A very sweet ad for P&G's Dawn dishwashing detergent won the top spot in the Ace Metrix list of best TV spots for the second quarter of 2010. The ad shows how Dawn Ultra can clean and save birds and other wildlife soaked with goopy oil.

Note that the ad debuted two weeks before the BP oil rig explosion, and was rated first prior to the spill as well... wow.

I'm glad to see a "cause-related" ad win (here's the story in AdWeek). This one is interesting because it is not a traditional cause marketing approach that would link P&G or Dawn with selected non-profit organizations. It is an ad centered on the product. I see the primary message as this: Because our product can save poor animals, you should buy it. Secondary message #1: By the way, if we're good enough to clean oil-soaked birds, imagine what we can do for your greasy dishes. Secondary message #2: And feel good, because we will donate a dollar of your purchase to help these animals. Nice job P&G and the Kaplan Thaler agency!

Old Spice figured out who holds the purchasing power in their target market's household. In previous campaigns, they targeted end users' (men's) awareness and liking. Look at their old ad with the shouting macho dude that would annoy maybe 200% of women. However, men may actually like the fact that women don't like the ad, with this logic: Because women don't like it, it is automatically manly. Who said we're not shallow.

Now to focus on a better outcome - selling their product - in the newer campaign, they are targeting and winning the buyers' preference by appealing to women, and through women, to their men.

This ad has multiple messages. What women doesn't want a man to bake them a cake in the dream kitchen he built with his own hands??  But the message doesn't negatively affect men's awareness or liking of Old Spice. Men appreciate that Old Spice understands their "situation" - another way to sell manliness.

As marketers, we know Old Spice probably conducted copious amounts of research to intimately get to know and understand their customers and the the purchase decision process. To Joe Bro, it feels like he just had a "manversation" consisting of mostly grunts, nods, and maybe a fist bump with Old Spice. Then the product he (and she) wants magically appears in his bathtub. Cha-ching.

Siemens has done some good marketing and advertising in its time. Not so much with this airport billboard. The problem is the incongruity between what is said and what is shown. The tagline and image are at odds. They SAY what makes them different is giving attention to patients, not to files. But what they SHOW is the opposite.

I see this happen when companies or their ad agencies make the " BIG think" assumption. They might have tested it and respondents might have been able to figure out the intended meaning... after studying it for a LONG time. But even if they did figure it out, how does it make them feel? Does it elicit any kind of positive action? Most people will only get maybe a 2 to 3 second glimpse of this ad. At a glance, this billboard leaves people confused, not knowing what to think or feel about the company or product.

To avoid this fatal advertising error, always test your messages in realistic scenarios and for every message ask what should people to think, feel, and do. This creates accountability and effective communication. 

So I open an e-mail from my sister that says this: Your friend Roz Becker sent you the following video from CNNBC: "Glenn Beck Attacks Moshe Engelberg." I click on the link and watch an incredibly well done video starring... me. Sort of.

The Huffington Post tells the story: MoveOn.org, in conjunction with SEIU and Brave New Films has put out a fake newscast (on the fake network CNNBC) in which the Fox News host goes through his usual moments of pique and emotional duress. Only this time, the subject of his conspiracy theories is the person signed in to watch the made-up video. And they show an example of the mock newscast.

As part of a marketing campaign, this approach has great promise. It personalized the video by using a Facebook interface that grabbed my photo and some friend's names to instantly create a fake newscast that was about me. Think about the possibilities for personalizing ads of all sorts. What a great way to increase the personal relevance of a product or service! Unbelievable.

Is this the beginning of Web 3.0??

TV ads for Orville Redenbacher's are popping up (pun intended!) on the Olympics. Many of the ads promise not good popcorn as the benefit of the gourmet popcorn, but bringing people together. Check out this "tea party" ad:

The ad closes saying: "Spending time together. That's the power of Orville Redenbacher's." When product ads connect through deeper shared experiences, they hit home. We don't just think about it, we feel it. And we all know that feelings and emotion is what drives most purchases, right?

The U.S. Census bureau is spending $133 million on on their 2010 campaign to get people to fill out and return their census forms. First ad I saw was during the Super Bowl and had some refreshing humor (for a government agency) and even a touch of "duh" style sarcasm. Now I'm seeing their ads in the Olympics coverage.

How do they justify high profile spending that kind of money in the current economy? They make a simple and effective ROI argument: The more people return their forms, the less money is needed for follow-up. Which means millions of dollars go back into local communities. Here's the Bureau's video overview of the campaign including a couple ad excerpts.

I'm glad to see the government using advertising this way. They appear to have a well-integrated marketing communications campaign going. Do the ads motivate you?

More to follow!

Google had one one of the best ads this Super Bowl- and it cost next to nothing to produce. The beauty of the ad was telling a love story in words- and in a way that shows the power of Google's search (and works for football fans!)

More and more, I believe "story" is one of the most effective marketing tools we have. While it's not always easy to tell a compelling story, when it works, people are engaged, immersing themselves in the story, and most importantly - connecting - on a personal and emotional level. And that kind of connection is priceless.

Many years ago, a study by OgilvyOne found that as much as 66% of brand preference is driven by emotional elements. So why is it that so many other Superbowl ads just tried to be clever or catch our attention. No one is complaining about the Danika Patrick commercial, wait... I mean the Go Daddy commercial... or what was it she was selling again?

The point is stories emotionally connect and resonate with consumers in a meangful and memorable way. It's just like the late great Don Hewitt (producer of CBS 60 Minutes) always said: "Tell me a story."