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This image provided by Anheuser-Busch shows a portion of the company's Budweiser television ad scheduled to run during Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015. (AP Photo/Anheuser-Busch)
By David Hagenbuch
Truly successful advertising does two things: 1) it creates stakeholder value and 2) it upholds societal values. Only when both of these criteria are fulfilled can we can call advertising "Mindful."
Creating Stakeholder Value:
Successful ads are well- strategized and creatively executed marketing communication that effectively informs, persuades or reminds their chosen target markets. As such, they convey messages that are helpful to consumers and productive for the sponsoring organizations. In other words, they create stakeholder value.
Super Bowl Ads Should Uphold Societal Values:
Consumers have grown increasingly intolerant of individuals and organizations that aim to succeed at any cost. People tend to support companies that do well (i.e., effectively fulfill their value propositions), but they also expect those firms to do good (i.e., maintain integrity, show respect, act fairly, encourage decency, etc.).
For the Super Bowl, this dual-mandate is magnified because the event attracts the largest and most diverse television audience of the year. Super Bowl ads should take special care to avoid content that degrades, demeans, or desensitizes. That is, they should uphold societal values.
When a commercial fulfills both criteria--creates stakeholder value and upholds societal values--it can be considered "Mindful."
Of course, some ads are very effective at driving dollars for the creation of stakeholder value, but they compromise when it comes to supporting social values. Such commercials can be thought of as "Single-Minded."
In contrast, there are ads that are absolutely upstanding when it comes to supporting values, but their poorly conceived marketing gives them little chance of creating stakeholder value--these ads should be seen as "Simple-Minded."
And finally, there are commercials that fail on both accounts; such ads can be considered "Mindless."
Here's how proposed ads from this year's Super Bowl measure up.
Mindless: Geico Swag
Geico has broken new ground in irrelevance with its "swag" commercial. At the same time, the company also has risen to a new level of irreverence. Geico's 30 second Super Bowl spot, which features a hip-hop-talking elderly man with a very amply endowed and silent younger woman, succeeds in demeaning at least two people groups, while offending many other sensibilities.
Simple-Minded: Dove Men+Care
This spot oozes positive emotion. It captures in 60 seconds a complete cross-section of the warm feelings that accrue to many fathers. Unfortunately, however, there's nothing tangible to persuade men to use Dove's products in particular. Any Dad can potentially enjoy the fatherly joys the ad portrays, with or without Dove.
Single-Minded: Carl's Jr. All-Natural
There's little difference between soft-porn and what the hamburger chain will soon air on prime-time television.
The very revealing and suggestive footage of buxom model Charlotte McKinney does no favors for a society that already struggles with body image issues and the objectification of women. Many people will find the commercial uncomfortable to watch, particularly in mixed company. Unfortunately, it's also probable that the ad will move many of the young men in Carl's Jr.'s target market to purchase the burger and more.
Mindful: Avocados from Mexico
If you're part of an association of Mexican avocado producers who'd like to see your northern neighbors eat more guacamole dip, it's not a bad idea to run a Super Bowl ad that will reach a broad cross-section of Americans in the very setting in which the dip is often consumed--sporting events/parties. The ad uses "tasteful" humor that's product-related, which should make the commercial both memorable and motivational. In addition, there's no obvious compromise of societal values.
David Hagenbuch is associate professor of marketing at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, Pa and founder of MindfulMarketing.org.