Google
Parisian Love
Agency: In-House
Cool, swift spot that allows us to follow a man as he searches via Google from studying abroad, finding cafes near the Louvre, finding out how to impress a French woman, finding a church in Paris and then how to assemble a crib. Also serves as a counter-attack to rival search engine Bing.com spots implying people get overwhelmed, but get no information, using Google.

NFL
Best Fans
Grey, New York
Uber slow-motion played scenes of players and fans played out to rousing, triumphant music gets the core of the NFL out in the open.

Kia
Joyride
David & Goliath, Los Angeles
WIth a nod to Toy Story, such toys as Sock Monkey and Muno from Yo Gabba Gabba, come to life and enjoy life as they tool around in their Kia Sorento, played out to a funky "How You Like Me Now" by Heavy.

Mars' Snickers
Betty White
BBDO, New York
Golden Girls actress Betty White (pictured) is tackled while playing a game of pick-up football. Back in the huddle, one guys berates, "Mike, what's your deal? You're playing like Betty White out there!" "That's not what your girlfriend says!" she replies. A bite of Snickers reforms "Betty" into Mike. On the next play, Barney Miller senior citizen actor Abe Vigoda gets tackled. Text awkwardly explains, "You're not you when you're hungry."

Coca-Cola
Hard Times
Wieden & Kennedy, Portland, Ore.
Gets points for featuring Montgomery Burns, a supporting character from The Simpsons rather than Bart or Homer, who make only a brief appearance at the end with the rest of the cast. Lot's of insider sight gags, as well. But if Burns is like Madoff, even a Coke should not make people like him.

Bud Light
Book Club
Cannonball, St. Louis
A guy is heading out of the house for a softball game and also to avoid his wife's book club. But he stays when he sees Bud Light refreshments, and is soon joined by his friends. "Do you like Little Women?" one of the women asks one of the guys. "I'm not too picky," he replies.

DIDN'T SUCK SO MUCH
McDonald's
LeBron James and Dwight Howard reprise the Michael Jordan-Larry Bird spot from 1993 playing for a Mac and fries. Unfortunately and sadly, in the script, neither player knows Larry Bird.

Focus on the Family
Focus got its money's worth from pre-game publicity regarding how the Tim Tebow ad would reflect the group's Pro Life stance. Without that, the spot might have gone totally unnoticed. It came off as a cute rather than controversial.

E*Trade
Sitting in first class on a jet, the toddler explains how E*Trade handled his portfolio while he was out of town with his buddy Mike at a bachelor party. Mike then confuses the pilot making an overhead announcement for his dad.

Chrysler
Several ads during the game pictured guys who had either lost all respect for themselves or where having the pieces that made up their manhood puzzle taken away. Here, the guy at least gets to drive a Dodge Charger. "I will carry your lip balm, I will watch your vampire TV shows . . . And because of this I will drive a car I want to drive." James Bond music plays in the background for exta emphasis.

Qualcomm's FloTV
A guy stuck shopping with his wife gets to "escape" by watching sports on his FloTV hand-held. Another spot fast-cuts 100 years of history into 30 seconds.

Denny's
The only thing people heard was, "Free Grand Slam," a reprise of the offer from 2009, except here a guy warns the chickens to get out of town. That drew millions to Denny's, so for effectiveness, this works. Denny's also ran "Chicken Birthday," which offers a free Grand Slam on your birthday, but comes with more rules and regulations than the one-day free offer.

Honda
The new Honda Crosstour crossover has a lot of trunk space, so we get to see a squirrel stuffing stuff into a tree trunk.

Vizio
Twitter, Flickr and other Internet destinations on your HDTV.

Volkswagen
Updating the ancient tradition of hitting the person next to you when you see a Volkswagen.

KGB
Two skinny guys dressed as Sumo wrestlers have to figure out how to say "I surrender" in Japanese before a real Sumo takes them down.

Intel
An Intel employee talks about "the greatest thing we have ever made," much to the chagrin of a nearby robot.

Bridgestone
"Whale of a Tale"  shows three guys who attended a bachelor party returning a killer whale to the ocean (pictured). It could be more for the SUV than the tires.

Boost Mobile
"Boost Mobile Shuffle" revisits the "Super Bowl Shuffle" featuring original members of the Chicago Bears, who won Super Bowl XX in 1985. Not the stuff of which memories are made.

Doritos
Consumer-generated ads show a guy who faked his death to be in a coffin filled with Doritos, a guy at a gym who is obsessive about his Doritos, a dog who puts a collar on his owner and, the best of the bunch, a kid who warns his single Mom's new boyfriend to keep his hands off "my Momma and my Doritos."

Go Daddy
"News" and  "Spa" are mirror images of each other and several Go Daddy ads from previous years, both with Danica Patrick and women who rip open their shirts to reveal Go Daddy T's. "Movies," which was pulled due to licensing problems, and "Lola," rejected by CBS, likely would have left better impressions. However, according to Go Daddy CEO and founder Bob Parsons. "We had a tremendous surge in Web traffic, sustained the spike, converted new customers and shot overall sales off the chart. This is a textbook Super Bowl campaign for Go Daddy!"

TruTV
Punxsutawney Troy Polamalu sees his shadow, meaning six more weeks of football via TruTv's behind-the-scenes series, NFL Full Contact.

Several ads for Budweiser, Budweiser Select 55 and Bud Light that were memorable for being unmemorable, including "Ice Bottle," "Asteroid," "Lighthouse" and "T-Pain."

CarMax
Spots for the used car company aired in 48 markets, so they were not "official" Super Bowl spots. Not bad impact for the territories that saw them, with animals watching CarMax spots on TV.

Various movie trailers had visuals galore, led by Johnny Depp in Alice In Wonderland, but viewers would be hard-pressed today to remember one from the other.

REALLY SUCKED
Dove For Men
Shows how hard it is to be a MAN while still adhering to the needs of your wife and/or girlfriend. But "now that you've comfortable with who you are isn't it time for comfortable skin?" With luck, the new skin care line with defoliate.

Cars.com
Timothy Richman grows up knowing everything except how to buy a used car. Cars.com ripped off its own story line from last year.

Audi
The Green Police, sort of a new age version of a group from World War II in Germany that could go anywhere and do anything to people who didn't agree with their way of thinking.

Careerbuilder.com
People in their undies during casual Friday, with a guy who is dressed thinking about looking for a new job.

Monster.com
A beaver fiddles his way from street musician to Carnegie Hall..

Teleflora
A woman who comes off as the office hottie gets wilted flowers while her co-worker shines when she gets fresh flowers.

Taco Bell
Charles Barkley and a guest appearance by Lamar Odom for a $5 meal in a box meal.

Michelob Ultra
Lance Armstrong has a healthy lifestyle, which includes the product.

Dr Pepper
Members of Kiss rock out with their little Kiss versions.

Bridgestone
In the apocalyptic world of Mad Max, people hunt and kill for gasoline. In "Your Tires or Your Life," they need tires. But a guy mishears "wife" for "life" and drops off his wife with a group of misfits.

Dockers
A wandering minstrel of men sing about not wearing pants. Even if it didn't directly follow the CareerBuilder "Casual Fridays" spot showing people in their underwear, the message here - "Calling all men. It's time to wear the pants" with an offer for free Dockers Khakis - would have been lost.

Emerald Nuts/Pop Secret
The tag is "Awesome Plus Awesome = Awesomer," but the spot is not.

U.S. Census Bureau
Let's gather up everyone in the U.S. to pose for a group picture. Oh, wait, the Census Bureau is already doing that.

Coca-Cola
"Sleepwalker" shows a guy wandering the countryside in Africa for an icy Coke. Thinking about how this got from creative to TV would put you to sleep.

Budweiser
"Fences," "Bridge" and "Stranded" (for Bud Light).

Sketchers
Joe Montana explains that he played 16 years of pro football and he now needs Shape-Ups to improve his strength and posture.

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February 6, 2010:

Concurrently, Gatorade has had a significant shake up in marketing, naming Jennifer Storms as svp-sports marketing last June to replace Jeff Urban, who resigned that month after 10 years with the company; and hiring Andrea Fairchild as vp-marketing last month, filling a position vacated by John Galloway in November.

For the second time in as many years, Gatorade is undergoing a complete transformation. The brand is now unveiling G Series in an attempt to "stake out new ground by delivering a broader product line to help address the sports performance needs of more athletes," according to PepsiCo. G Series is described as "a new line of sports performance products that provide the fluid, fuel, and nutrients athletes need before, during, and after a workout, practice or competition."

The official launch has come during Super Bowl XLIV week, where the brand set up a Gatorade Performance Lab and had visits from NFL players including Eli Manning, Matthew Stafford, Tony Gonzalez, D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Vincent Jackson, as well as upcoming draft selections Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow. During the game itself, consumers will see a Web spot and prime product placement, with a new logo, in territory that Gatorade continues to own — along the sidelines. Either Sean Payton, head coach of the New Orleans Saints, or Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell will get doused with a G Series product on national TV.

Discontinued by Gatorade.Afterward, marketing will continue to utilize Gatorade's extensive roster, including Usain Bolt, Serena Williams, Peyton Manning, Misty May-Treanor, Dwyane Wade, Derek Jeter, Ellery Hollingsworth and Landon Donovan. Support will include print, online and experiential activation. Lead agency is TBWA\Chiat\Day, Los Angeles.

"Our goal is to leverage our scientific resources and knowledge of athletes to redefine the sports performance nutrition landscape," Sarah Robb O'Hagan, CMO for Gatorade, said in a statement. "As a first step, we are innovating our product lineup to meet a greater range of needs for more athletes."

Each product of the G Series is designed to meet the distinct performance needs around workout or competition usage: Gatorade Prime 01 for use within 15 minutes of a workout or competition; Gatorade Perform 02/Thirst Quencher for use during physical activity; Gatorade Perform 02/G2, a low-calorie drink during exercise; and Gatorade Recover 03 to provide hydration and muscle recovery benefits after exercise.

"Every successful brand evolution delivers a one-two punch of image and innovation, and the G Series is a major step on our journey from a sports drink to a sports performance innovation company," said O'Hagan. "For too long, this category has relied on flavor extensions and it's time to reset the clock in terms of functionality, and that's what we're doing in 2010."

Scene from 'The Journey.'The TV spot, "The Journey," is played out to 2010 NFL playoff scenes of players in action, on the sidelines and in the locker room, interspersed with shots of Gatorade products being used. In voiceover, rap musician/actor Common explains, "Twelve begin the second season. Twelve tribes converge . . . But 12 become eight  . . . eight become four . . .  four become two." The spot concludes with shots of both the Colts and Saints before text reads, "Only one will be remembered." The full spot runs a minute and a half but Gatorade will also break it into 15- and 30-second slots.

The G Series products are scheduled to hit retail in stages, with G2 now on shelf in its reframed Perform 02 label, Gatorade Thirst Quencher with its G Series label Gatorade Perform 02 in March and Gatorade Prime 01 and Gatorade Recover 03 in April, all at grocery, drug, convenience, mass and club stores. 

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Danica adds Hot Wheels to her list of partners.February 6, 2010:

“Racing in the Nationwide Series race was my goal during this entire two-month preparation process, but we wanted to make sure it was the right thing to do,” Patrick said in a statement. “The ARCA race was a blast . . . I want more racing.”

Mattel also unveiled graphic renderings of a custom die-cast vehicle Patrick co-designed with the Hot Wheels team at the Mattel Design Center in El Segundo, Calif. Mattel said that Patrick’s “Danicar” is the first celebrity-designed Hot Wheels vehicle and will be made in the traditional 1:64 scale. The item will be available at retail in October.

“My life is all about high velocity cars, and the only car company I could imagine being able to create my vision of the ultimate fantasy car is Hot Wheels,” Patrick said in a statement “On the track, I am looking forward to speeding towards the finish line in true Hot Wheels style.”

Patrick's other marketing partners include Go Daddy and Tissot. Analysts put her annual endorsement earnings at about $8-$10 million, putting her at the higher end among women athletes along with Maria Sharapova and Venus and Serena Williams.

Danica's Nascar Move Whets Marketing Appetites

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Race car driver and Go Daddy girl Danica Patrick,When many people think of Go Daddy, the first images often are Super Bowl ads with Danica Patrick, banned Super Bowl ads with Danica Patrick and a business blueprint that loves to push the buttons of network censors. But when it comes to ROI and improving brand awareness, Go Daddy has a track record that would hold up in most boardrooms across the nation.

The company was founded by businessman Bob Parsons in 1997 as Jomax Technologies using funds from the sale of his first business, Parsons Technology, to Intuit in 1996. Jomax was renamed Go Daddy in 1999 and became an accredited ICANN domain name registrar in 2000. At the time, the dot.com landscape was akin to the wild, wild West, with lots of land-grabbing and relatively few rules by which to abide. Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000 has infamously become known as the Dot.com Bowl because of the feeding frenzy of 17 Internet-based companies that bought air time on ABC (which was asking $2.1 million for a 30-second spot ), including Epidemic.com, OurBeginning.com, LifeMinders.com and LastMinuteTravel.com. Only a few lived to tell the tale and are still advertising in the Super Bowl, including Monster.com and E*Trade.

Go Daddy didn't enter the Super Bowl picture until 2005, a year after Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" episode during Super Bowl XXXVIII. The company immediately established its irreverent attitude by airing a spot on Fox during Super Bowl XXXIX that evoked the wardrobe malfunction situation. In the ad, a well-endowed "Ms. Nikki Cappelli" is seen testifying at the "Broadcast Censorship Hearings." During her "testimony"  a strap on her shirt  breaks, followed by text directing people to an uncensored version at GoDaddy.com. A later ad spoofed the MLB congressional hearings regarding steroids by showing women who "enhanced," including Patrick, who used Go Daddy to enhance her Web site.

Go Daddy has been a steady, and irreverent, Super Bowl customer ever since. In "Shower," which aired during Super Bowl XLIII, race car driver and lead Go Daddy girl Danica Patrick is seen showering and is then joined by another woman. Their two spots in Super Bowl XLIV, "Spa" and "News," both of which star Patrick, also send people to GoDaddy.com for extended versions. There, the company has posted a spot rejected by NBC, "Lola," featuring an effeminate ex-football player who creates a successful online business with the help of Go Daddy selling lingerie. Another spot, "Movies," had been approved by CBS put had to be pulled when, according to Go Daddy, "issues related to licensing arrangements with various studios arose." Go Daddy said it is still working to get approval to show the spot in the future, in which Patrick gets to channel such actresses as Marilyn Monroe (in the classic scene from The Seven Year Itch in which Monroe's skirt flies upward as she stands above a subway grating), Kelly LeBrock in Weird Science and Jennifer Beals from Flashdance.

The company, which boasts 7.5 million customers and more than 50 services and products, has a significant investment in auto racing with Patrick, drivers Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr., and other marketing deals; professional poker player Vanessa Russo; and Anna Rawson from LPGA. Separately, Go Daddy was among the first companies to send aid following the earthquake in Haiti, donating $500,000 to Hope For Haiti.

Barb Rechterman, CMO and Senior EVP for Go Daddy, has been with Bob Parsons since the early days of Parsons Technology. She spoke with NYSportsJournalism.com about Parsons, Danica Patrick and the marketing and business strategies that make Go Daddy go.

NYSportsJournalism.com: How long have you been working with Bob Parsons?
Barb Rechterman: This year marks 24 years with him at Go Daddy and before that at Parsons Technology.

NYSJ: So can I call you the original 'Go Daddy' girl?
BR: (Laughs) Oooh. Yeah. That would be great!

NYSJ: It doesn't sound as if things just got interesting, more like things have been interesting there for a while.
BR: Oh, yeah.

Go Daddy's Bob Parsons gets a bit part in 'Enhanced.'NYSJ: At what point when Go Daddy was building itself as a domain name registrar did the strategy come to do edgy ads that pushed the envelope?
BR: At Go Daddy, we market pretty much differently than any other company. And it's different in a couple of ways. We tend to test a lot. And while that's not unique, what is unique is that when we find something that works we continue to spend on it until it doesn't work. Many companies have an advertising budget. I really don't have an advertising budget. We produce our own ads with Go Daddy Productions and we buy our own media. And we continue to fill our advertising with the spots we produce that work. And when we feel they no longer work, we produce new spots.

NYSJ: This will be Go Daddy's sixth Super Bowl. How did the first Super Bowl media buy happen?
BR: Here's how that came about. In 2004, we surveyed our customers and asked, 'Given our prices, which are the most inexpensive on the Internet for domain names, why doesn't everyone do business with us?' And the answer we got back was, 'Everybody doesn't do business with you because everybody doesn't know about you.' So we said to ourselves, okay, if they don't know about us how can we get our name out there and get everybody to know us?

NYSJ: Was it a difficult decision to spend the money to buy air time during Super Bowl XXXIX, when Fox was asking $24. million for a 30-second spot?
BR: What happened was after we got the results of the survey, Bob came into my office and said, 'I've been thinking. I think we should do the Super Bowl.' Of course, I immediately went into a panic attack. 'Are you kidding me?!' I said. 'Do you know how much it costs to run in the Super Bowl?' It's got to be over $2 million.'  He said, 'Oh, yeah. I've already looked into it. Let's think about it . . . oh, for the afternoon.' And two hours later we were advertising in the Super Bowl.

"We really haven't had anyone say to us, 'Uhh, Go Daddy, oh, no' that I can recall. My guess is that if you're coming in with a checkbook the door will open."

NYSJ: That was Super Bowl XXXIX on Fox, the year after the 'wardrobe malfunction' incident on CBS. Did you have a problem with the network?
BR: I can tell you that in the first year [after the Janet Jackson incident], ads were being scrutinized more extensively [than in previous years]. And we deal directly with the networks, so I can't tell you what the NFL said once they got involved. But the first spot we aired was touch-and-go not because of the network but in what we wanted it to say. At that time we had about 30 products; now we have over 55 products. So in 30 seconds it was going to be a difficult challenge to explain this is what Go Daddy does. So we said, given that we're never going to get it out in 30 seconds, let's run an ad that will make people remember our name and remember us. And at the end send them to our Web site to look at the extended footage and to see everything else that we do. We had the network version and the extended footage version right from the beginning. So from that initial Super Bowl buy until now, that has been our strategy.

Danica Patrick gets a massage and a proposal in 'Spa.'NYSJ: Do you feel the networks scrutinize Go Daddy differently?
BR: Maybe not differently, but since our first ad, they've started to look for us. They're starting to figure it out.

NYSJ: Do you feel that Go Daddy started the tactic where ads are purposely made too edgy or sexy so that they are rejected, allowing companies to get the publicity without having to pay the Super Bowl price?
BR: Our goal is not to get banned. In fact, our goal is quite the opposite. Here's the story. The very first Super Bowl ad for us right out of the gate worked for us, and we knew it worked. It actually played off the wardrobe malfunction And every ad subsequent in that style has worked for us. So we tend to build creative ads that are going to be what we term 'Go Daddy-esque.' They are going to be a little edgy. They are going to be a little inappropriate. But the point is that we know they work. So the problem is finding creative we know works that fits with the [respective] network. This year, CBS approved four of the five spots we submitted. We really didn't submit 'Lola' to be rejected and we were surprised when it was. 'Lola' was actually approved by Spike, FX and Comedy Central, so even though it's not going to run on CBS during the Super Bowl, we are going to use it.

NYSJ: But do you feel that others are submitting ads simply to be rejected after seeking how Go Daddy has been able to work 'rejection' into its marketing strategy?
BR: The thing is, unless you get an ad in the party, maybe you can get some minimal PR out of it. But if you are not in the Super Bowl, consumer retention goes away pretty quickly. Your ad has to run during the game to get the amount of attention that the Super Bowl brings.

NYSJ: Danica Patrick has been a great 'Go Daddy Girl' spokesperson. How has that partnership progressed and where do you see it going?
BR: We started to work with Danica in 2007 as an associate sponsor on her Indy car. Once we did that, we started to look at ways to expand our presence with her. Again, it was a case of something working right out of the gate for us and sticking with it. If you were to look at a picture of Danica this week in The New York Times, for example, she would be wearing her Go Daddy jacket and standing alongside her Go Daddy-sponsored car [as she prepares to make her ARCA stock car and Nascar Nationwide Series debuts this season]. So the beneficial byproduct of having Danica goes well beyond having her as a spokesperson. And that is something we will stay will and expand upon until it doesn't work.

NYSJ: Looking at the commercials she has been in for Go Daddy, it would seem that she enjoys pushing the envelope, such as "Shower" last year, and "Spa" in this year's game, where the woman giving her a massage tries to audition to be a Go Daddy girl, which would fit in with her persona as a race car driver.
BR: Yep. She has the right attitude. And she is involved with the creative. It works well for us. Interestingly, we didn't have any commercials rejected by NBC last year [for Super Bowl XLIII].

NYSJ: Which is Danica's favorite Go Daddy commercial?
BR: She really likes "Movies," which [had been] one of our two Super Bowl XLIV ads [along with "News," which also stars Patrick]. She had fun [becoming] Marilyn Monroe [in The Seven Year Itch], Kelly LeBrock [from Weird Science] and Jennifer Beals [from Flashdance].

NYSJ: How are you activating behind your other Go Daddy spokepersons?
BR: Vanessa Russo is a good example. We sponsored Poker on NBC last year and are anticipating doing so again this year. And [author and Internet celebrity] Marina Orlova, which is a different type of genre for us, but because she is online it enables us to build a unique relationship.

NYSJ: When you talk to networks or events about expanding Go Daddy's marketing, do you get any push-back because of a preconceived notion about the company?
BR: You know, we really haven't had anyone say to us, 'Uhh, Go Daddy, oh, no' that I can recall. My guess is that if you're coming in with a checkbook the door will open.

'Lola' was rejected by CBS but will run on Spike, FX, Comedy Central.NYSJ: Does it seem as if Go Daddy is trying to burn the candle at both ends, positioning itself as edgy and racy but at heart building the company like conventional business people would?
BR: Well, we can do both. If you look at our business, it is booming. We are the largest domain registrar in the world. We register just about half of the domain names being registered in the world every single day of the week. So from that standpoint, business looks pretty good. And that comes from our first Super Bowl ad. Right before that Super Bowl, our share of the domain registration market share was 16% of new domain names. Now, it's about 50%. So the advertising is working for us. But it's not the only thing that's driving that market-share gain. We analyze our Super Bowl spend, as we do all every element of our advertising. We know what is working and what is not working. As far as the Super Bowl, we will continue down that path until we see it is not working. But we are not anywhere near that. Every year, we get a really nice lift off of it. And, most important, at the end of the day, people like the products and services we offer. If they didn't, the advertising wouldn't matter.

NYSJ: Go Daddy has courtside signage during college basketball, and 'Shower' and 'Movies' shows college-age guys using Go Daddy. Does that demographic comprise the nucleus of your consumers?
BR: I can't say it's the nucleus. It is important.  I can tell you that, as an example, we have a large media spend in racing, obviously, for IndyCar and Nascar. So as we're planning for the Super Bowl, which itself is a broad demographic, we want to create a spot that would also appeal to the broad racing demographic. So we are looking at those two areas in particular given our large media spend in those categories.

NYSJ: What is Go Daddy looking at after the Super Bowl?
BR: The Daytona 500 is Feb. 14 and we will have a major presence throughout the Nascar season. We are also sponsoring Danica for her 12 Nationwide Series races as well as her IndyCar series. We also sponsor Mark Martin in the No. 5 GoDaddy.com car in the Nascar Sprint series. We actually are pretty active in all sports. We'll have some signage during baseball season with the Chicago Cubs. We'll have some NCAA stuff happening during March Madness and we have some NBA activation.

NYSJ: I'm sure you are pitched for marketing deals all the time. Is there any time where you turn the tables and reject what someone is offering?
BR: On, yeah! We have lots of people coming at us. And we evaluate all of the offers very seriously. But they have business decisions to make and it depends on what they need from Go Daddy. If our metrics can fit their needs, then great. If, not, we don't do the deal. Then we get to pull out our rejection stamp.

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Danica Patrick gets a shock in GoDaddy's "News" TV commercial, to air during Super Bowl XLIV.February 2, 2010:

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