Every year, I look forward to Super Bowl Sunday. Not because of the game, but because of the ads. If you’ve ever watched a Super Bowl ad, you know why. They’re supposed to be the best advertising of the year – pure entertainment, very little sell, and plenty of money poured into production. It’s no secret that companies spend a ton of money creating a Super Bowl ad and that’s before they pay the media cost – up to $3.5 million for a 30 second spot this year.

But, does lots of money really make for a better commercial? Ideally, it should – more money should get you better writing, acting, editing and so on.

For instance, money definitely came in handy with Volkswagen’s “The Force” commercial which featured a tiny Darth Vader and Star Wars music. In addition to the estimated 111 million Super Bowl viewers, the ad received millions of extra views online before the game. And, people kept watching after the game too – the YouTube count is now at almost 50 million views. The ad’s success is undoubtably the reason Volkswagen chose to mention it again in this year’s Super Bowl ad.

However, more money doesn’t always guarantee a great ad. An example of this is the new Acura NXS spot that’s airing Sunday. The commercial features Jerry Seinfeld, one of the funniest men on the planet, and yet the ad falls flat. Sure, there are a few parts that make you laugh but that’s due to Jerry, not the script. The spot uses a cliché scenario – the old ‘I’ll trade you awesome things if you’ll just let me have the sponsor’s product,” and goes on too long. After 20 seconds, I found myself asking, “why isn’t this over yet?”

In the end, Acura spent a ton trying to create something really brilliant and all they got was a mediocre commercial.

The truth is, when it comes to advertising, strategy matters more than budget. A good strategy can shine on a shoestring budget just as a poor strategy can cripple a multi-million dollar campaign. A good ad agency should be able to think creatively whether they’re given $50,000 or $50 million.

Enjoy the game and the ads. If you’re like me and can’t wait until Sunday, you can watch the ads now.

Tuesday was the 75th anniversary of Theodor Geisel’s (Dr. Seuss) first book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street. The book tells the tale of a little boy walking home from school and trying to think of something he can tell his father. But, he’s facing a bit of a dilemma: all he’s seen on the walk is a cart and horse, far from impressive. As the walk goes on, the boy begins to imagine crazier and crazier stories to tell his dad. In the end, the truth wins out and he tells his dad he’s seen a cart and horse. 

It’s sad for a children’s story and has a lot more depth than you’d think. Is it a story about growing up and facing reality? Is it about the boy’s struggle to please his father even if it means killing his creativity? Is it simply a story about telling the truth?

“All of Dr. Seuss’ stories are brilliant in their simplicity. None of his stories tell you what to think, they let you draw your own conclusions. That’s why they’re so popular – everyone can relate to them,” says Dea Goldsmith, Echo-Factory Creative Director.

Most creatives feel like Dea. For us, that story represents everything that art should be – simple, original, memorable and open to interpretation. It’s the kind of work we stay up nights trying to create.

“In advertising, we’re constantly looking for those simple connections. For every project we work on, I force myself to take a step back and think what’s the simplest way to solve this problem? More often than not, it’s the simple solutions that are the most poignant,” says Dea.

Seuss also had the courage to trust his audience, something we ask clients and ourselves to do more of every day. As Dea puts it, the best art (and ads) are the ones that allow audience members to find their own insight instead of beating them over the head with a theme or message.

But, perhaps the biggest reason we love Dr. Seuss is because he gives us hope. According to a story on NPR, Dr. Seuss almost never was. After Mulberry Street was rejected 27 times, Geisel had given up on the book. Then, he ran into a friend who also happened to be a children’s book editor at a publishing house. He published the book in 1937, giving Geisel the jumpstart he needed to become Dr. Seuss.

So, from all of us at Echo-Factory, we say thank you to Dr. Seuss for all his inspiration, past, present and future.

If you were anywhere near the Internet on Wednesday, you saw our website and thousands of other sites including Wikipedia and Google participate in a blackout protesting the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and its corresponding bill, the Protect IP Act (PIPA).

If you’re not up to speed on SOPA and PIPA, here’s the deal. The bills seek to block the illegal use of copyrighted content online.

Now, as an ad agency whose bread and butter relies on the creation of ideas, you’d think we’d be for SOPA and PIPA. You’d be wrong. No, we don’t want to see our stuff get ripped off. But, even more than that, we don’t want to see these bills fall into the wrong hands. And, they undoubtably will. Think McCarthy in the 1950s. That’s the level of abuse we’re talking about here.

These bills give people the power to blacklist and shutdown websites based on the smallest perceived infraction. According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), “rightsholders, ISPs, or the government could shut down sites with accusations of infringement, and without real due process.”

So, what happens if your site is blacklisted (deservedly or not)? Well, as you’d expect with any blacklist, other online companies have to shut you out. If you’re advertising through ad networks such as Google AdWords, using Paypal on your site or running an SEO campaign, all that’s over. Under the law, other sites will have to stop linking to your site and search engines will be forced to forget your site exists. Once you’re blacklisted, you turn into persona non grata. No one online will want to associate with you for fear they’ll be blacklisted too.

If you manage to escape being blacklisted, the bills still come with negative consequences. The EFF states that SOPA and PIPA will cost the private sector millions of dollars and reduce online security. Most importantly, the bills will do nothing when it comes to stopping online piracy. The tools outlined by these bills aren’t anywhere near sophisticated enough to keep tech-saavy users, the people doing most of the online pirating, from using content illegally.

Thankfully, we’re making progress. Due to the massive protest from the American public this week, many supporters of SOPA and PIPA have jumped ship. Even the White House has come out against the two bills. With so many against SOPA and PIPA, leaders in the House and Senate have decided to put off voting until some agreement can be reached. What that agreement is or how long it takes remains to be seen. In the meantime, you can help by writing to your representatives in Washington and letting them know just how bad these bills are for you and your business.

If your resolution is to have a better business year, consider spending more on advertising. It’s been proven that companies who advertise have higher sales than those that don’t – this is especially true during a recession. To help you figure out how to spend your advertising dollars, here are the top five advertising trends for small (and large) businesses in 2012.
#1 Online Videos – Companies are beginning to realize what Hollywood and video sharing sites like YouTube already know: everyone loves a good video. Heck, we even love bad ones. On an average day, you’ll find over 100 million people watching online videos. Why is that good for you? Well, online videos aren’t just popular, they’re also a great way to add interactivity to your website and get people excited about your company. Plus, they’re way more affordable than buying ad space on TV. Create a video and you can post it on your website and other sites for as long as you want for free.

#2 Mobile Devices – This year, market research firm, In-Stat, estimates that over 630 million smartphones and 56 million iPad and Android tablets will be used. With all those people using their mobile devices to search and view content, it’s in your best interest to make sure your company’s mobile friendly. Set up text alerts for customers, create a mobile version of your website, create an app for your customers and run mobile ad campaigns.

#3 SEO + Social Media – You’ve been told a good SEO campaign will improve your website’s search result rankings. That’s still true only now you need social media too.  Search engines are increasingly using social media for search rankings which means your company gets pushed farther down in the rankings if you’re not consistently updating your Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts.

#4 Local Deal Sites – Born during the recession, sites such as Living Social and Groupon are continuing to rise in popularity. By participating in these sites, you can introduce people to your product or service and ideally gain repeat customers willing to pay full price once the deal is done. However, before you invest in one of these sites, be sure to get info about expected ROI – both during and after you offer a deal.

#5 Email Blasts –  Ok, email’s been around a long time, that’s true. But, our ability to send the right information to the right people is growing stronger. Whenever you email, first think about the information you’re sending and who’d be interested in it. Then, segment your email list so that you’re only sending an email to those interested people. Above all else, don’t email people more than you need to. If you’re not sending relevant info, don’t send it at all.

Happy New Year from all of us at Echo-Factory. Hope your year is full of advertising that gets results.

Photo by Jeff Kardas

At Saturday night's AMA Supercross season opener, Troy Lee Designs' rider Cole Seely came from relative obscurity to win the first race of the new year.

We love to see our clients win - and Cole's victory Saturday night was symbolic of so much of what Troy Lee does right.

Ray was at the race, and came in this morning talking about how distinctly the Troy Lee riders' gear stood out from every other kit on the track. And that's not something unique to this race. Troy Lee gear has come to epitomize a unique combination of technical brilliance and industry leading style.

Troy Lee Designs' tagline is, "For The World's Fastest Racers." We don't know of another company that so completely lives their tagline.

So - congratulations to Cole and everyone at Troy Lee Designs. We're sure this is just the first taste a great season for your racing team.