Ads

I have the flu. I thought it was a bad cold (“the cold from hell” is what I was calling it), but I now know it’s the flu. Being shut down, so to speak, has allowed me some time to think. I promised myself when the year came in that I would create an editorial calendar for my blog. I didn’t and so here I am with the first post of the year in February.

My witty, insightful comment for this entry is the following — people love ads. It’s true. Last night, more people than ever watched the Superbowl. Sure, I’m from the NJ and definitely rooted for the Giants, but the reason so many people watch the game is the ads. Even after a mediocre Superbowl, what we talk about for days and weeks afterwards are the ads. Last night’s game was superb and many of us will still probably talk about the ads. Fox even has the ads posted on Myspace. Good luck finding game highlights there.

Marketers and advertisers spend so much time worrying about consumers ridding their lives of ads that they forget how much we actually love them. We love ads that speak to us, endear us and humor us. Offline and online it is time to get back to creating ads that don’t just offer sophomoric humor or masochistic ideals, but instead tap into our interest in being sold. As consumers, we almost want to be sold, don’t we? Personally, I like the idea of James Carville and Bill Frist sharing a Coke and an afternoon a lot better than Justin Timberlake causing havoc as he’s dragged from his restaurant and through the streets of Dullville only to end up in the backyard of a girl sipping on a Pepsi. The Coca-Cola spot speaks more to me and makes me want a Coke.

As marketers and advertisers, it’s time to get back to creating ads that people really want to see and like. We need to get back to ads that don’t just make people laugh, but also make them buy. GRPs mean nothing if you haven’t converted and a lot of ads today have plenty of frequency, plenty of reach and go in one ear and out the other, but not before a mild passing giggle.

People love ads. They want good ads. It’s time that marketers start giving the people what they want.