Jaimee Rose
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 26, 2008

In the Valley, our desperation for oceanfront property has reached a new level entirely. Yes, we worship the swimming pool and consider Rocky Point our own. But who could have imagined that a lowly canal could draw such devotion?

In Scottsdale, a section of the mud-colored Arizona Canal has morphed into Destination: Glamazon. Million-dollar “waterfront” penthouses overlook it. Ritzy boutiques line its banks. During the Super Bowl, ESPN broadcasters hunkered down nearby, and reporters used the water as a glistening backdrop.

It even has its own posh namesake restaurant, Canal, where you can dine on a $30 lobster sandwich while overlooking a large irrigation ditch and pretend you’re feeling an ocean breeze. Isn’t it romantic?

Water holds a magical power over humanity: We search it out, move nearby and cling to it on vacation. Cities lucky enough to be so blessed define themselves by their water features - think Lake Michigan in Chicago or Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Park.

In the Valley, our river runs dry, so we’ve hopefully and happily been seduced by the next best thing.

This represents an image makeover of considerable heft, a Billy Ray Cyrus kind of comeback. For years, the Valley’s canals were unsavory swathes feared by mothers, full of murk, goo and the ungodly.

“The canals really were kind of looked upon as liquid alleys,” said Jim Duncan, a senior analyst with the Salt River Project, which manages the canals.

Things pulled from the water: rusted-out appliances, expired animals, a few safes, a Corvette, and many, many guns, according to SRP. And, of course, the floating bodies discovered by joggers a couple of times each year.

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Clearly in today’s rough and tumble world of politics, candidates are packaged as brands, says Alan Siegel, Chairman and CEO of Siegel+Gale. Their handlers work hard to position them. They use research to determine how they are perceived and what messages they can use that are credible and resonate with voters, and they try to find a voice that defines their distinctive personae to differentiate them from the competition.

• Hillary Clinton has been seen as the leading Democratic brand — the experienced leader, an articulate policy wonk, and an insider who has seen it all as the candidate who spent eight years in the White House.
• John McCain is the straight-talking rebel.
• John Edwards is the empathetic populist who grew up in a modest house in North Carolina and champions the plight of middle class Americans.
• Barack Obama casts himself as the energetic change agent with the charisma necessary to inspire a new generation of leadership through the politics of inclusion.
• Mike Huckabee offers solace to Christian values voters who hunger for religious guidance in uncertain times.
• Mitt Romney demands to be seen as a socially conservative but entrepreneurial CEO who seeks market solutions to the nation’s challenges.

But to prevail, the candidates must stay true to their brand promises. Right now, as the Democratic nomination narrows to a fierce competition between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, Mrs. Clinton is undermining her position as the “Leading Brand” among the Democratic candidates with attacks on Barack Obama, the “Challenger Brand.”

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Bull Dog Reporter
Issue Date: Daily Dog - February 19, 2008
Mega-Media Events: Super Bowl Blowout Shows Need for More PR/Advertising Integration

What does a Super Bowl advertisement have in common with a Tournament of Roses parade float? Contrary to popular belief, the answer is not William Shatner. Both revolve around global media events that attract significant consumer attention. Both require sizable investment from advertisers and sponsors (the price of a 30-second Super Bowl ad unit exceeded $2 million and, depending on the technology employed, a quality TOR float weighs in at $200,000). And both investments have a relatively short shelf life; while the exposure and audience reach is nearly unmatched, when it’s over, it’s over. That is, unless the investment is supported by broader communications such as public relations.

Executives in C-suites all across the country are scrutinizing the value of such one-time investments. On the one hand, they represent the greens fees for the country club of A-list brands. As one CMO put it, “No one ever got fired for buying ad time on the Super Bowl.” In fact, some leading branding executives find it very hard to justify not participating, particularly when the competition is staying the course. On the other hand, too often the investment does not result in a quality brand experience. The problem with Super Bowl ads and parade floats is they compete with other sponsors for showmanship. Audiences expect entertainment value from these media exercises, and the drive to satisfy that entertainment expectation generally sacrifices a brand promise and/or sales value.

It doesn’t have to be this way. A Super Bowl ad can, in fact, serve as a very strong brand touchpoint. Coca-Cola showed exactly how in the recent Super Bowl broadcast. Two of the ads it ran for Classic were delightfully on-brand while also serving up quality branded entertainment. The first ad featured borrowed equity from famous cartoon franchises, using Macy’s-style parade balloons. It worked because it leveraged Classic’s link to Americana and popular culture. The second ad, which featured political strategist James Carville and former Senator Bill Frist in an unexpected buddy trip, connected to a well-established consumer ritual that is inextricably linked to the brand—”jinxing” a friend when you say the same word and exacting a Coke as payment. These ads worked as branding tools because they balanced the style, tonality and messaging of the Classic brand with a storytelling experience worthy of Super Bowl media.

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Siegel+Gale, one of the world’s premier strategic branding companies, launched its Eyeopener™ Brand Decision Analyzer research tool at THE Conference on Marketing in Naples, Florida, this week.

"In theory, calculating the return on brand investment is a very straightforward exercise, but in practice, not one of the many tools available to marketers today helps them evaluate consumer behavior, reliably predict customer choice, and make valuable, real-time brand decisions," said Alan Siegel, Chairman and CEO of Siegel+Gale.

"Eyeopener™ is dramatically better than any of the other research methods out there," Mr. Siegel noted. "And it works in a quick, startlingly simple, cost-effective way."

Clients who have used Eyeopener™ echo this sentiment. Rich Carvill, Corporate Brand Manager at Gates Corporation, a leading North American manufacturer of automotive and industrial systems, said, "The customer insights we revealed with the Eyeopener™ research program will be invaluable to our brand strategy initiative. The process is not as time-consuming as other methods out there and the results are accurate."

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"Super Bowl ads are one of the purest forms of branded entertainment," says Larry Vincent, Group Director of Strategy in the Los Angeles office of premier brand strategy and design consultancy Siegel+Gale, and long-time entertainment marketing expert. "Superbowl ads have become theatre in their own right, but if you’re not tying the ad to a direct call to action, you have to ask: what is this huge investment really doing for my brand?"

The iconic Apple Macintosh introduction ad in 1984 worked as a brand-building tool because it addressed the promise of the brand and established the voice that the brand would employ for decades to come. But it was also a spectacular launch point for a much bigger campaign – the next day they launched the product. They used the media for its greatest strength: reach. Frequency was not a factor, since the ad ran once and only once.

Advertisements that are tied to a promotional campaign or short-term, national sales initiatives can work well on the broadcast. That’s why you see so many movie ads. The studio has to build a brand in six weeks or less. They need to go from 0 to 100%, and a Superbowl ad can put a film on the map.

But it gets tricky when you plan to use the media for pure brand-building purposes. Too many companies feel they must be represented at the Super Bowl – that they have to buy these spots. It’s the perceived membership dues for a major brand. They try too hard to find a way to use the media, defaulting to ‘brand.’ It’s not clear that a Super Bowl ad does much for most of these companies.

Here are three things to consider when using a Super Bowl ad as a brand-building initiative:

1. Make the ad a tangible touch point of your existing brand strategy; reinforce messages already in the marketplace about what your brand stands for. It must reflect your promise, your values, and your unique corporate voice.
2. Don’t try to load the ad with too many messages. You’re competing for consumer attention. Too many brands over-reach. Keep it simple.
3. Have celebrity endorsements and cutting-edge digital effects serve your brand – not vice versa. You’ve got 30 seconds to create effect for the brand. Think of your casting and special effects choices as tools to help re-convey your story.

To speak with Larry Vincent about branding strategies surrounding the Super Bowl, either before or after the game, please contact Davia Temin or Megan Creydt of Temin and Company at 212-588-8788 or news@teminandco.com.

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