Stuart Elliott: Oscar Ads Overshadowed by Smart Cookies

It39s appropriate in such a topsyturvy year for the Oscars that the outstanding pitch during the ceremony far too long again came from folks who didn39t actually buy commercial time from ABC during the broadcast When host Chris Rock urged audience members to pony up for cookies being peddled by young women from the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles he outdid the justfolks promotional moment during the Oscars two years ago when host Ellen DeGeneres ordered in from Big Mama39s ampamp Papa39s PizzeriaThe 2014 ceremony of course also is recalled for the selfie that shook the marketing world which DeGeneres took with a sponsor39s smartphone the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Samsung was back Sunday night with multiple commercials for a new product the Galaxy S7 Edge the best of those spots featured cameos from stars such as William H Macy Wesley Snipes Lil Wayne and James HardenBut bad luck befell Samsung later in the broadcast when Rock made a lame joke introducing three AsianAmerican children as the Academy39s accountants from PricewaterhouseCoopers As audience members groaned Rock suggested those who were upset could quottweet about it on your phone that was also made by these kidsquot Cut to a commercial for yes unfortunately SamsungThe best thing that can be said about the Oscars commercials is that they weren39t like the commercials that ran during Super Bowl 50 Those spots were widely deemed forgettable falling far short of the high expectations viewers had for ads appearing in the 50th Big GameOf course the public doesn39t have anywhere near the anticipation for Oscars commercials as it does for Super Bowl commercials But because the Academy Awards are the year39s mostwatched honors ceremony even if like this year the ratings fell to disappointing levels advertisers try to craft Oscars messages that go above and beyond everyday adsMany of Sunday39s better spots borrowed a page from the diversity debate that has been roiling Hollywood Take for instance a commercial for Bud Light part of the quotBud Light Partyquot campaign introduced during Super Bowl 50 The new Bud Light spot presents Michael Peamp241a Seth Rogen and Amy Schumer likening America39s status as quota nation of immigrantsquot to a wideranging menu of ethnic edibles quota Korean taco of togethernessquot quotan everything bagel of unityquot quota gumbo of coexistencequotamp160Perhaps the most charming commercial of the night was from Android part of an ongoing campaign that carries a nowtimely theme quotBe together Not the samequot The spot offers a new look at the old children39s game of rock paper scissors set to the uplifting tune from the movie quotSt Elmo39s FirequotAlso making an impact was a series of spots from Cadillac the next chapter in the quotDare greatlyquot campaign that made its debut during the 2015 Oscars This batch of commercials uses a gorgeous mosaic of youthful achievers to illustrate the theme quotOnly those who dare drive the world forwardquot for example a teenage chef Flynn McGarry declares quotDon39t you dare play with your foodquotThere was a more predictable paean to diversity in a commercial for Neutrogena in which the actress Kerry Washington asks quotWhat makes a woman beautifulquot The answer quotBeauty is the ability to look in the mirrorquot and quotsee what39s possiblequot And if you look on Twitter you39d see the inevitable hashtag extension of the spot SeeWhatsPossibleOne aspect of the Oscars commercials that mirrored the Super Bowl commercials was borrowing interest from famous faces and voices Given that movies are often put over by such stellar talent in their casts it makes sense that ads during the Academy Awards take the same tack There is though a risk in that approach viewers may not recall which stars they see in the spots and which stars they see in the audienceIn addition to Samsung Bud Light and Neutrogena other advertisers sprinkling stardust as they sold included American Express with Tina Fey IBM with Carrie Fisher and Ridley Scott and Kohl39s with the celebrity voices of Jeff Bridges Penelope Cruz Whoopi Goldberg and Cuba Gooding JrThe intent of the Kohl39s commercials seemed to be brandbuilding and imagebuffing rather than moving merchandise They might have been even better if they39d more directly called out products that shoppers can buy at Kohl39s storesAs the Best Picture winner proves there39s nothing wrong with a wellshone spotlightThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecom MyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggersamp160amp160amp160amp160

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Stuart Elliott: Oscar Ads Overshadowed by Smart Cookies

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