BY: Brian Sullivan
At some point, commercials during the Super Bowl became an attraction unto themselves. I’m not sure if this was born strictly from the increased media value of the game associated with the popularity of the NFL or from carefully orchestrated hype by advertisers. Either way, the commercials are as much a part of the viewing experience as the game (in some years, they are the only entertainment value).
On the surface, paying $2.8 million for a spot and about that much for the production seems crazy. However, when you consider that 111 million people saw your spot during the game and the amount of PR coverage and water-cooler talk your spot will get, the numbers can actually work.
The game you are playing with these spots is trying to create something memorable. Whether it is funny or moving or just plain outrageous, your spot has to stand out and give people something to talk about. Many of these spots have had a lasting impact on popular culture – wasssuuup springs to mind. I just hope people don’t start licking other people’s fingers after this year’s Doritos ad.
Anyway, here is a link to all the spots for your review. I’m pretty partial to the Volkswagen one myself (or whichever one you liked, unless it was the lame GoDaddy one because then we can’t be friends anymore). Which is your favorite?
Superbowl Ads
BY: Amy Sharp
After a month of holiday insanity at the office, we were all ready to let off a little steam at our agency Christmas lunch. I knew our ‘fuel’ committee (dedicated to enhancing our time at cs2) had planned a surprise field trip afterward, but with the smell of Gus’s Fried Chicken wafting through the halls I was thinking more about settling into some kind of food coma than going anywhere. Our surprise turned out to be a musical tour of Memphis with a group called Backbeat Tours. I had seen the vintage buses rolling around town in past years but who needs to take a tour of a city you’ve spent your life in? Apparently – I did.
We lumbered onto the bus and were introduced to our tour guide – Daniel ‘Memphis’ Jones, who spent the next music–filled 90 minutes cracking jokes, singing and slipping in some education on both well-known and off-the-beaten-path landmarks. What’s so great is that founders Bill and Deborah Patton have done a phenomenal job of finding a niche in their industry (ho-hum bus tours) and packaged it delightfully at every touchpoint. They start with tour buses that visually stand apart from all others. They offer an alternative experience to sitting quietly and staring out the window as you are lectured to about city attractions. They brand the whole experience in a way that again sets them apart and feels uniquely Memphis (down to some musical shakers if you feel the urge to join the musical extravaganza). Take that package; add the unbelievable talent/personality of our host (ours came across more as the cool older brother you want to hang out with than tour guide) and what’s the result? Not only did I have a great time and learn new things about a city I have lived in for over 30 years, I walked away from it proud to be a Memphian. How’s that for a brand experience?
cs2 with our afternoon host
To see a few photos from the party, click here.
BY: Kate Metcalf
Two of our Embassy Suites clients, Jim Holthouser and Charles Gremillion, co-authored a recent article for HotelBusiness.com about Embassy Suites’ unique approach to building and fostering the brand’s service culture. They point out some interesting points about the importance of cultivating employee engagement in the hospitality industry, but the one that resonated most with me was fairly simple. In their words, “A hotel is not a factory; we’re here to open doors, not produce doorknobs.”
If they were producing doorknobs, the process would be relatively streamlined and straightforward (someone more versed in door knobbery might disagree with me on that). Opening doors, however, is an entirely different story. The simple gesture of opening a door exemplifies hospitality.
Being a really good host involves a level of ownership, flexibility and intuitiveness that can’t be found on any assembly line. Good hosts take pride in their homes (or in this case, their hotels). They are adept at reading their guests’ cues, both verbal and non-verbal, to anticipate their needs and act in a way that makes them feel comfortable and secure. Being a good host is much closer to an art than a science, and the brand’s service culture allows team members to be the artists of their own style of hospitality by giving them the support and tools they need to create the ultimate guest experience masterpiece. Embassy Suites has gone to great lengths to ensure each team member understands how to be a great host and to create an environment where they are proud to host guests.
Don’t you want your next hotel stay to be at a place where people truly believe in what they do and are committed to hospitality in its most basic form?
When a brand shows that it understands their customers (or guests) and sincerely delivers what they are looking for, it creates the kind of relationships that will open doors to loyalty and growth.
