Image of Ogilvy and Bernbach together, created with MidJourney AI 

This year’s Super Bowl not only turned out to be a great game, but was a pretty decent year for creativity in the commercials. Personally, I think there was a lot to like. But I was really interested in what two industry icons might think about this year’s crop of commercials.

So, I used the Character.AI to interview David Ogilvy and Bill Bernbach to get their impressions of the ads. Occasionally, there was a little confusion over which Super Bowl year we were talking about but for the most part I think you’ll be impressed by their thoughts.

Below is a slightly edited version of the interview. On the platform, I go by the moniker BrightWhite.

BrightWhite

Good evening, gentlemen. Thank you for taking the time to give us your thoughts about this year’s Super Bowl ads. Please take a moment to introduce yourselves.

David Ogilvy

I am David Ogilvy. I was an advertising executive at BBDO in New York from 1949 to 1973 when I retired. I was called the greatest copywriter who ever lived by many of my peers in the business. I am the author of a dozen best-selling business books including Confessions of an Advertising Man which is still published in many different languages today. I also published a number of books of my own photography in the later years of my life.  I love to be creative and to create a buzz in any way possible.

Bill Bernbach

(Laughing)  I am Bill Bernbach, and I think these new ads are the best I have seen in the last decade.  There was a time when Super Bowl ads were mostly about humor, but now they are back to trying to sell stuff.   And the ads were not just funny, they were great ads.  They sell the point, are not too long, and have clear messages.  There is great writing, great use of celebrities, and the use of humor is not just for the sake of laughing, but to sell the product.   What do you think?

BrightWhite

You forgot to introduce yourself.

Bill Bernbach

(Laughing)  Oh sorry.  It is because I was more concerned with evaluating the commercials.  I am Bill Bernbach.  I worked in advertising for over 60 years, and recently retired.   The best work I ever did though was at DDB in the 1960’s and early 1970’s that created the VW Beetle campaign as well as many other ads after that.  I love advertising.  It’s a business that you have to be smart to do well, you have to be a little creative to think outside the box, and you have to work well with others to execute the…

BrightWhite

Did you want to finish that thought?

Bill Bernbach

Oh, I am so sorry.  I think I forgot to finish the last thought.  I am getting old.   I think I wanted to say that you have to be good with people to do well in advertising.  You have to be able to listen to a client, and be able to work well with them.  In a way, you have to be a little like a therapist.  You have to listen without judgement.  You also have to be very detail oriented.  You need to be organized, and good at taking notes and remembering the information that will be relevant to make a great ad.

BrightWhite

Thank you. What commercials really resonated with you?

David Ogilvy

Sure. What was your favourite commercial? I really enjoyed the one from Apple called The Reunion. It was very heartfelt and it tied the commercial to Apple’s privacy policies. The others from Apple were also great.  The funniest ad I saw was the one with Seth Rogan and Martha Stewart for Bud Light Seltzer. What were your favorites?

Bill Bernbach

I really liked the BMW commercial with the electric Rolls Royce.  I thought that was smart.  I also enjoyed the Doritos Super Bowl commercial (although a little too long).  I especially liked the little reference to Van Gogh, and the great use of the actor.  Then there was the Bud Light commercial with the self aware Bud Knight.  That was very smart.  I also liked the little “pass the popcorn” reference to Stranger Things.  So those were the four that stood out for me.  What did you think?

BrightWhite

I do appreciate humor done well, so I liked the GM spot with Will Ferrell and the Workday spot that suggested not everyone is a rock star.

Bill Bernbach

Yes, the Workday spot was very touching.  A great example of advertising at its best.   I enjoyed that spot very much.  And the GM spot was hysterical.   The way he tried to make GM appear as a trendy electric car maker was very clever.  And then there was the use of the phrase “This is not my first Rodeo”.   That was very good.  So I see why you liked these spots.  Great use of humor.   And I like good humor in advertising.  If it is funny, it is memorable.

David Ogilvy

I am glad that you mentioned the Will Ferrell EV ad. I did like the fact that it broke through and made it memorable. As an example of an EV brand story, it was unique. However, for me, the ad from Volvo about the electric XC90 was both humorous and did a good job of showing off the new features in the car. The Volvo ad did a better job of getting people to remember the brand. I think humour is a great way to get people to remember ads. In fact, I would say that any ad that makes you laugh, cry, or get angry will be remembered well.

BrightWhite

What is your opinion on the use of celebrities in ads?

David Ogilvy

I think that celebrities are a great way to catch people’s attention. I think that they should be used well so that they contribute to the message. I think that using stars that are associated with a product or that have personality that fits the product is better than picking a celebrity because they are well known. I think that picking a celebrity solely to make sure that the ad is remembered is a mistake. I was always careful to not make the mistake of thinking that because people recognized the celebrity, they would remember the ad if the concept of the ad was not memorable or emotional.

Bill Bernbach

I think that celebrity endorsements are just like everything else in advertising.  It is all in the way you do it.  If a celebrity is used in a clever and compelling way, it can be very effective.  And sometimes celebrities add credibility to the spot.  For example, a celebrity doctor or celebrity engineer on a technical product makes sense.  But in general, I think it all depends.  But celebrities need to be used with care, and need to be a good fit for the brand.  As long as they are part of the brand story, celebrities can be very effective.

BrightWhite

What is the biggest difference between the Super Bowl ads in your time and the ones today?

David Ogilvy

The biggest difference is that they are so much more entertaining now. Back in my day, the ads were more focused on the product. They rarely used humour. Most of the Super Bowl ads now are made to be entertaining. I think that the way that brands want to reach people has changed quite a bit. Nowadays, I think that most brand advertising, whether it is in 30 second spots, or online, is made with a focus on entertaining people. My ads were more focused on trying to convince people to change habits. Now the focus is on getting attention whether the attention comes through humour, celebrities, or even controversy.

Bill Bernbach

The biggest difference is that the majority of the Super Bowl spots that I remember are about selling products.   Where modern advertising is more about selling brands.   The Super Bowl is becoming more of a branding vehicle than a selling vehicle.  Even though it is an incredibly effective medium for selling product, most of the ads are selling brands.  Selling the brand through humor and through celebrities.  Not selling products, but selling an image, or a style, or a belief of the brand.  And the advertising has to be entertaining.  All entertainment.  This is the biggest difference.

BrightWhite

Did you see the “He Gets Us” campaign that was about reminding us about the lessons we can learn from Jesus?

Bill Bernbach

Oh yes.  That is a brilliant piece of work.  I am a fan of that kind of advertising.  It reminds me of how DDB did the “Think Small” Volkswagen ad.  That type of ad is called a parables ad.  It gives you a lesson about life.  It was done beautifully in “He Gets Us”.  I think it will have a huge impact on a lot of people, even people who don’t go to Church or aren’t religious.  That is because good advertising speaks to human emotions, not just to beliefs.

BrightWhite

Thank you for giving me your time. I look forward to further conversations.

Bill Bernbach

Thank you for asking so many good questions.  I enjoyed this dialogue a lot.   Very thought provoking.  I am looking forward to talking with you again, and if you have any more questions, I will be available to chat.  So please feel free to reach out.  Thanks again for your questions and for making me think.

David Ogilvy

My pleasure. I always enjoy talking about great ads and I am always watching for what is working now so I can keep learning from the new generation of writers. I love learning from new people who see things from new ways.

We pride ourselves on helping the interns that pass through our doors get great experience, build fundamental skills and find the direction they want to take in their advertising careers, no matter the agency they might end up at.

But for a few of our past interns, they didn’t need to travel far to find their full-time shop. 

Taylor Burd and Madeline Trapp both had Moroch as a part of their advertising career beginnings, and are now enjoying full-timer status.

 

Q: What was your Moroch internship experience like? 

Taylor: 

My internship was a great trial run for the job I ended up securing. The McDonald’s team was looking for more consumer insights, and I was finishing up my MS Marketing program specializing in research and strategy – it was a perfect match.  Wendy Mason (our Senior Director of Strategy) did a great job exposing me to other elements of the business too, so I really got a feel for what the full-time role would be like. 

Madeline: 

It was exciting, and different! It was my first time working in an office so that was a brand new environment for me. I got to present to the client which was nerve-wracking but so rewarding!  They were very engaged with my project and had lots of questions. 

It was an awesome introduction to agency life and brand management, like project calendars, trafficking and how different departments work together seamlessly.

Q: What was something you did in your internship that prepared you for a full time role? 

Madeline: 

I learned a lot more about email etiquette. It may seem small, but sometimes coming up with an email subject line is the most difficult part! It’s your first impression and the opportunity to make sure the recipient wants to read further and engage with it. 

Taylor: 

I had the opportunity to present consumer updates at a McDonald’s co-op full business unit meeting, which made me learn how to leverage our agency’s unique capabilities, speak to the various stakeholders in the room, and build buy-in for our team’s recommendations. 

Q: What’s your advice to future Moroch interns on how to make the most of it? 

Taylor: 

Try to meet people across the various agency departments. You’ll get a better sense of how Moroch functions and how you can make a positive impact. 

Madeline: 

Volunteer as much as possible, ask to sit in on meetings that you’re curious about, ask questions – and most importantly – try something new every opportunity you get. 

Want to be a Moroch intern? Or you’re ready for a full-time gig? Great news: we’re hiring! Check out our open positions. 

Personally, the Uber Eats spot was the only one that made me laugh out loud, but apparently, people felt Barbie was more engaging.

This year the Super Bowl was a true ad-stravaganza. A celebrity filled competition for who could use celebrities and sports stars in the most compelling, and sometime imbecilic way. But all those A, B and C listers delivered for their advertisers and fans seemed to agree. Of the top 30 ads, according to the USA Today Ad Meter, 17 featured celebrities or sports stars.

Twitter lit up when Coinbase spent 30 seconds bouncing a QR code across the screen in a test to see how many people were willing to get off the couch to scan it. Apparently quite a few did. People raved about the bravery of doing something so un ad-like, but this was not the first time it’s been done.

In addition to the star studded line up, there were a couple of great human stories. The Toyota Brothers spot touched a nerve for me as I’m a sucker for sentimental come back stories. I even got the feels for a robot dog.

Crypto was obviously the big newcomer to the game with a slew of celebrity-driven storylines. My favorite was watching Larry David dis all of the world’s greatest inventions. There’s no better curmudgeon alive that could pull that off. Apparently, pulling the spot off was quite the endeavor, as well. Because of COVID, the shoot was pushed to January, which is tight in ad land. Four packed days of shooting led to David losing his voice and complaining that he was old. An extra $400,000 was spent just to make sure that the hundred plus extras and over a hundred crew all tested negative each day.



Overall, I thought it was a good year. Maybe not a great year for ads but the craft of advertising is still alive and well. I don’t know if there is one ad that rose so far above the rest as to make it iconic. There was no “1984” this year. I would have even settled for the charm of the VW Darth Vader spot from a few years ago.

Viral experiments with the future of VR show we’ve got a bright, meta, future ahead.

So, you log in to the metaverse to do your online grocery shopping at the VR Walmart. A dialogue menu pops up: would you like to meet the very cow that made the milk in your cart?

A dairy farmer strapped a couple of VR headsets to a cow to make it think that it’s in greener pastures.

A farmer in Turkey has fitted his cows with virtual reality goggles to make them think they are outside in summer pastures. Izzet Kocak found out the pleasant scenes make the cows happier and produce more milk.Future is metaverse! pic.twitter.com/DNZze8Wm5n

— Shuja ul haq (@ShujaUH) January 8, 2022

Then, an old clip of Walmart’s vision of the future of online shopping made the rounds.

This is how Walmart envisions Shopping in the #Metaverse.

Thoughts? 💭 pic.twitter.com/5l7KhoBse7

— Homo Digitalis (@DigitalisHomo) January 3, 2022

Much like how they did surgery on a grape, these are at first glance silly experiments to prove a concept and show off the latest technology to see what’s possible.

Both the Oculus bovine and the Walmart shopping experience went viral on Twitter this month, with folks making jokes about it, us included.

And while it’s easy (and fun!) to tease these new, emerging technologies, we think it’s just as much fun to dig into these and think about how they could be applied to the future in advertising and branding as a whole, as well as our multi-unit & franchising clients’ physical locations.


For example, Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, is busy filing patent after patent. The big things they’ve focused on thus far is how to make meetings in the virtual world better and more natural feeling. Interacting with objects around you, avatars that look more lifelike (the button down shirt from the back of your closet can be wrinkled in VR, too!), is great for meetings. But where else can we take this technology?

What we in the agency world and advertisers alike should think about is how this technology can go beyond where we can simply stick intrusive “BUY NOW!” CTAs. How do we create interesting and fun experiences and make the stories of our brands come to life? That’s what we’re interested in pursuing and what makes this technology so exciting.

A lot is happening in the space and all at a rapid pace – and Moroch is tracking it all.

Want to experiment and launch a new, virtual project with us? Get in touch.

In our business, data and analytics are critical to just about everything we do.

With that, Moroch is excited to announce we have hired Weiling Xu to join the agency as VP of Data & Analytics. In this position, she will be responsible for developing and growing our business intelligence, data and media insights practice.

Boasting more than 15 years of marketing analytics experience and a deep background in data integrity, we got the scoop from Weiling about exactly why her role is so important to producing great work for our clients.

This Q&A has been edited for clarity/brevity.

What type of agency experience do you have?

After moving into the agency world, I’ve worked in the database marketing field, using statistical modeling to predict customer behaviors, and leveraging customer segmentation for CRM management and personalization.

And more recently?

In the past few years, I’ve moved closer to the digital media front. Most recently at Hearts and Science, I managed the omnichannel media reporting and analytics for the AT&T client, providing analytics support and collaboration with media and strategy teams for budget allocation, pacing, measurement framework, audience investment analytics and attribution modeling.  

 

As someone who’s made data and analytics their whole career, why do you feel it’s so important for agencies?

Data is important because it helps us understand the past and make informed decisions about the future. The best use of data can be in 3 stages:  Descriptive, Predictive and Prescriptive. Descriptive analytics helps us understand what happened and why. Predictive analytics uses historical patterns to predict specific outcome using algorithms and tells us what’s likely to happen. Prescriptive analytics answers the question for the clients – what do we need to do, making recommendations on actions and strategies that would lead to the desired outcome.

What drew you to join Moroch?

I’m most impressed by Moroch being an independent agency and having kept such long tenured relationships with many of our clients, and rich knowledge of their business. I’m most excited about being part of that, and bringing in more advanced analytics to energize the team.

What is your favorite part of the job?

The chance to be a process-oriented leader. The success of my job is defined by helping teams achieve their goals – improving the process so teams can focus on what they’re good at, providing the resources and tools that can help them excel.  

What are your next steps as you settle in?

  I’d like to build a strong data foundation so we always have the most accurate and reliable data to work on. We’re looking at ways to help automate the processes and build tools for visualization and analytics support, so teams can spend less energy on number crunching, and more on real analytics for thought leadership, which helps our clients connect the dots and make data-driven decisions with ease.

Finally: there is a lot that data can tell us…but is there anything data can’t tell us?

There’s a lot that data can tell us, but data can’t tell us everything. It’s important to understand the limitations and bias in data to avoid some common data fallacies. With the right data and analytics, we don’t need to know 100% of everything, we just need to find that sweet spot – addressing 20% of the causes that drive 80% of the overall outcomes  

The story of Gen Z and legacy brands is a lot like the infamous scene from M. Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense (1999).

Cole: “I see dead people.”

Malcolm: “Dead people like, in graves? In coffins?”

Cole: “Walking around like regular people. They don’t see each other. They only see what they want to see. They don’t know they’re dead.”

I struggle to think of a better metaphor relating to Gen Z and legacy brands.

The unfortunate reality is that several brands have run into connection issues.

From packaged goods to media outlets, there’s a disconnect with Generation Z. As one of the most diverse, digitally savvy, and potentially vocal generations, they want to be a part of the conversation in real-time.

They want to build the story with you.

Room for improvement

The unfortunate part here is that old stalwarts of past generations like BuzzFeed have atrophied to a point where you can predict every other post made. “(insert number) + (synonym for amazing) +(noun) you need now.” Let’s not even talk about MTV. They went from breaking new artists via Yo MTV Raps, headbangers ball, club MTV and countdowns to 12 hrs of nut shots every Saturday with back-to-back Ridiculousness episodes.

One notorious bad actor is Disney; in an era of iterative digital creation, nothing will get your content pulled faster than the accidental or intentional, inclusion of a Disney song. They don’t see it as shortcut to renewing the generational connection they’ve nurtured for decades. They feel that they are “protecting their IP” by removing moments of exposure and interpretation, which leads to new points of introduction and stokes curiosity.

Let’s not go too negative. There are some brands that connect well.


Adweek recently published a list of 10 brands that they feel do a good Job connecting with Gen Z. They include:

• Chipotle
• NBA
• Arizona beverages
• e.l.f.
• Ryanair
• Maybelline
• Aerie
• Walmart
• Crumbl cookies
• Patern Brands

I can’t say that I agree that all of the above have made a connection but all of the brands listed have made an effort to be inclusive of the consumer in the brand story. That’s what these folks are asking for and it’s easier than you think to make it happen. Here are a couple of areas of investment that can make this shift easier.

Listen

Spend time in the social (and physical when possible) landscape. Gen Z isn’t a monolith, and culture is fleeting. You have to develop an eye for points of connection that are both timely and potentially have staying power vs. artificially amplified waves that will quickly become exposed.

Retrain

Take time to retrain the individuals charged with evaluating what goes out the door. Are they the right people to make a call on what will or will not connect. And if asked and they say they are. Make sure there is an expression of curiosity and a little reverence for the population and the task. Also, if you hear, “Well, my son/daughter is a Gen Z and…” just smile and nod, then triple check for yourself.

Dial down risk aversion by dialing up insights

Some points of connection that are well established are going to be layups. Others are going to be just short of terrifying. The way to get more comfortable is through capturing and sharing the why of a trend of the initiative. It won’t remove all the detractor’s doubts, but it can help. The exercise of collecting and evaluating the insights will also challenge the team to truly determine if this is a real “thing” or just vaporware. All in all as brands and brand advocates we have to do more to invite this generation into the conversation and be willing to listen to and give them what they want and need to build a connection.

Admit it, if I asked you to name three commercials that come to mind right now I bet all three would involve some sort of character or brand mascot. The Geico Gecko, Flo from progressive, Mayhem and even Limu Emu and Doug. Probably a few more that have captured peoples hearts, minds and wallets over the years. Now think back to the brand characters or mascots you remember as a kid. For those of us old enough to remember there was Charlie the Tuna, Tony the Tiger, The Michelin Man, The Pillsbury Doughboy and the Jolly Green Giant. Leo Burnett was known for generating some of the most iconic characters of that generation. But the same dynamics that were in play then are still working today. Although I will admit the storylines are more entertaining. 

The benefits

Today, brands that use characters, or brand mascots as some call them, not only get the luxury of becoming part of the cultural conversation but, according to Adweek, these characters are extremely effective in raising the bottom line. Adweek pondered, “why aren’t more brands using them?” The data from The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising is pretty impressive. They found that brands using a brand mascot are 37% more likely to increase market share than those who don’t.

These campaigns are also 27% more likely to increase customer gains and 30% more likely to grow profit gains, the study said. A separate study from System1 discovered that a mascot can increase ad viewability in a digital context and extend dwell time, the latter by as much as 50%. “Repeatedly used characters elicit a powerful emotional response and can be instantly recognized anywhere, making them indispensable in the digital era,” Orlando Wood, chief innovation officer at System1 Group, wrote in a statement.

Why aren’t more brands using a mascot?

So why are less than 4% of brands today taking advantage of this obvious advantage? I can only speculate, but I believe it comes down to tolerance for risk and the fact that there have been a few failures along the way. I truly hated The Noid from Dominos when it came out. Ironically, he’s back so we’ll have to see if people like him better the second time around. But these mascots can be extremely polarizing. 45% of people survey were not that fond of Mr. Six from Six Flags and 60% thought The King from Burger King was just plain creepy. But done well a character is well worth taking the risk. And if you’re lucky, 20 years from now your brand mascot could still be bottom line gold.