Which Super Bowl ad was your favorite?

Lauren Hannaford

Whether you paid attention to the Super Bowl game or not, you’ve probably seen this year’s ads a time or two by now. Despite the outcome of Super Bowl XLVIII, this year’s ads made us laugh, tugged on our emotions, left us thinking “what did that even mean?” and prompted millions to jump on Twitter and swiftly tweet #EsuranceSave30. What was your favorite ad? Here’s a recap of the Obsidian crew’s favorite spots. 

Loren Dean: My favorite was Budweiser’s “A Hero’s Welcome”

Kim- The Audi Doberhuahua commercial!

Ephiphany- I’m going with U2 and Bank of America’s ad “Invisible.” It promoted three types of organizations at the same time!

Lauren: I “awwwwed” 100 times during Budweiser’s Puppy Love and A Hero’s Welcome ads. I thought Esurance’s ad after the game was the most clever and creative, and incorporated the best social media element. I also really liked Coca-Cola’s America is Beautiful. I think people deeply misunderstood it. 

Bianca- The Doritos cowboy kid was definitely my favorite!

Kerri- My favorite was definitely Bud Light’s “Ian’s Up for Anything” ad

Ali- I thought the Heinz Ketchup one was cute since they celebrated what everyone knows about their ketchup: it's hard to get out of the glass bottles and makes funny noises in the plastic squeeze ones. 

Tiffany- Doritos cowboy kid!

Thomas: I thought radioshack had the best commercial during the Super Bowl from a branding perspective. It quickly got my attention, along with anyone else who grew up in the ‘80s, with tons of pop culture references. But, once the montage featuring Alf, Hulk Hogan and the California Raisins ended, they were able to speak to the new direction the company is going for in its stores. Just as significant, they unveiled a branding change going from RadioShack to radioshack along with a new cleaner font.

Sarah: Puppy Love by Budweiser! 

Katie: My favorite had to be Love Hurts by Turbo Tax.

Kelli: Budweiser, as usual, had some of the best, most well-rounded ads. They never disappoint. I actually really liked T-Mobile's #nocontract campaign. I thought it was funny how they played off Tim Tebow's lack of a contract. And I was legitimately talking about it with a friend today who was fed up with her carrier! 

Crissy: I was on the road during the Super Bowl this year, but I got a good laugh from USA Today’s Joe Namath-inspired logo. 

A New Face for RadioShack

Joan Allen

By now, I’m sure many of you have forgotten about the Fort Worth-based store, RadioShack. I know I had (and I was born and raised in Fort Worth!). They’ve gotten lost among companies like Best Buy, Apple, Google and even Amazon – companies that are more “hip,” if you will, on the latest technology.

I read a Dallas Business Journal article recently and surprisingly, the company has made a comeback and is revamping their brand in all the right areas.

My first thought was, “It’s too late for RadioShack; they can never be as successful as they were.” That might be the case, but they seem like they are headed in the right direction. The first step that they needed to take toward a more successful company was changing management. In my opinion, if it doesn’t work, fix it! I’m always looking for ways to improve myself whether it’s professionally or personally, and that’s exactly what RadioShack did. They hired a new CEO who hopefully will bring great ideas to implement in the rebranding process.

The previous logo was used from 1995 to 2013.

RadioShack desperately needs to modernize its stores, concept and overall brand. They need a new face and fresh ideas to have a chance at being successful again. The company has definitely shown progress in this area, but it still has a long way to go. Yes, a new logo and tagline, “Let’s Play,” is a good start. But, RadioShack needs more than that. A change in slogans alone will not gain more customers.

To compete with the Best Buys and Amazons of the world, RadioShack needs to offer something completely different than that of its competitors. I think for a company that is in the position of RadioShack, it’s important to cover all the bases and don’t leave anything to chance. The company needs to bring something new to the table that no one has seen before to change its previous image, whether that’s with regard to a change in corporate culture, customer service or educational opportunities for customers related to its products.

Overall, I think RadioShack is headed in the right direction, but still has a lot of work to do. As a fellow Texan, I hope they can pull it off!

What do you think about RadioShack’s new marketing strategies?