Apparently it’s not enough to just have a killer spot on the Super Bowl. Or even a lame spot. No, in this day and age, you have to build an integrated campaign that spans media channels, demographics and Twitter feeds to create, wait for it, synergy. While not every brand on this list produced teaser campaigns, enough did so to make it this year’s Super Cliché. I, naturally, missed most of the teasers as I was busy pitching new business and changing diapers – often simultaneously – in the weeks before the game. But whatever, an ad needs to stand on its own in victory or die, lonely and bitter, in the gutter that is this review.

Spots reviewed as they aired, more or less. Also, I don’t review regional ads (if I can tell they’re regional), film trailers or promos for CBS shows or the NFL.

Bud Light, “Light House” – I’ll give Bud Light credit for refraining from the scatological (that means “poop”) comedy from years past, but this didn’t really have the feel of a Super Bowl spot. Good production values, of course, but it seem like, well, any other Bud Light spot. You could call that creative consistency, but I won’t. B-

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Snickers, “Betty & Abe” – This spot started off quite strongly with venerable comedienne Betty White getting walloped in a game of touch football and then talking smack. The payoff of “you’re not you when you’re hungry” however, was a let down (even if it is true as this diabetic can attest). If you’re going to intro a spot with Betty White at wide out, don’t change her to a pasty suburban dude halfway through the spot. Bonus points, naturally, for good use of Abe Vigoda in the stinger. B

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Focus on the Family, “The Tebows” – Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahha. Okay, the ad itself wasn’t great, but the strategy was brilliant. This “controversial” ad – dubbed so by pro-abortion advocates who hadn’t even seen the spot – was nothing more than a classic “please visit our website” ad. No mention of abortion. Not even a hint. Just a proud mom who speaks of her “miracle baby.” Me, I would’ve said “abortion” seven or eight times during the spot, but I’m ornery like that. Still, feels good knowing a bunch of so-called pro-choice (as long as you choose to agree with us) folks got their collective BVDs in a wad over this. Spot: B, Strategy: A+

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Hyundai, “Paint” – This spot for Hyundai’s new Sonata sedan, filled with classical music and well-done slow motion footage, had me right until the end when some lackey of The Man insisted on inserting the supers “Better paint quality than Mercedes CLS550” and “Think about it.” Unnecessary and message-muddling. B-

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Boost Mobile, “The Shuffle” – Twenty-five years after the Chicago Bears won the Super Bowl and tainted themselves with the stank of “The Super Bowl Shuffle,” Ditka, McMahon, Singletary and crew are back for another shot at rhythmless fame. Teasers were released in advance of this spot, and now I’m wondering why. Too obvious jokes and poor use of a Rascal – comedy sacrilege! And whoever thought Read more…

Time to highlight some cool ideas and pass out the virtual cork so that we can recognize and celebrate one of them.

I know that this is not exactly new, but have you seen this spot for Jameson Irish Whiskey?

I love it. Now, in the spirit of full disclosure, I really love gin more than scotch, and even after a visit to Scotland and the Glenkinchie Distillery, I have not developed the acquired taste for scotch like my brother. But, I got to tell you, as a novice, trying to distinguish the difference from one mossy, peaty glass to another is half the battle to acquiring the aforementioned taste. This work helps them stand out and I imagine gives people a personality they can identify with. At least enough to get them in the boat. Well done, credit for the spot goes to TBWA/Chiat/Day, New York. That work comes on the heels of a long standing word-of-mouth campaign that got them the growth they needed to eventually speak to a larger audience—thus the new (or relatively new) work.

Great piece of film. However, the print is weak and looks like an afterthought. Web presence looks like they repurposed an off-the-shelf techno widget and feels out of touch with the wonderful story telling foundation they have with John Jameson. So close and yet so far.

Next up, how about this idea:

Fun take on a product that has all the money in the world but a tough time getting people to pay attention. Not a lot of news in the “classic” part of this category. Yet they have given us a reason to pay attention and a reason to think happy thoughts. Credit and the cork go to Coca Cola and Definition 6. Well done.

Eager to hear what you think.

Numbers are funny. You see one and it communicates something right away—long before you learn the context of how it is being used.

Like the number at the top there. It means effort, right? Well, not so fast. Today I sat down at my computer to attack another week here in 2010, and 110% came to mind. Not due to effort, but because it represents my confidence level. I am 110% confident that 2010 will be our best year yet here at Firehouse. Despite the economic and geopolitical headlines, we will achieve great things in 2010. I’m certain of it.

That’s because in times like this the safe thing is often times the wrong thing. The status quo is death. And while we’d been doing a good job of pushing our clients to do new things, we also saw an opportunity to take a fresh look at our own brand. We forced ourselves to rethink who we really are and what we are really well equipped and well motivated to do. And after a thorough review in late 2009 of where we were headed, we decided something needed to change. Our Brand Promise, although thoughtful and well crafted, did not represent who we really are. It wasn’t us. Because of that we didn’t really embrace it and live it. Therefore, it wasn’t working hard enough on our behalf. It was clear to me we needed a full overhaul.

The result was several weeks of a far more inclusive, far more collaborative exercise that culminated in an agency off-site meeting this past Friday. We went down to the North Texas Food Bank, and going back all the way to starting Firehouse in 1997, this was among the best days I’ve ever had at the agency. We talked through some key changes and identified ways to refocus our efforts as an agency. It was the ideal way to bridge the best parts of what we always have done well, with what will help set us apart moving forward. And giving back and helping others was a great way to help illustrate what makes this agency unique and special.

I spent the entire weekend excited to come to work today. I am confident now that we have more oars in the water and more people pulling in the same direction than ever before. Already great people and great ideas are now better aligned. Communication that already had been improving will do so even more rapidly. Direction from managers will be more clear, more decisive and easier to interpret where it is coming from.

In short, everyone is walking around with a little better clarity, and you can see how that translates to greater confidence simply by looking at the faces of the people walking throughout the agency.

If you want to make 2010 a great year, I encourage you to shake things up. Force those around you to rethink your brand—start with yourself. Whether that brand is a CPG, a service organization or even the brand called You. Do it now, while all those around you are playing it safe and playing not to lose. I’m confident it’ll make a difference.

2010 will be a great year at this agency.

The people here have always brought great effort. And now, more than ever, I have the confidence to match.

The Sunday before the agency closed for Christmas, the Firehouse account team served lunch at Dallas Life Foundation (DLF), a local homeless shelter for the less fortunate. DLF has been organized for over 50 years, providing its beneficiaries a place to do laundry, sleep and gain exposure to the Christian faith.

Working closely with DLF’s cooks (many of which were once on the other side of the serving lines), we each manned a station. I served the corn bread, which was a very popular item—when seconds were served, we were out of corn bread since no one had passed it up the first time around! But the hour ended well and the diners left full. We were impressed at how efficient that hour was—DLF’s cooks prepared (and Firehouse helped serve) food for over 200 people!

Hairnets aside, the Firehouse account team left in good spirits as well. We may have even found a new side dish for the next agency potluck—Greg’s special rice and baked bean combo! We look forward to sharing more community experiences here this year, in fact, coming up Firehouse is giving all employees a day off work to serve in the community.

Enjoy more pictures on Flickr.

Last year’s Carol of the Christmas Pickle was a huge success by all accounts…all accounts save for one: we had to top it this year. As Christmas pickles are something of a peculiar tradition, we thought a proper sequel to its story would be a holiday tradition even more peculiarer.

After a little research, we discovered the legend of the Krampus. A demon that sneaks into bad girls’ and boys’ room and, in the mildest, least disturbing form of the legend, beats them senseless with a stick? It really doesn’t get much more peculiar than that. (Thanks again, Rhineland)

Clearly this was a powerful story worthy of animatronics, CGI effects and latex creature makeup. As we didn’t have the budget for any of that, we went with a handmade puppet, some paper cutouts and the help of our friends at FastCuts.

Shannon came up with the idea to use 19th-century lithograph prints for the sets, Cara made our Krampus out of a G.W. Bush doll (is that appropriate in some strange way?) and then designed the sets. Zack played director while I (the bald guy in the video below) stood around and pointed at things whilst looking pensive and serious.

The entire process (along with some bonus shenanigans) was captured in time lapse below.

And the end result? Another bizarre tradition brought to life in a very unique and (we hope) hilarious way. See for yourself.

Yes. We know. There is a pattern developing here (murder but in cute kind of way) and yes, we will all being seeing therapists in 2010.

Much thanks to Ben and Gigi from FastCuts and Kari for saving our holly, jolly butts at the last possible moment.

Amazing use of projection technology to transform a building into practically a living object. Kudo’s to Urbanscreen the company who pulled this off.

In order for an idea to spread, someone has to do the spreading.

In the dark ages (ten years ago), the only way to spread your idea on a large scale was to do it yourself. This required large buckets of money and lots and lots of ads.

Today, clients get all sweaty thinking about how this magically happens, virally, for free. If it were only that easy.

What’s interesting is that different products and ideas are spread by different groups of people. There isn’t just one professional association of idea spreaders, with everyone else being passive.

For instance, if your authentic little Italian restaurant gets hot, it’s going to be because the chowhounds, the folks who love to talk about the next great place, are buzzing about it. On the other hand, if your blog gets a lot of traffic, it might just be because a few key bloggers are going on about it, spreading the idea.

As gatekeepers to our clients’ businesses, we have to stop and ask ourselves, “What am I doing about it? Have I figured out which portion of my user base are the talkers? Is it possible to focus my efforts on actually making something that they like? Or, am I confusing the people who talk about the competition, with the people I need to reach?” After all, these folks might not be from the same tribe…

Unfortunately, ideas oftentimes fail to spread. However, this may not be a result of their content, but rather, because they don’t have a committed group of people spreading the word about them. If you treat everyone the same, you’re not increasing the odds that some people will step up on your behalf.

The first question to ask someone who is frustrated at the rate their idea is spreading: “Who are you hoping will talk about you?” If you don’t know, it’s unlikely to happen all by itself. On the other hand, being smart about finding, courting and delighting the group most likely to spread the idea, is time well spent.

Firehouse and our client, Interstate Batteries, can claim a literal spot among Thanksgiving Day traditions this year when Interstate Batteries’ new commercial is aired during the Texas vs. Texas A&M game. How rich is this tradition you ask? These teams have played on Thanksgiving Day over 60 times in a rivalry that dates back to 1894.

Look for the 60-second spot on ESPN during the second commercial break at approximately 7:13 p.m. (Thank you Firehouse media planning.) Here’s a sneak preview if you just can’t wait or are fearful that sleep may set-in after a day full of turkey: Interstate Batteries on YouTube

One of Firehouse’s very own, Silver Cuellar, got 45 seconds (or so) of fame on the local news on Sunday.

CBS 11 here in Dallas featured Silver in a segment on the “Movember” fundraising effort that has men everywhere growing a ’stache to raise money to fight prostate and testicular cancer. Great cause… unfortunately, not-so-great look on most guys.

Check out the full segment here -
www.cbs11tv.com

And if you feel so inclined, you can donate to the Firehouse team of Mo Bros here – www.movember.com

Give us a second to toot a client’s horn…

DIY expert and “Today Show” correspondent Lou Manfredini wanted to use a Rug Doctor machine as part of a home cleaning segment on the “Today Show” this morning. So, we arranged for the machine and a range of cleaning products to be sent, and I (along with my good friend Schubert Pereira from Rug Doctor) went to 30 Rock to help Lou prep for the segment.

Here’s a little recap of past 18 hours in NYC…
• After a quick rehearsal on Monday evening to see how the product would be used, Lou took us on a brief after-hours tour of Today Show studios (pretty cool stuff)
• Found out the segment producer was a fan of Rug Doctor, as well
• Got a “Good Morning” from Hoda Kotb as we walked into the building with her on Tuesday morning
• In the Green Room, we sat next to Daniel Wright from “The Biggest Loser”
• Then Ann Curry walked into the Green Room and stood next to me to greet some guests
• Our segment followed a hilarious interview with Sandra Bullock
• The Rug Doctor cleaning solutions and machine got some good airtime
• And the visual of the Rug Doctor machine cleaning the carpet on-air made two people in the Green Room say “Wow” and “That works really well” — and they had no idea we were from Rug Doctor

Pretty good trip to 30 Rock, I would say. Here’s the segment — take a look for yourself…

Picture of rehearsal: