The Saints may have won the Super Bowl, but Google came out on top in this year’s Kellogg School of Management Super Bowl Advertising Review for its “How to Impress a French Woman” ad. For the sixth year running, MBA students at Kellogg spent Super Bowl Sunday focused as much on the ad spots between plays as on the game itself.
“This year’s Super Bowl featured several effective ads, making the Review an exciting learning experience for the students,” Tim Calkins, a Kellogg clinical marketing professor who leads the event, said in a statement. “The overarching goal for Super Bowl advertisers is a successful ad that resonates with their target audience. Based on our framework, Google really embraced the key elements of a winning Super Bowl commercial with both its sentimental and practical execution,” he continued.
Calkins was referring to a strategic academic framework known as ADPLAN, developed by Kellogg faculty, an acronym that instructs viewers to grade ads based on Attention, Distinction, Positioning, Linkage, Amplification and Net equity.
Thought not alone in obtaining an “A” grade – other top scorers included Denny’s, Audi, Volkswagon, Dodge and Snickers – Google edged out the competition just enough to win the 2010 review. But by claiming three of the top five spots, automakers also surprised reviewers with their ability to cut through the clutter with memorable ads, according to the post-game report from Kellogg.
Despite lots of pre-game buzz, other advertisers fell flat, the reviewers found. Focus on the Family, with its spot devoted to anti-abortion sentiment, and the U.S. Census, which used government dollars to procure some of the most expensive television advertising available, both came up short when measured according to the strategic framework. Honda and Bridgestone also received low marks.
But even for the winning companies, there is still work ahead. “Companies now need to leverage the buzz to increase their ROI,” Derek Rucker, Kellogg associate professor of marketing, who also leads the review, said in a statement. “Turning the advertising into consumer action is the next step and the best companies know that. The marketing departments will be working overtime for that reason,” he added.
For a full list of the rankings, click here.
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