail, until he "starts" the family's 2012 Passat (with a little help from his dad using the keyless remote). It's actually a very well-done commercial that takes great advantage of the Star Wars geek in me. Apparently I'm not alone, given how much attention the ad has gotten.

What's really interesting is that VW's success with revealing their commercial early could lead to more and more companies doing the same thing in hopes of building that pre-game buzz.

Video Post: Phacebook Fones

We're kicking off our 2011 series of Daily Axioms Video Blogs with a new look and a new production team. Our former video intern Pete did a great job in 2010, but has moved on to greener pastures and we wish him the best. Now we're set with our new video intern Nick, and we're excited about the direction we're heading with these video blogs.

To start the year off (albeit a bit late), I look into last week's drama about HTC possibly debuting Facebook-branded phones in the near future. More importantly, I discuss whether or not it's even a good idea to begin with.

Digg Overhauls Itself (Again) To Win Back Users (Again)

One of the most public breakups last year was the online hurricane that hit after thousands of Digg users walked out on the then-popular social news curating site.

It must have been a heartbreaking time for the site, watching all of those who had been so loyal storm out and leave Digg for the younger and more exciting Reddit. Sure, Digg tried to win the users back, but for the past few months we've watched Digg slowly decline into the Internet abyss.

Now 5 months after the breakup, Digg is cleaning itself up and getting back on the market. Digg has overhauled its look based on user feedback, updated profile statistics, and opt-in notifications. But just like anyone who changes themselves based on what an ex said just to win them back, it's probably too little too late.

The new features are a nice touch, but the reviews I've seen don't favor Digg all that much. So while the social curating site is struggling to regain the attention of the Internet, it looks like the Internet may just want to stay friends.