Friday Night Fail: How NBC’s Crappy Cross-Promotion Blew Up in Their Face

I've decided to provide you with a slight change of pace.  Instead of the usual ad review, today's post will be a guest rant from longtime reader and correspondent Sweaty.

There are two things that really get me heated.

One is shameless cross promotion.

Just look at the air space during the summer blockbuster movie season. Ad time is littered with advertisers sixty-nining movie studios in order to hype each others’ products. I can’t wait to see how the brilliant Madison Avenue types make the new Transformers film somehow relevant to the next great chicken sandwich at Burger King.  (Only available for a limited time!)

To quote the Chewbacca defense: It does not make sense.

The other thing I hate is shameless social media promotion.

Let me elaborate. Some people choose to “like” a product on Facebook because they genuinely like it, or because they are enticed by coupon codes or  contests.  For instance, I "liked" Old Bay's Facebook page because, aside from the fact that I am from Maryland and have Old Bay coursing through my veins, I enjoy using the product. They give out recipes, encourage fan feedback, etc.  That is good social promotion.

On the other hand, you have the results of an action Facebook took a year or so ago.  In another evolution of the social media giant, they took users' preferences, such as favorite television shows, movies, and sports teams, and made each of them into their own page. The supposed rationale was that this would allow users to connect with other like-minded "likers," which would enhance the social media experience.

Skeptics would say that the real motivation was so that these pages could be pimped out to the companies who made these products, thus giving them direct access to a consumer who, by their own admission, liked them. 

If you use Facebook at all, you probably know what I’m talking about.  For example, a TV show that you have "liked" will contact you, reminding you to watch next week’s episode, or offering a sneak preview.

Most of the time, this is harmless space in the ever moving wall of Facebook.  However, some things make you stand up and take notice. Specifically, I was quite turned off by what I saw from the Friday Night Lights fan page.

Friday Night Lights was one of those NBC shows that had a small, but rabid fan base.  Eventually, NBC relegated the show to TV obscurity/DVR prime time on Friday nights, (Get it?  Because it has Friday Night in the title, they showed it on Friday nights! Someone there at 30 Rockefeller Center is patting themselves on the back for that one) and didn’t do a damn thing to promote it.

Since I had been a rabid fan of the show, I had "liked" the show's fan page on Facebook a few years ago.  NBC hadn't done anything with it in a while, and I’m sure that most people forgot that they even had a fan page.  I had certainly forgotten about it. That was until I saw the following post:

Have any big plans following the Super Bowl this Sunday? Now you do! Catch The Voice Season 2 premiere on NBC: (insert clip of some kid auditioning before the gal who looked better when she was the dirty teenie bopper). You can see what I mean on their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/nbcfnl

Whoa, stop right there!  We’ve got a lot of moving parts there, but right away you can start to see that A + B does not = C-Lo.

I can see it now: Someone who has a job title that includes “social media” or “digital engagement” was sitting in a brainstorming session and said, “Hey, you know how we have to drum up more promo for that show that’s a clear knockoff of Fox’s American Idol? Those people who watch Friday Night Lights like football! They’ll be watching the Super Bowl! Maybe there are some more 18-35ers on their fan page that we can whore The Voice on!”

Therein lies the problem with social media engagement.  If you make it too transparent, people will smell the bulls***.  Social media engagement is like guerrilla marketing in the 80’s and 90’s.  If you do it well, it is effective.  If you do it poorly, you alienate your potential customers. 

And social media can be a double-edged sword, because your end user can respond back. Here are some responses from the page's followers:

“I'm guessing that there isn't much overlap between fans of Friday Night Lights and The Voice. Please don't do this again.”

“Well, I'm done following [Friday Night Lights] on Facebook now.”

“Don't be pimping any other shows. You cancelled FNL and I don't watch NBC at all now because of it. I am not a fan of FNL so I can get your useless junk-mail/posts or otherwise. It was a show of support for a fantastic show that some pinhead decided wasn't drawing enough fans. That's it.”

“I am no longer following or ‘a fan’ of [Friday Night Lights] because you posted this. Shameful cross-promotion.”

And there you have it. This is what happens when you reach too far on cross promotion.

If there are any “cross promotional geniuses” or “social marketing gurus” reading this, take heed: A lot of your audience isn’t as stupid as your ads would make them out to be. And when you bring in the element of social media, be prepared for your knowledgeable users to lash back.

Bud Light - Office Scavenger Hunt

As I was trying to determine which ad to review next, I asked myself: What company do I most associate with Super Bowl ads?

While there are several companies who have produced good ads over the years, I think that overall, the most memorable commercials have been brought to us by Budweiser.

Every year, when people discuss their favorite Super Bowl commercials, a Bud or Bud Light ad is almost always listed among them.

So I figured that for my next review, I'd pick a Bud commercial.  But with such a large catalog to select from, which one should I choose?

I went with this ad from 2006, mostly because it reminded me of a personal experience.

We learn that one of the company's employees - Davis - decided to spend his weekend hiding bottles of Bud Light around the office.  He claimed that it was done to give his fellow employees a boost in morale.

Why would hiding Bud Light improve morale?  If he really wanted to improve morale, shouldn't he have simply put the Bud Light in the break room?  Did he think that the Bud Light would somehow be more satisfying if the people discovered it?

When I'm at a bar, I typically don't want to go on a scavenger hunt in order to get a beer.  I prefer to have the bartender simply hand it to me.  It tastes just as good, and it requires considerably less effort.

I am also confused why hiding the beer took him "most of the weekend."  This seems like a task that would take maybe an hour at the most.

Then again, he works at a company that apparently is fine with their employees openly consuming alcohol during business hours.  So maybe expectations are a bit lowered there. 

I'd say that this is the type of company I'd like to work for, except I don't think I could handle wearing a suit to work every day.

As we can see, Davis' plan hasn't necessarily raised morale, but it has certainly gone a long way towards the destruction of the office.

At 20 seconds in, another question is raised when a man punches holes in the drywall and pulls out a couple of bottles.

How exactly did Davis hide the beer behind the drywall in the first place?  Are we to believe that he planted the beer in the wall and then replaced the drywall over the weekend?  That seems like a lot of extra effort.  Although that would explain why it took him most of the weekend.

Normally, I'd say that the office workers tearing apart the office in search of Bud Light requires too much suspension of disbelief.  But based on personal experience, I could see this scenario actually taking place.

In 2009, Mrs. Cutter and I decided to invite some friends over for an Easter party.  We decided to fill plastic Easter eggs with candy, coins, and other fun surprises, and then hide them around our condo, so that people could look for them in an Easter egg hunt.

Unfortunately, quite a few of our guests had been drinking beforehand (Don't ask) and when we began the hunt, chaos ensued.

It might not have been the wholesale destruction we see in this commercial, but rest assured that we almost immediately regretted our decision.  People tore through our furniture with abandon in hopes of locating a plastic egg that might contain a quarter or a Jolly Rancher.

So I have no trouble believing that these office workers would tear apart their office building in search of beer.  And as they drank the beer, I can imagine the madness only got worse.

I'd say that Davis deserved to get fired for this, but considering the company openly condones drinking beer on company time, can they really hold him accountable?

Rating: 4 TVs - This is a very realistic portrayal of what happens when you tell drunk people to search around a room for prizes.

Super Bowl Retro Week: Snickers - Betty White

Welcome to Super Bowl Retro Week! 

In the days leading up to this year's big game, I'll be taking a look back at commercials from past Super Bowls.

Since I covered 2011's commercials rather extensively last year, I'll start out by looking at an ad from 2010.  This one is from Snickers and stars Betty White:

We start off watching a football game in which one of the players is not having a good game. 

Apparently his hunger has caused him to transform into Betty White.

Personally, I'd be pretty excited if one of my teammates transformed into Betty White.  She's one funny lady, and I can only imagine that having her at the football game would make it that much more memorable.

But Betty - or "Mike" as they call him - is not being appreciated by his teammates.  In fact, they seem to be downright mad at him.

I can understand that Betty White might not be the best player out there, but the others should have recognized this long ago, and dealt with it accordingly.

In most pickup games, talent levels can vary greatly.  Some players aren't going to be as good as others, and most people accept this.  Once the weaker players are identified, those players typically don't get the ball as much.  And if there is an effort to get those weaker players involved, expectations are usually lessened.

In other words, if a guy sucks, and you throw him the ball, you shouldn't get too upset when he doesn't catch it.

So they shouldn't have expected Betty to have caught the ball.  And they certainly shouldn't have gotten so upset with him considering how off target the pass appears to be.  That would have been an amazing catch had he made it.

It feels like there's something else going on here.

Look at how Betty is laid out by the defender.  It seemed as if the defender could have intercepted the ball, but instead chose to deliver a big hit.

I think it is very telling that none of Betty's teammates got upset by what appeared to be a cheap shot.  In the NFL, that hit probably would have resulted in a fifteen yard penalty. 

You'd expect his teammates to be angry about the hit or at least check to see if he was hurt.  But none of them even seem to care.  They just yell at him for not catching the ball.

It seems clear that none of the other players like this guy, and it has nothing to do with him turning into Betty White.

I think the real cause for their dislike is sitting in the bleachers.

Mike was probably once a fun guy.  He could be counted on to hang out with the guys and have a good time.

Now?  He's just a whipped loser who can't go anywhere without bringing his girlfriend along.

You know what most guys enjoy when they're arguing with their friends?  When their significant others interject themselves into the argument and feed them candy bars.

Yeah, THAT would have gone over well. 

Mike should have been spending the rest of the game listening to taunts from the others.  They should have been referring to him as "baby," and asking if he "needed a candy bar from mommy," or if he'd like to have his girlfriend sub in for him.

This probably isn't the first time this has happened, so they don't even bother anymore.  Instead, they just try their best to get him to quit.

It's very possible that the QB might intentionally be throwing those balls to him in hopes that he'll get knocked out of the game.  And the defense is probably hitting him with impunity, knowing that the guy won't retaliate with his girlfriend present.

Everything is supposedly better after he eats a Snickers.  But in my opinion, things have gotten much worse. 

I can see some advantages in being Betty White.  But after he eats the Snickers, he's still whipped by his girlfriend, his friends still hate him, and now he looks and acts like a douche.

After playing like crap all game, he really has the nerve to shout "I'm open?"  Who screams "I'm open!" anyway?  What a tool.

The commercial's conclusion raises a very important question as well: Why would you make Abe Vigoda your quarterback?

He's 91 years old!  They didn't have anyone else who could play QB?

Rating: 1.5 TVs - This commercial is saying that by eating Snickers, you'll transform from a beloved actress into a whipped douche bag.  Is that really the message that Snickers wants to send?

DirecTV - Don't Wake Up in a Roadside Ditch

We have once again almost arrived at the event which many consider to be the Super Bowl of advertising: The Super Bowl!

That means next week will be Super Bowl retro week in which I look back at Super Bowl ads from years past.

Here is a selection from last year's Super Bowl retro week:

Hare Jordan

Fence

Frogs

i-Opener

Just be warned that I will not be reviewing any of the Super Bowl ads that been pre-released on the web, most prominently the Volkswagen Star Wars dogs ad.

I am not a fan of this trend where companies release their Super Bowl ads before the game itself.  It's kind of like when a person is so excited about a Christmas gift that they bought someone that they give it to them before Christmas.

When I'm watching ads during the Super Bowl, I want to be surprised and entertained by new ads, not by something I've seen already!

But before we get into the Super Bowl ads, I'm going to review a current commercial that will not be shown during the Super Bowl.  It is from DirecTV and attempts to show us the perils of having cable instead of DirecTV.

We start off with a man frustrated by being placed on hold by his cable company's customer service. 

Now this is something I can relate to!  I know just how hellish an experience it can be trying to deal with a cable company's customer service line.  You have to navigate through seemingly hundreds of menu choices only to wait about an hour to speak to a living person, who usually ends up being less than helpful.

Trying to work off his frustration, the man engages in physical exercise - in this case, a game of racquetball.  This seems like a healthy way to burn off stress, as I too enjoy a spirited game of racquetball from time to time.

Here's where the problem comes in: The man is both unskilled and unprepared to actually play racquetball.

At almost every racquetball club, there are signs that warn players to use proper eye protection.  As an experienced player, I can tell you that the ball moves very quickly, and the threat of eye trauma is very real. By playing without any sort of eye protection, he pretty much invites disaster upon himself.

Aside from his lack of goggles, there is another major problem: Both he and his opponent don't seem to actually know how to play the game.  

Racquetball is a game of quickness and agility more so than power.  Simply standing there and smacking the ball as hard as you can is not generally an effective technique if you want to win the game.

If he had just moved around the court a little and used finesse instead of pure power, he probably could have avoided his eye injury altogether.  He must also have extremely poor reflexes, as he was standing decently far back when the ball struck him.  You're telling me he couldn't have dodged that ball?

Next, we see the man being treated by a doctor.  Apparently the injury was severe enough that it requires him to wear an eye patch.  It didn't look like the ball hit him THAT hard, but maybe it just was perfect placement.

I suppose it is possible that he just had LASIK or some other eye surgery, and his eyes are especially sensitive.  But if that was the case, then by not wearing goggles, he really deserved to have his eye injured.

Now he has to ride the bus home wearing an eye patch.

He didn't have anyone who could give him a ride?  What happened to his racquetball opponent?  You'd think the guy might have at least given him a ride home.

Unfortunately, also riding on this bus is a gang of hoodlums.  Based on the look of these guys, I think that it doesn't take much to set them off.  They might have used the eye patch as their motivation to go after him, but I have the feeling they were just looking for an excuse to attack someone.

What kind of neighborhood does this guy live in anyway?  When they show him running, it looks kind of barren.  Maybe instead of spending his money on cable or DirecTV, he should look into moving to a nice neighborhood where he isn't in danger of getting attacked by gangs on the bus.

Finally, he ends up in a roadside ditch.  Did the guys who beat him up dump him in the ditch?  That seems like a lot of extra effort on their part.  They probably would have just left him bleeding on the street.

In the end, he might like to blame the cable company for all of his problems.  But by choosing to live in such a bad neighborhood, and by eschewing proper eye protection, it seems that going with cable was just one of several bad decisions he has made.
Rating: 3 TVs - While I fully sympathize with being frustrated by a cable company, I feel this guy has brought most of this misery upon himself.

Coca-Cola: Shake Up Christmas

Christmas may be over, but that doesn't mean that we can't look at another Christmas-themed ad.

Today's selection is Shake Up Christmas by Coca-Cola:

We start off with a pleasant little scene.  People are enjoying a nice dinner while listening to piano music played by a guy who kind of looks like Screech from Saved by the Bell.  I'm kind of disappointed that they didn't get Dustin Diamond to actually play the part.  I'm sure he could have used the work.

We then cut to an office building where a man is obviously working late based on his forlorn look as he checks the time.  Finally, we see a man hanging decorations on the side of a building. 

All of this seems normal enough.  But then, the various characters hear an odd soda fizz sound and look to the sky.  The camera pans out and we learn the truth: The entire city and its populace are trapped inside one of Santa's snow globes.

Santa apparently has several collections of snow globes, and I can only assume that each one contains a similar community of miniature people.

Just what is going on here?  Did Santa somehow create these mini-people with his magical powers?  Are these normal people that he shrank down and imprisoned?  Is the snow globe some sort of portal into another dimension?

Whatever the explanation, one thing is clear: These people and their city are now subject to the whims of their lord and master Santa Claus!

On this particular night, Santa decides to have some fun with his minions.  He tilts the globe, and chaos ensues. 

Due to the tilting, the people begin to slide all over the place.  I'm impressed by the sturdy construction of Snow Globe City.  You'd think that the buildings' structural integrity would be tested by all the shifting, but everything seems to be holding up just fine.

Strangely enough, the people of the city don't seem to be especially disturbed by any of this.  I'm guessing this isn't the first time that Santa has decided to shake up their world, so maybe they have adopted a "it's going to happen, so let's just go with it" attitude.

Apparently, this is Santa's attempt at making his minions happy.  But did he consider the consequences of these people skipping out on their jobs?

The patrons of the restaurant are no longer going to have mood music while they dine.  That building isn't going to be decorated for the holiday.  Whatever it was that the office guy was working on, well that surely isn't going to get finished.

The office worker eventually slides into what looks to be a school concert.  When the boy on stage - most likely his son - spots him, the man has the nerve to give his son a wink and a "Of course I'm here!" look.

Who are you kidding, pal?  If not for the Santa intervention, there's no way you would have been there.  And look at the expression on the kid's face.  He may be happy, but he's not fooled.  If anything, I'd say he's surprised that his deadbeat father actually managed to show up to something.

Meanwhile, the building decorator has swung over to a neighboring building where a comely lass was conveniently standing on her balcony.  She doesn't seem frightened or bothered by this in the least.  Instead, she shares her Coke with him, and from the looks of things, they'll probably be doing it later on.

Finally, the pianist slides into a house where he is greeted warmly.  He soon leaves his piano behind and joins the family for dinner. 

It isn't clear if this is actually his family, or some random family whose house he just happened to crash into.  It's probably a fairly common occurrence in Snow Globe City for strangers to randomly slide into your house, so maybe they've just gotten in the habit of welcoming all visitors.

At the end, Santa looks pretty darn pleased with himself.  He brought happiness into the lives of three of his miniature subjects, despite what kind of damage might have been done to the rest of the people and the city itself.

Perhaps this is the reason those women in the Best Buy ads were so mad at Santa.  Perhaps they knew the truth about him.  Behind his jolly, gift-giving exterior, there is a cruel tyrant who has thousands of helpless, miniature prisoners at his mercy.

Parents teach their children to behave so that Santa will put them on the "nice" list and bring them gifts.  But maybe they should just warn them that if they're naughty, they'll end up imprisoned in Santa's snow globe.
Rating: 2 TVs - I guess as far as nights in Snow Globe City go, this was a good one.  But I'd be worried to see what happens when Santa is in a bad mood.

Best Buy - Game On, Santa

Since today is Christmas Eve, it is only fitting that I take a look at some ads featuring Santa Claus. 

I used to think that Santa Claus was a revered figure.  I thought he was beloved by everybody.  But Best Buy's Game On, Santa ads have made me reconsider.

A woman goes to Best Buy and finds that they have a lot of good items on sale for under $100.

I wish I knew which Best Buy store she was at.  Any time I go to Best Buy in December, the place is mobbed.  It is nearly impossible to find a sales person, and even if you can, they certainly don't have time to make small talk.

Regardless, the message being sent is clear: Holiday shopping can be expensive, so Best Buy has affordable gifts that make shopping cheap and easy.  I'm well on board with that idea.

But then, the commercial takes a dark turn when the saleswoman jokingly tells the woman that "Santa better watch out." 

She doesn't know the half of it.

Apparently, this woman wasn't excited because she was going to be getting good gifts at a good price.  She was excited because she would get to stick it to Santa.

When Santa comes by her house to fill the stockings, he is disappointed to discover that they have already been filled.  Santa has no place to put his gifts!

But it isn't enough for this woman to just beat Santa at his own game.  He needs to know that he's been beaten!  She makes a point to stay up late just so she can see the crestfallen look on his face.

And then she tops it off with a final insult by telling him to give the gifts to the dog.

Seriously, lady?

Of all the people in the world, why would you want to mess with Santa Claus?

I thought that maybe this was an isolated incident of Santa hatred.  But apparently, there are other Santa-haters out there:

What the hell?

This woman not only bought her family numerous gifts in order to spite Santa, but she also went to the trouble of waiting up on the roof just to antagonize him.

Yes, this woman hates Santa so much that she waited up on her roof all night on Christmas Eve just to antagonize him. 

Santa, the jolly soul that he is, tries to laugh the whole incident off.  'Tis the season for forgiveness, after all.

But this woman is having none of it.  She doesn't want his forgiveness, she wants his very soul!  She gives Santa another giant "f*** you" when she kicks his statue off the roof.

What did Santa do to these women to inspire such hatred?

Are they annoyed that Santa's gifts make them feel unappreciated?  Are they tired of hearing how great Santa is, while Mom's efforts are largely overlooked?

Or does the root of their hatred stretch back to their childhood?

Did they not get that dollhouse they wanted when they were younger?  Did they witness their mother kissing Santa Claus one year and they blame him for the ensuing breakup of their parents?  Are they Communists fearful that his gift giving ways will keep others from supporting their cause?

Whatever the reason, the Grinch and Scrooge had better watch out.  There are some new Christmas villains in town.
Rating: 1 TV - I am deeply disturbed by the amount of hatred these women have for Santa.  Christmas is supposed to be a time for sharing and loving, not a time for settling petty grievances.

But most of all, I would really love to know where that empty Best Buy is.

Lexus - December to Remember: Music Box

It's December, so that means we get the annual December to Remember commercials from Lexus.  You are probably familiar with these.  Someone receives a Lexus as a present, and we're supposed to be moved at what an incredibly touching moment it is.

In this particular entry, a man gives his wife a music box.  This seems like a nice enough present, but based on the anticipation on the children's faces, there's obviously more to this gift. 

She begins to play the music, and a look of recognition comes over her face.  Why that's the Lexus jingle!

Really?  She hears that song from a music box, and instantly recognizes it as the Lexus jingle?  It's not like the tune is especially memorable.  You could probably play it to me for 48 straight hours and I wouldn't be able to identify it.

Maybe she's got an amazing memory, or is some sort of commerical jingle enthusaist.  Whatever the case, she recognizes the jingle and surmises that her real gift is going to be waiting for her in the driveway.

Who are these people?  Just how rich do you have to be that upon hearing a car commercial jingle you automatically assume that you're getting a new car as a gift?  Maybe the husband just thought it was a nice sounding tune.  Wouldn't she be in for a shock when she raced outside to find an empty driveway?

As it turns out, Mrs. Moneybags was correct, and there is a new Lexus waiting for her in the driveway.  And because a new car wouldn't be the same without one, there's a giant bow on top. 

The giant bow is actually the most impressive part of the gift.  I tried to find one of those one year, and didn't have any luck.  Anyone making a decent living could head over to the Lexus dealership and get a car.  But to find a giant bow?  That takes real power and influence.

Here's a question: Why isn't there any snow on the car?  It's clearly snowing at a decent rate, and yet the car doesn't seem to have a flake on it.  Are we to believe that Lexuses come with some sort of snow repellant power?  If so, then they should have made that the focal point of the commercial.

I know I would pay a premium if my car could repel snow.  It would have saved me a couple hours of shovelling these past few winters.

Is it just me, or are the kids just a little too happy that Mom is getting a Lexus?  I mean, I guess it's nice that their mother is happy, but what are they getting out of it? 

Considering that this family is obviously loaded, the kids are probably happy that their mother upgraded from whatever vehicle she had been driving them around in.

"Mummy, can you drop me off at the corner?  I do not want to be seen riding in an Acura!  It's SO embrassing!"

What a bunch of spoiled brats.
Rating: 2 TVs - Between the woman recognizing the Lexus jingle and the snow-proof car, this commercial requires just a little too much suspension of disbelief for my tastes.  And those spoiled kids are a real turn-off.