 Superbowl 2005 Advertising and Marketing LessonsPublished Date: 2005-04-03 11:43:46 WorkOnInternet.com
This year's Tabasco commercial demonstrated how one can maintain effectiveness by carrying over effective attributes to a new campaign. In 1998, Tabasco ran a simple, wordless Superbowl ad that was both entertaining and effective at communicating the brand’s primary benefit. The 1998 Tabasco commercial shows a man sitting, eating pizza on his front porch. Before each bite, he splashes on a liberal dose of Tabasco sauce. A mosquito flies in, bites the guy on the hand, and flies off. A second later, we see the mosquito explode in a mass of flames. Cut to the guy chewing and smiling, Tabasco bottle clearly displayed on screen. It doesn’t get any simpler than that. In 2005, Tabasco used that same simple, wordless format for another Superbowl commercial, this time a bit more entertaining for the men. It is immediately apparent that this is a Tabasco commercial. The opening shot scans a fair-skinned lady sunbathing in a Tabasco-logoed bikini. She gets up, walks into the bungalow, shakes a few drops of Tabasco into a shrimp dip, stirs, bites, and saunters over to a mirror to check out the sun’s affect. Her sunscreen seems to have worked until – whoops – she tugs back a spaghetti strap. Turns out, she’s forgotten to protect underneath and is burnt red from that darn Tabasco bikini. All this to the tunes of “Burn, Baby Burn.” Same format, same effectiveness, different appeal. When developing your own marketing strategies, think about what has worked in the past and how you can reuse effective elements in a different campaign or program. Do what you know. Love what you do. It is obvious that both Joe Buck (the lead Fox broadcaster) and New England Patriot’s Head Coach Bill Belichick love their careers. They have both also spent much time studying and knowing their industries. Joe Buck grew up hanging around the St. Louis Cardinals clubhouse with his father, the legendary sportscaster Jack Buck. Bill grew up watching and learning strategy through his father, Steve, an assistant football coach for the Navy. It is no wonder both have risen to the top of their professions. They are doing what they know and they love what they do. From a business standpoint, doing what you know and loving what you do can manifest itself in different ways. By developing new products for a well studied target market, for example. Or implementing marketing programs in a way that takes advantage of passions of key employees. In any case, great success comes much easier when the day-to-day tasks are a joy for those involved. Long-term success requires quality. The half time show this year took a sharp turn toward simplicity. The show consisted of four songs performed by a true superstar, Paul McCartney. No theatrics, not stage full of people, no glitz (unless you count a few fireworks). Just tried and true Paul with a guitar and a piano. In my opinion, the best half time show in years. Long-term staying power requires quality. Short-term gimmicks can get you noticed – often in a notorious way - but consistent, outstanding performance is what works in the long haul. In any industry, a foundation built on quality rather than tricks builds a sturdier and more reliable business. About the Author Bobette Kyle draws upon 12+ years of Marketing/Executive experience, Marketing MBA, and online marketing research in her writing. Bobette is proprietor of the Web Site Marketing Plan Network, http://www.WebSiteMarketingPlan.com , and author of the marketing plan and Web promotion book "How Much For Just the Spider? Strategic Website Marketing For Small Budget Business," http://www.HowMuchForSpider.com/TOC.htm .
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