Tonight wasn’t the first Idol Gives Back. We know what we will see. We will be moved by the stories, awed by the performances and cry (unless you are heartless)

Tonight wasn’t the first episode, or even season, of American Idol. Most advertisers have been there from the beginning.

Tonight we aren’t going to be shocked by high ratings. We know they are going to be high. It’s American Idol. And Idol Gives Back.

Which is why I don’t understand why brands couldn’t plan for the show and understand the mindset of the viewers. You know, that whole content/context/mindset hard time we give google adwords and online advertising all the time.

I am watching a show about Americans (in the land of plenty) going hungry, children in Ethiopia on their own since 5, a 7 year old who weighs what a 1 year old should. It is done in a manner that evokes emotion and action. empathy using celebrities. I didn’t feel guilty, like many late night ‘help the children ads’ focus on, I felt like I could help, that I should help. That was until the ads.

I missed the first 30 minutes, and will go back later to confirm, but throughout the show I only saw 2 brands serve an ad that made any mention of giving back, helping, or charity. Fox, the network that aired the show, ran many interstitials–their own version of ‘the more you know’ about giving back to people and the earth and Apple. An iPhone ad showcased using the iPhone to adopt a dog in need and all the fancy apps that can help to ‘complete your family.’

The iPhone ad was smart, still showing the product benefits, incorporating pets and how to simplify adoption. I was in the right mindset to remember that commercial. What I will remember about the rest of ’em– we are greedy, frivolous SOBs.

I embrace those ads 358-ish days out of the year. I buy things I want, I throw away food, and i don’t recycle everything I should. I’m usually in the right mindset to watch the ads I saw. When I am watching NCIS, the Bachelor, Kendra and South Park.

Immediately after seeing Annie Lennox sing about saving children born with AIDS, I am served a Lean Cuisine ad, followed by the ‘make my ass look smaller’ Reeboks, that damn Fonduta Olive Garden commercial, buy more things you don’t need at Marshall Fields, and a trailer for a P Diddy movie in which he appears to be playing himself.

Every one of those brands (and even P Diddy) give back throughout the year – partnering with the RED campaign, Susan G. Komen or the 100’s of other local, national and global charities that benefit from their foundations. Why not encourage more donations? Why not share stories that connect brands with real people? In a day that  many brands donate money for becoming a fan liking them on facebook or following them on Twitter brands should be more responsible with the placement of ads that cost a lot of money.

While I am in the giving mood, I will give brands and agencies alike this advice: the messaging is as important as the placement– especially when there is a heavy tip in the emotional scale. Get it together and create relevant messages for the mindset of your viewer and it doesn’t have to deviate from your beloved campaign (see iPhone).

Time to get off my soapbox. Tomorrow I will recycle a few more things. Friday I will be back to being that selfish, frivolous SOB.

Disclaimer:

1. I have no idea why i am watching tv ads.

2. I have no idea why i am watching shows that huggies ads run enough times for me to notice a difference.

3. I have no idea why i rent enough space in my brain to remember things like copy in a diaper ad.

I guess i’m the mayor of wasting time noticing copy changes in tv ads. first kia, now huggies.

Now, the point of this post. Huggies is running new ads in which the baby can talk once a sock puppet is put on his hand.

First ad:

Baby to dad: stop blaming me for the gas, not cool

Baby to mom: and mom, whats with these saggy diapers, i feel like i am wearing a deflated airbag.

Second version:

Baby to dad: same fart joke

Baby to mom: mom, i know for a fact that they make thermometers that go in your mouth.

Baby to both parents: and most importantly, look at this saggy diaper… [enter old person joke]

Notice the not-so-subtle difference?  Honestly, it surprises me that the first spot made it past focus groups. Or even to focus groups. No one at Huggies questioned the copy? I am surprised moms enjoyed a spot in which blatantly says only moms change diapers. True or not, that is not very 2010 family. Maybe it’s true, moms love a talking baby.

So, if there is A/B testing going on. Consider the first one a fail. I wonder where all the overly sensitive, pissed-off-at-motrin moms are on this one.

But, what do I know? I have no kids and avoid changing diapers.

There is no arguing that today consumers have a lot of choices, that consumers want products that are relevant and make their life easier/better/faster, and that we are on a boring and lazy trend of having to overtly tell consumers our products are for them–by over-using ‘U’

Last October I wrote a post comparing two uses of the implying ‘You’ – one overtly wrong, one right. Yahoo vs. Bissel   [SPOILER: Bissel wins]

Based on this article, I assume no one at Yahoo read my post. Yahoo Wants “It’s You” To Be Theirs.

If they did, they would have moved on from this campaign long ago. So why are brands latching onto the letter ‘U’ at an unfortunate speed? Yes, it is better than ‘i’ but not that much better. Below are a few examples of brands using ‘You’ or ‘U’ and my thoughts on how bad it really is. My scale ranges from: ‘Lazy, with potential’ to ‘Out of touch’

1. Yahoo! = Bad and Out of Touch. Here is the video again and read my previous blog for the full run down

2. Bali Comfort-U = Not terrible, not as Lazy. At least the U is referenced as the actual shape of the product.  But the double entendre and copy in the ads places a lot of emphasis on the ‘you’ of ‘U’. Not to mention they used ‘U’ in the product name. However, I don’t hate it. They get one point back for realizing U-comfort sounded terrible, but Comfort-U is only marginally better. [side note: update the video on your site. your facebook video is a final cut, your site video should not be the agency rough cut]

3. Hasbro U-Build Games = Lazy and insulting to moms. While not out with a full campaign yet, Hasbro felt the need to call their new games that players can construct ‘u-build’ versions. I may have hated this less if they went with ‘You Build’. However, from the looks of it, you aren’t ‘building’- you don’t build a puzzle, you put it together.

4. TMobile HTC = fine, but could be better. Reasons they fail. #1 using aspirational, rich ‘celebrities’ paired with ‘YOU’. We get it with the use of a range of ‘celebrities’ that we can customize our HTC phone. And I do not believe for one second that phil jackson or whoopi own or know how to use a smart phone. #2 using ‘You’ to sell MyTouch. too many pronouns. 101 campaign stuff, if you must go down this path- use ‘real’ people if you are trying to convey ‘you’ or have celebrities point out and talk to the you’s.

The second one is much better than the first. Using ‘you’ in a more relatable (and much cheaper) way.

I wonder if Jesse James will make the next ad.

5. U tampons by Kotex= Awesome ads, lazy product name. I give the ads 1000000000 thumbs up. they are funny and relevant. They make me believe, as a consumer, that it is a brand that understands I don’t wear white suits, i don’t dance on day three and i don’t need to see the blue liquid. And then, it happened. The name of the product is U. That is lazy to me. If the brief talks about humanizing things and the insight is tampon commercials are out of touch, it is lazy to name a product U and worse to use neon colors in a splatter formation. But, you win this game because the ads are great.

Any I missed?

Remember, it’s true: every time a brand relies on ‘U’ an angel loses its wings.

good luck ‘staches < a national stage for your 15 minutes of fame – didn’t spiedi’s flesh colored ‘stache teach everyone that this is not ok?

with 3 minutes left, i hope it works out for butler…

i hope matt howard goes on ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ [before it gets canceled for being a horrible show] and they prove he is related to larry bird.

i try not be a chronic mashable reposter, and i am torn because it’s a red sox thing [at least it is anti-yankees] but man… this kid is cute.

this is just one of many scenarios that brands, events, people, etc. are capitalizing on the 15 minutes of someone else. I am not sure if this is a good practice or a desperate one.  in this case, i think it is both- and i like it.

//

i’ve put companies in timeout before-one’s that don’t deserved to be banned, they just lost their way. and really, i don’t have a long enough attention span to have anything be ‘forever’- it’s usually because they do something that annoys me right now. and if it annoys me to the point of a timeout, it probably annoys a lot of people.

usually the timeout is reserved for brands that use car horns, sirens and hacking coughs in radio ads, are insanely hypocritical or think way too highly of themselves [or way too low of their customers] – wendy’s redeemed herself

today, a new brand is in a timeout. i’m talking to you, Staples. you’re on notice.

and after watching this, i reckon i won’t be alone in this punishment.

game on brands.

first up. Starbucks via facebook.

Starbucks Listens to Customer Request for More Sizes

the pictures make it funny. using mystarbucksideas.com is a nice touch. well done. who’s next.

today… two ads confused and irked me today for different reasons. we will start with the most confusing and move to the irked.

1. i clicked on banner today [i do that from time to time] thinking it may be a joke [i like jokes]. it was for a book written by jennifer love hewitt. you can see why i thought it was an early april fool’s day joke. it wasn’t.

Day I Shot Cupid: Hello, My Name is Jennifer Love Hewitt and I’m a Love-Aholic.

i hope she ends up in rehab with tiger and jesse soon. to end this.

2. Staying so true to your campaign that you do unpleasing things to the eyes is wrong. Geico, you are wrong.

I get it, we all get. cavemen. funny. what is not funny- ape hairy arms and dirty finger nails that take up 40% of the screen. No one is focusing on your glove box app… they are focusing on gross, gross hands. hand models exist for a reason.