Adam Williams

Advice for marketers and small business owners

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American Express Carrie Brownstein commercial mocks its cardholders

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American Express recently released a commercial featuring sketch comedian Carrie Brownstein, star of Portlandia, that is basically mocking cardholders.

The ad goes through a serious of “humorous” situations where Carrie is supposed to be showing the viewer how she gets to be whomever she wants to be. As a viewer, we are supposed to understand that by using American Express, we can be whomever we want to be just like Carrie.

But here’s the problem: each character that Carrie role plays is a mockery of real people.

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JCPenney asks shoppers to come back but what will it really take?

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Tis the season for come backs. Or at least attempts at one. First Kmart released Ship Your Pants and now JCPenney, or just JCP these days, has come out in a new ad titled It’s No Secret saying, “We’ve made some mistakes, but we’ve also listened to you. Please come back. Pretty please.”

But is this commercial going to be enough? Or where does Penney’s need to go from here?

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Kmart wants you to Ship Your Pants [updated]

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So am I supposed to ship or shi* my pants. I’m not completely clear. Either way, this ad is hilarious. And going viral. For example, I’ve had two different people text it to me in the last hour in addition to all of the online shares I’ve seen.

But despite the hype, is Ship Your Pants a one time headline grabber or a game changer like what Old Spice experienced a few years ago?

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Why Mercedes-Benz’ “Soul” was the best ad of Super Bowl XLVII

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There has been a lot of talk over the last two weeks about the Super Bowl ads and which ones were the best. As far as I’m concerned, the best ads are the ones that address a business need and move the sales needle.

The problem with a lot of the popular ads is just that they are funny. At times, it seems as if Super Bowl advertisers are just competing with each other to be the funniest or most talked about. Yes, that can translate into dollars but not always. Although Budweiser’s “Horse and Trainer Reunited” topped USA Today’s Ad Meter, I’m curious if it did much to move the sales needle.

(Caveat: I recognize that the creative brief for the Budweiser ad may have contained other objectives)

Mercedes-Benz’ “Soul” ad featuring Willem Dafoe was the best ad in Super Bowl XLVII because it’s designed to meet both of the criteria mentioned above.

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Apple Genius Ads: It’s not often Apple makes a mistake

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You may recall a few months ago that Apple pulled its new Genius ad campaign. I will briefly use this campaign as an example of a company who momentarily forgot who they are.

One of the core messages that Apple has used in its advertising is just how simple a Mac is to use. The below commercial, titled Choose a Vista, exemplifies the Apple is easy message.

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