Superbowl Showdown
By Brian Blake
AMAOKC President
The AMA OKC February meeting will certainly be one for the history books! Scheduled for the Thursday after the Superbowl, it was time for the annual AMA OKC Superbowl Showdown – where a panel of experts discusses the good, the bad and the truly despicable ads that aired during the big game.
Then came Snowpocalypse 2.0. Oklahoma City was expected to receive anywhere from 8-12” of snow, so the meeting was postponed to the following Tuesday.
This did not dampen anyone’s spirits, though. The entire panel of experts was still able to attend, the Will Rogers Theatre was happy to re-schedule our group with no problems and there was a fantastic turn-out.
The attendees were first treated to a spoof fashion show by the creative folks at VI Marketing and Branding who sponsored the meeting. Having just unveiled the true meaning of their highly effective “5320” guerilla marketing campaign for the Oklahoma State Department of Health, they used “left-over signage” to put together very creative ensembles. Talk about “Turning It Up To 11”!
This year’s panel consisted of Don Sherry, Manager of Communications for Oklahoma Natural Gas Company; Tim Berney, President and Brand Strategist for VI Marketing and Branding; Debby Jonson, Executive Vice President and Director of Marketing and Strategic Planning at Ackerman McQueen; and Erica Hollis, Account Director at Saxum Public Relations.
The panel discussed the pros and cons of six of the most popular ads that aired during the Superbowl:
- Volkswagen – Darth Vader
- Doritos – Pug
- Chrysler – Detroit
- Motorolla – Xoom tablet
- Stella Artois – Lounge singer
- GroupOn – Tibet
Each of the panelists brought a unique perspective to the table and had obviously done his/her homework. They did not agree on many of the finer points, but they were professional and courteous, which made it a great meeting of the minds.
And, the audience had the opportunity to weigh in by using the oversized foam “thumbs” provided by ROBYN Promotions. After each spot was shown, the moderator, Dr. Burt Smith, asked the audience, “Thumbs up or thumbs down?” Without a doubt, this meeting was a HUGE Thumbs Up!
There are many exciting things on tap for the AMA OKC this spring, such as:
- March 10th – Mayor Mick Cornett – luncheon
- April 14th – MicroSoft - luncheon
- April 14th – Collegiate Crawl
- April 14th – Evening event (benefit for the family of Whitney Fleming)
- May 12th – Luncheon
- June 9th – Excellence in Marketing Awards
Brian Blake
Owner of B2 Design (The Marketing Department for Small Businesses) and the Director of Marketing for Robyn Promotions, this seasoned professional has over 15 years experience in all aspects of marketing and communications. He has served on the board of the OKC chapter since 2001.
