Samsung to Apple: "How's it feel to be The Man?"

I thought about calling this post “The Ascent of Apple: Textbook Hippie Tech.” But I was afraid only a small percentage of people would get the reference. Then again, if Samsung has done anything right, going obscure might be a good thing.

From an advertising perspective, the Oscars are something of a sequel to the Super Bowl: the next big event-television moment that can make or break an advertising campaign. (Apparently, the Oscars have taken on the moniker of “The Super Bowl for Women.” Which is strange, considering the real Super Bowl for Women is probably still, um, the Super Bowl.)

For me, the starkest Super Bowl/Oscars ad connection seemed to be Samsung’s Tim Burton spot, which is a fitting companion to the Paul Rudd/Seth Rogan spot which ran during the Super Bowl.

The Super Bowl ad:

At New Think Creative, we loved it. Definitely a highlight of the ads that night. But on the Ad Meter, it finished near the middle of the pack. What went wrong? Well, possibly nothing.

Much as the GoDaddy gross-out ad may have been engineered to offend, the Samsung ad may have been engineered to exclude. While many of us were giddy over seeing Rudd and Rogan featured in a high-profile ad, those actors have a certain in-crowd vibe which goes under the radar for a lot of viewers. It’s possible that a large portion of the country watched the ad, turned to their friends, and said, “Who the hell were those guys?”

Was this a mistake? Or a concerted effort to cast stars who only the “cool people” would know?

At the Oscars, we got our answer:

Anecdotal reviews were similar to the Super Bowl ad: “I really like it… But are you sure everyone even knows who Tim Burton is?”

First the Rogan/Rudd ad. Now this:

·         Tim Burton.

·         Zombie Unicorns.

·         Unshaven guys with floofy hair wearing ties.

·         LOTS of people wearing glasses.

It can’t be a coincidence that this hipster-centered campaign comes in the aftermath of Steve Jobs’s death and the perceived stagnation of new innovations at Apple.

In this century, Apple has owned the “only the coolest kids have it” image. But although it was recently their greatest strength, the in-crowd chic has become the thing that Apple lacks. Apple is the establishment, now. Your dad owns an iPhone/iPad because it’s the only smartphone/tablet he’s heard of. Not cool, man.

Samsung’s new ads may have missed the mark with mainstream America. But they may not care. Believe it or not, they may be aiming mostly for the people who think different.

The challenge of social media: You can lead a horse to your marketing, but you can't make him retweet it

At New Think Creative, we recently had a prospective client who decided he didn’t, in fact, need any help with his social media marketing. The reason? His nephew knew how to tweet, so he could handle the business’s social media campaign. (We don’t know the name of the nephew, but we’ve affectionately dubbed him Sheldon. He’s simply adorable.)

You could say this makes us feel the same way a contractor would feel if a home owner told him, “I don’t need to hire you after all, since I just found out I can borrow a backhoe.”

Acquiring the right tools doesn’t always require professional help. Using them is a different story. That is, if you don’t want your nephew Sheldon to accidentally put a hydraulic metal arm through the roof of your car.

Alicia Keys doesn’t get paid because she can sing, and Justin Verlander doesn’t get paid because he can throw a baseball. Almost anyone can do those things. They are valuable because they can sing, or throw a ball, effectively.

Social media is so mainstream, we almost take it for granted that everyone is savvy by now. But as it turns out, many smart, successful businesspeople have yet to fully understand what’s going on. So you have a Twitter account for your business? In 2013? I guess you’re cutting edge now. No further effort required.

Having social media is no longer an edge. It’s a basic requirement. The edge comes when you can use it effectively. It can be just background noise. Or it can be an immediate, intimate way to connect with your customers.

For example, the Oreo cookie brand had a recent social media breakthrough during this year’s infamous Super Bowl blackout. For 34 minutes, the nation was frozen in front of the television, wondering when the Super Dome lights would come back on. Someone decided to act fast. Within those 34 minutes, they gave the Twittersphere something to react to:

Simple. Immediately relevant. Most importantly, it makes people want to tell their friends, “Hey, have you seen this?” And so it was retweeted 16,000 times.

This is the “social” element of social media. You can’t just talk. It has to provoke a reaction. Your customer base needs to enjoy it, seek it out, share it. That doesn’t happen when you just talk at people… but then, I’m sure Sheldon has it all under control. Doesn’t he?

Here are New Think Creative’s 4 golden rules for social media marketing:

1. Be creative. Be out there, outrageous, and buzz-worthy. Just like everyday life, you have to be interesting, enticing, and thought-provoking to get and hold people's attention, and to make them want to pass your content along! Talk their talk. Walk their walk. 

2. Be creative and know that media successes are often the result of well-coordinated effort.  Make sure all your social media messages are creatively conceived, well-orchestrated, and stay on point every time, in every media.

3. Be creative and patient.  Social media is a slow game. Know that every tweet or post won't be perfect.  You are building a community that will come together with varying opinions or points of view. Manage it, but let it breath. Don’t just screw the negatives… learn from them. It’s a great way to make your next tweet or email (or whatever) work better.

4. Be creative. Fire Sheldon. Hire New Think Creative.

Last place is a big victory for this Super Bowl ad

At my Super Bowl party, the early ads failed to draw much attention from my companions. The commercial breaks lacked a certain “Super Bowl atmosphere.” We often talked over them, almost as though they were typical, non-essential breaks in the middle of a television show.

And then… we saw GoDaddy’s spot starring Bar Rafaeli and Danica Patrick.

Everybody stopped talking. We watched in silence.

Everyone HATED it.

Is it offensive? It’s at least awkward. Personally, I just started thinking about what will become of the poor guy who plays “Walter.” It must be rough to live out all your years knowing the undisputed best day of your life is already behind you.

The spot was universally abhorred, finishing dead last onthe USA Today Ad Meter. And therefore, it is potentially a smashing success.

The worst fate for a Super Bowl commercial is to get lost in the shuffle. Seen as mediocre. Ignored, as Super Bowl partygoers choose to discuss Joe Flacco’s passing accuracy instead of paying attention to your spot.

GoDaddy’s shockingly low approval ratings earn extra PR, which equates to more free advertising and name recognition for GoDaddy. Which is really all they want.

Not everyone can get away with this approach. If you’re JP Morgan, looking crass isn’t worth the extra attention. But as someone who has bought a domain name from GoDaddy, I can attest to the fact I don’t need to like them or trust their aesthetic judgments. I just need my brain to remember the name of a business that will get me a domain name. And GoDaddy’s name is out there. Way, way out there.