I don't make a habit of talking about TV commercials as that's the realm of countless other ad hacks. However, this evening I was struck by a few very expensive network ads that leave me wondering what the actual effect might be.

Audi Q7 SUV Ad:

Thoughts from the Big Scary Cranium
C'mon, this is just silly, right? First of all, I understand that there are some communities where Lexus SUVs are quite common. But even the Monopoly Man is holding off a bit before getting a new Gucci frame for his monocle. I wasn't sure if the kids in this ad were confused by the endless progression of Lexi or just disappointed by their parents boring choices. But the message that a Lexus isn't good enough just seems ill timed on a day the President sacks the head of GM. At least their social strategy aligns with this nose-thumbing approach. I wonder how much cash they poured down Guy Kawasaki's throat to get him to write this glowing review. Looking at the Audi Q5 official page, I couldn't initially find a place to delve into more information through any blogs or basic social network links. Don't they at least want me to Digg the site?

I'm very disappointed that I couldn't find the Quaker "Go Humans Go" TV ad anywhere online. Here is a synopsis from JWT's website: "A TV commercial and an accompanying print ad reflect that attitude, minus any presidents, by showing a man flying to work with a jetpack on his back powered by two packages of Old Fashioned Quaker Oats." If you can find it, pls send me the link.

Thoughts from the Big Scary Cranium
I think this is a very well thought out campaign, especially for a time when people are walking away from homes like cold poker tables. Oatmeal is cheap, it's good for you and the Quaker brand has a pretty decent reputation. The timing is perfect for this kind of campaign. Even the NY Times had a few nice things to say about it.

Online, I found a decent effort to turn the message into an excuse to interact. From their main website, quakeroats.com/gohumansgo, I was able to find a Facebook page with links to very approachable Nutritionists, coordination with charity events, recipes and a bunch of other things that I found to be very appropriate for the audience and the economy. And in a move I found brilliant, it seems they invited outside bloggers to participate in their volunteer efforts and documented it all on flickr. I suppose it's ok to pander if you're trying to help people. It WOULD  be nice if they'd actually put the spot on YouTube in addition to video of their people doing volunteer work.

Five years from now

My thinking is that Quaker is securing a gaggle of newfound penny pinchers in the middle of forming new, sensible habits after years of grabbing Micky D's on the way to work. Meanwhile Audi is reaching out to an ever-shrinking demographic with a message that might come across as somewhat insulting to those who might be able to afford their product in the future. I feel pretty confident in this assessment given Quaker's substantial effort to create relevancy outside the TV world while Audi seems confident in its message such that they invite nobody to participate in their brand conversation through their main website.