2011's Hottest Pitchman? Marshall Mathers aka Slim Shady aka Eminem In 3 New Ads.

above image courtesy of the UK Guardian

Christina Aguilera botched the National Anthem at Super Bowl, the Black Eyed Peas halftime show was a disappointment and the match-up between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay packers proved to be an exciting one.


above: a still from the Superbowl's Chrysler 200 ad featuring Eminem

But two of yesterday's most talked about commercials that aired during the Championship Game both featured someone who'd been laying low in terms of screen time for the past few years, Marshall Bruce Mathers III, aka Slim Shady, aka Eminem. And that's not all. In addition to these commercials featuring the rapper, the 53rd Grammy Awards - in which Eminem has earned 10 nominations - is being promoted with a visual and aural 'life story' of the Midwest celebrity.


above: The 53rd Grammy Awards features the rapper's career in their latest campaign

As a Claymation pitchman in the Lipton Brisk ad, he effectively pokes fun at himself. As a Die-hard Detroiter, he adds an edge to the Chrysler 200 launch ad, which has proven to be a sentimental favorite. In the Grammy promo, his career is chronicled as part of the Recording Academy's 'Music Is Life Is Music' campaign.


above: Eminem is a claymation character in Lipton's latest Brisk ad

In case you missed them, here are the three tv commercials presently on the air, featuring Eminem.

Eminem in the Chrysler 200 ad:


Eminem in the Lipton Brisk ad:


Eminem promotes the 53rd Grammy Awards:


Talk about a comeback.

Go Granny. Cloris Leachman Takes On The Go Daddy Girls For Network Solutions.

This Super Bowl season, Network Solutions has created a purely social media campaign to go up against the big guns [e.g. Go Daddy]. They've just released a new mockumentary internet video campaign starring their very own Go Granny, played by Academy Award winner, Cloris Leachman.



Go Granny looks back on her wild past as the original “Domain Name Girl.” With the message— get serious about your small business, she's joined by the NetSol woman, BlogHer's Lisa Stone, female entrepreneur and internet superstar.



You can also check out @Go_Granny’s wild escapades on Twitter.

To join the Twitter Takeover, follow the hashtag #gogranny on:
Friday, Feb. 4 at 6 pm
Saturday, Feb. 5 at 3 pm
Sunday, Feb.6 at 3 pm

Network Solutions

2011 Super Bowl XLV TV Spots: What To Expect [UPDATED]

As we get closer to the XLV Super Bowl, commercials that will air on the championship game are starting to leak onto the internet. Most of those advertising on the year's most expensive media buy [$3 million for a 30 second spot] are no surprise, given they are the same brands that have been dominating the air time between the game for the past few years. But there are a few companies advertising on the game for the first time ever and some new faces shilling for old brands.

This new ad, airing during the game, for the 2012 Volkswagon Passat features two things that are hard to ignore; children and The Force:


Volkswagon will also attempt to bring back the allure of the beetle by teasing you with this agile CGI generated bug:


Coca Cola introduces an ogre in one of their two spots that will air during the game:


Kia Optima is presently running this teaser to get you to tune in to their spot:

The still below gives you an idea of what's to come from Kia:


As always, there will be lots of automobile ads and the expected beverage ads; Coke, Pepsi, Pepsi Max and Budwiser to name a few. Doritos will continue with their user-generated spots [you can vote for your favorite at www.crashthesuperbowl.com].

This Chevy ad that will air starts as a simulation of a cheesy dealership spot and segues into a promo for the next in the Tranformer's movie franchise:


Audi uses the children's book Goodnight Moon as inspiration for this spot which spends almost 60 seconds telling you they are not Mercedes:

Audi will be featuring other spots on the game that take a swipe at "old school luxury." The still below is from their :60 second spot "Release The Hounds" in which 2 stuffy wealthy fogies attempt to break out of a luxury prison:


This Honda CR-V ad, "Forecast" will break on the Superbowl as well:


If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix it

The talking babies for ETrade are back for the fourth year in a row with 2 new spots:


Careerbuilder brings back the chimps:


Danica Patrick appears again [this time with Biggest Loser's Jillian Michaels] for Go Daddy and once again attempts to drive you to their site with a promise of a titillating 'web only' ad:


And Budwiser's classic Clydesdales are back as one of Bud's five spots to air, this time in a Western Themed spot:


The New
Some of the newer companies [ and concepts] that will air include the following.

Mercedes Benz USA is advertising in the Super Bowl for the first time this year, to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Karl Benz's patent. Two of their five new models will be revealed in the :60 second spot:


Another car company to advertise in the big game for the first time is Suzuki. They will be taking on snowmen, in a spot called "Wicked Weather.":


Kim Kardashian will be shilling for Sketcher's Shape-Ups:


The new edition of the highly addictive game Angry Birds, Rio, will reveal a level code in their spot:


Stella Artois will feature a serenading Adrien Brody:


And Justin Beiber teams up with Ozzy Osbourne for Best Buy:


Bridgestone tires will appeal to your love of woodland creatures with their beaver spot:


And Faith Hill will appear in a spot for Teleflora:

images and info courtesy of CNN and individual brands

No need to DVR or Tivo the game for the commercials anymore since so many sites dedicate themselves to posting and sharing the commercials.

The Superbowl's Best Spot. No Actors, No Locations, Only Brilliance.

Yesterday's Superbowl was disappointing when it came to memorable commercials. There were certainly not many worth noting, with this one exception.

Google's Parisian Love 60 second spot was not only unique, breakthrough, but... bonus! ..inexpensive to produce. No sets, no casting and yet the spot was incredibly memorable.

It tells the story of a couple meeting, falling in love, getting married and eventually having a child.... all through using Google.



It wasn't reaching for the stars. No celebs, no expensive hit songs, just an actual product demonstration. But what a product demonstration. By structuring the demo to tell a linear narrative in shorthand, with the help of a few sound effects, they captured the brand as well as the hearts of most viewers.

Ask yourself this, when was the last time watching sixty seconds of someone surf the net gave you chills?



Google, based in Mountain View, California, rarely uses television to advertise. As the most-watched U.S. TV event, the Super Bowl is a magnet for both traditional sports advertisers such as Anheuser-Busch InBev NV, the biggest marketer, and lesser-known companies looking to increase awareness.

Also worth noting, the best use of a power slide (you gear heads know what I mean): The Bridgestone Killer Whale spot. See it here.