Welcome to the Soccer Bowl. (AD REVIEW)

By Gonzalo López Martí @LopezMartiMiami

The World Cup is here. If you’ve been watching the games on Univision like yours truly, you might have been exposed to the barrage of fútbol-related ads. Let’s rate and dissect a few of them.

Methodology? Unaided recall filtered by sixteen long years in the ad business. I just sat through a bunch of games and then proceeded to write what popped in my mind sans rhyme or reason.

Disclaimer: I coined the names of each spot solely for reference purposes. They are NOT the actual names given them by the brands or agencies behind them.

-Powerade “Prosthetic leg”

My favorite. Raw, real, powerful and relevant. Powerade is the kind of product one expects to advertise heavily during a soccer game. Unlike say, auto insurance. I see the spot and I believe what they are telling me. Not exactly the case with the vast majority of ads in which the suspended disbelief is totally defused by the pretense of acting and the stilted, artificial narrative that more often than not kills the credibility of it all. One caveat: I’m pretty sure some folks out there who watch TV absentmindedly will think this is a Gatorade ad. Happens all the time, particularly when you are a me-too challenger brand. There’s not much of a solution for such a problem other than keeping at it. So keep at it.

-Radio Shack “Helmet”

I like it. It is not a brilliant idea nor is it wildly original but the consumer insight it is based upon is solid. The comedic timing is right. I saw it once and I remembered it was for Radio Shack right away (no mean feat). The brand promise, if a bit lofty, is clear and fairly credible. Mission accomplished.

-Bud Light “Hispster on phone“

Quirky and kind of funny. Left me wanting to know more. The right tone to attract hipsters and Millennials. Not your typical beer ad with trite product shots, frosty bottles, phony parties and cascades of yellowish liquid. I like the fact that the spot anchors a multiplataform campaign (né Whatever USA) with an intriguing experiential component to it. Finally a beer brand that explores a different path. I don’t usually drink beer, but this columnist wishes Bud Light the best of lucks.

-Cerveza Corona

Soft lit stock footage. Skinny models on some beach dancing and exposing their rib cages. Fake, staged and manufactured from beginning to end. A boring music video with pointless voice over I didn’t even pay attention to. FAIL.

-Cerveza Modelo Especial

Stale slices-of-life with some off-camera banter about authenticity and why Modelo is the beer for the real world (¬¿?). Looks like one of those lame sizzle videos planners put together for presentations with stuff they find on YouTube. I guess the planner wrote the script and directed the spot too.

-VW Golf “Andrés Cantor”, “Painted faces”, etcetera

Bill Bernbach, who back in the 60s raised the global creative bar with his ads for none other than VW, allegedly said: when you have nothing new to say, sing. This is exactly what VW tried to do with this campaign. No new news here. Andrés Cantor and his signature motormouth. Plus some happy fans chanting on their way to the stadium. The Golf is still around after all these years and it hasn’t changed much. After I saw the spots I didn’t quite remember which automaker was signing the ads. This is an old advertising problem: celeb endorsers can eclipse your brand. In my humble opinion, they could’ve used Andrés in much more creative ways. Nothing to write Germany about here.  

-Dell “Pedro & Pablo”

¿?

-Coca-Cola “Estadio de todos”

Coca-Cola has nothing new to say at this point. It’s the epitome of a mature brand with absolute awareness. It’s only natural for it to resort to these massive, international, inclusive, uplifting PSAs. Whatever works to build good will around the brand and keep a revered household name floating around the top of our minds.

-Chrysler “Creadores”

An OK anthem spot showcasing a repertoire of traditions and in-culture code to attempt the latinization of a general market campaign. This columnist believes neither the strategy nor the execution quite translate to the US Hispanic journey. Let me rephrase: I’m not saying it ain’t doable, just pointing out it was not quite achieved with this spot.

-Chevrolet

Chevy is rolling out a solid battery of executions with assorted moving parts and multiple messages addressing different targets and niches. The effort shows consistency and an accomplished tone of voice for the various brands in the formerly bankrupt automaker’s roster. Some spots are better than others but overall the synergy comes across nicely. The ads are not soccer-centric so the campaign has a shelf life beyond the World Cup.

Chevy “Día del padre”

The push had a día-del-padre angle involving two different executions for Silverado: one spot shows a young couple of “primerizos” and the other depicts an abuelo who’s moving to his son’s home. Warm & fuzzy combined with the habitual running footage of shiny metal. Nothing out of the ordinary here yet the spots are well shot and drive the message home (pun intended).

-Chevy “Jason”

Minivan-driving mom wants to friend her daughter’s date, Jason, on Facebook. Insightful, clever and cute. Thumbs up. There seems to be a product benefit there somewhere. Remains to be determined whether or not it will move metal from the lot. My bet is yes.

-Chevy “Kid in backseat”

Nicely shot, fairly catchy to the eye, relevant and relatable to parents. Thumbs up. My bet is it will generate lots of test drives. If the product delivers on the promised experience this is a great campaign.

-Tide “Stained soccer jersey”

Boy collects soccer jerseys. The premise and the narrative arc are a bit flimsy but the spot does its job.

-Tmobile “Contracts”

The strategic premise is simple and sound. The promise is strong, the value proposition seems credible and attractive. The various executions are memorable and share a consistent tone: big production, a Shakira cameo, cleverish scripts, good comedic timing and fútbol written all over it. Good job.

-Charmin “Stadium emergency”

I saw the spot once and all I recall is some guy walking out of the men’s room at a stadium with a smile of relief on his face. Considering the rendezvous, looks like a bold brand promise to me.

-Lowe’s “Mom’s pep talk”

No comment.

-HyundaI “#Because futbol”

Hyundai is one of the World Cup’s master sponsors. They rolled out a lot of ads. The anthem spot borrows creative fodder from a good old Brazilian tradition called “filhos do carnaval” (children of Carnaval): every year, exactly nine months after carnaval is celebrated, there seems to be a bay boom across the South American tropical giant. In this case, Hyundai claims the exuberance the World Cup unleashes in fans will lead to a global baby boom nine months from now. Filhos do Mundial. I like the creative ambition behind it. They tried to think big. Not sure the spot conveys it properly. I do remember the hashtag #becausefutbol but I don’t quite recall the rest of the spots. A dealership attendant screaming Goaaaaaal! comes to mind. Wait, I do remember a spot featuring the Santa Fe SUV, it had something to do with music and it was plain & forgettable: JAAA (Just Another Auto Ad).

-Lexus GS “Hypnosis”

Impressive marketing push by Lexus going after the sleeping giant: the untapped market of upscale Latinos with plenty cash to burn. They won’t regret it. Latinos love to splurge and Lexus is certainly the kind of “new money” brand that talks to us. The head-on comparative blitz on the German sacred cows of the luxury sedan category is a bold maneuver. The execution is not a creative breakthrough, yet the visual pun is eye-catching. Overall, the spot is fairly memorable and the strategy is powerful. Successsss.

-AllState “Mala suerte”

The brand keeps using this made-up spokesperson who embodies bad luck. A good work horse of an umbrella concept. Some executions are better than others. Certainly not Cannes material but it looks like one of those campaigns with the ability to strike a pop culture chord (it already did in the general market). It is a proven method to stand out among the parity of a commoditized category in which even the brand names sound alike. As I said, some executions are better than others but the campaign delivers. The son-US-fan-vs-dad-México-fan tension is far from original but it lends itself to some insightful slices of life.

-State Farm “Born to be alive”

A nice, airy sponsorship spot with a festive yet heartfelt message.  Took me a few sit-thrus to figure out it was signed by the insurance company State Farm. Instagramish footage with unnecessary supers explaining the idea. Very cool soundtrack: a folkie rendition of the insanely infectious 80s tune “Born to be alive” by Patrick Hernández. I wonder how many monolingual Latinos out there picked up the subtle pop cultural reference which, to me, is the best aspect of the spot. Overall, I personally like this kind of mellow, atmospheric ads. However, I admit it might not be the most effective recipe for a world-cup related campaign on Univisión. Which leads us to…

-Johnson & Johnson “Amor eterno”

Warm & fuzzy B&W footage of assorted loving families edited against a very cool soundtrack: a lullaby rendition of the Guns n’ Roses megaclassic “Sweet child of mine”. Zero soccer here. Pure, unadulterated counterprogramming.

-Honda “Desk jockeys”

Two guys sneak out of the office to watch a game in a car sitting on some boring parking lot. Don’t know what they are trying to tell me here. Thumbs down.

-Nissan

Thay spent quite a lot of money on several spots. All of them attempt to capture the emotional mystique of fútbol while pitching some product benefit or promotional offer of some kind, with uneven results. Several JAAAs (Just another auto ad). Only one spot is somewhat interesting to watch: a bunch of friends driving from the US to Brazil. A neat idea poorly executed.

-Xfinity “¿?”

¿?

-AT&T “Idiot family with salesperson”

Lame. Cringe-inducing. Unacceptable. Next time, if you want to play in this arena, please allocate a bit more brainpower and money, will ya?

-JCPenney

Women are diehard soccer fans. Increasingly so. Tru dat. JCPenney’s onto something here. Big time. Way to go. The strategic premise is stronger than the execution, yet the spot is good. Thumbs up.

-Kraft singles – “Injured little leaguer”

Cute, wholesome goodness with a double entendre. Healthy chivalry in a soccer environment. Certainly not Cannes material but kids & parents should respond to the message. Will it sell cheese? My guess is a cautious yes.

-Subway – Pelé & Michael Phelps

Tin-eared marketing department spends handsomely and fails miserably. Hey, look, we got celebs! Buy more subs!

-McDonalds “Neon sign”

Brilliant! Simple, real, uplifting, sans the trite mannerisms of quick service restaurant ads. It didn’t have a lot of exposure this ad, why? A bunch of guys play at some dusty soccer field in the barrio. It’s getting dark. City lights in the horizon. Players call out some guy by his first name, asking him to turn the lights on. Said guy is off camera and out of sight. At this point, the camera shows us a McD establishment sitting right next to the dusty soccer field. It’s big M neon sign is turned on, thus helping our guys finish their fútbol game into the night. Moral of the story: McDonald’s is an integral part of your community. The very definition of what a sponsorship ad should be: join the celebration but don’t try to overstay your welcome, convey you brand values, avoid the annoying self-importance and get out of the way.

-McDonalds “First Day at work”

Methinks this spot is inferior to “Neon sign” in this context but still the message reaches home nicely: McD’s is a part of your life and your community. No shame in flipping burgers to make ends meet at some point in your life’s journey.

-McDonad’s “First doctor in the family”

Great initiative, nice script, pretty good execution. Keep’em coming.

-McDonalds “Mexican dad, gringo son”

Comedic delivery & timing fall short. I’ve seen worse though.