Super Bowl Ads Target Hot New Consumer Group - Beavers

 
  
Well....I wanted to write about how well the Super Bowl ads did in connecting with women consumers.  Unfortunately, I didn't see any ads that were targeting women.   Really.  Even Dove was promoting skin care products to men.  Ok, there was one commercial for a chick flick called The Back-up Plan, but it was so horrible I have erased it from my memory.

I thought it was a little odd that the advertisers completely ignored half the audience.

Yes, women influence 80% of all spending, control 51 percent of the wealth in this country, and one in four women out earns her husband.  But, for whatever reason, advertisers and their agencies seemed to feel this wasn't an audience they wanted to reach out to. 

Um....Ok.

They DID, however, reach out to another consumer group - Beavers.  Ok, they're really a rodent group, not a consumer group, but still.   Several of the ads featured beavers -   beavers looking for jobs, beavers buying cars, beavers using technology products. 

Perhaps there's some research out there I missed.  Here I've been focusing all my efforts on women.  Maybe advertisers know something I don't know. 

I'm not aware of the average household income of beavers or their consumer buying habits.  Perhaps with the focus on building things like dams, they are the recipient of stimulus money.   Perhaps, seeing themselves in more ads, they are becoming more aspirational consumers.   I bet the housing downturn hasn't hit them as hard, enterprising little builders that they are they probably didn't overspend on those granite counter tops and 6 bedroom homes. 

And they are awfully industrious: 

"Beavers are the world's largest rodents.  They are famously busy, and they turn their talents to reengineering the landscape as few other animals can."

Here are a few things I've learned about beavers:

• Beavers have transparent eye lids that protect their eyes while allowing them to see under water. I'm seeing some great underwater advertising possibilities.
• Beavers have an acute sense of smell that compensates for their weak vision and hearing. Be sure to use large font in your ads.
• A beaver chooses a mate for life. Only if a beaver’s mate dies, will a beaver search for a new mate. Bad news for the online dating sites.

I think there's a trend here.  I even noticed squirrels getting in on the act.

Take it from companies and agencies advertising on the Super Bowl.  Forget the spending power of women.  Beavers, squirrels and other large rodents are the new sought-after demographic.

Who knew?

Comments

[Dave Young]

Holly...I kept waiting for the punch line...but you're way too subtle for that. I always figure that if someones mentions "beaver" during a football game, there's a dirty joke buried somewhere. Maybe it's because I live out here in fly-over territory, or my sense of humor is unduly warped by old Burt Reynolds trucker movies.

[tom jordan]

Holly...you crack me up! I love the sarcasm. Over 40 million women stared at each and every one of these commercial. So, what a wasted opportunity to sell something to the audience that buys nearly everything! In addition to "Leave it to Beaver", the theme of many of these commercials could be "take back your manhood."

Overall, very disappointing.

(At least the game was good)

[Holly Buchanan]

Dave - I knew someone was going to go there. So glad it was you.

Tom - I saw from your newsletter we are in agreement. Yes, GREAT game. I even won money.

[Glen Roberts]

Holly..."I didn't see any ads that were targeting women." Did you miss the Doritos ad. The one where Doritos teaches a young child to slap adults, but it's only "funny" when a male is slapped, that ad would not fly if the child slapped a women, but it made millions of "mommies" laugh. Women think it's not only very funny but it's OK to watch domestic violence against men. When that child slaps a women as an adult he will go to jail, nice work Doritos. Last year Doritos ad was one man hurling a snow globe at the crotch of another, again women loved it, it was very funny to them. Doritos spends a lot of money to show it's pure disregard for men, now Doritos is teaching little boys domestic violence and women think it's very funny. "Mary J. Blige punched husband Kendu Isaacs in the face at her record release party at club M2 Tuesday night. The singer slugged Isaacs, drawing blood." I bet Mary watches Doritos commercials.

[Gerry Myers]

Holly
Great article. Super Bowl advertisers never cease to amaze me with their total disregard of women viewers, but this year they out did themselves.

[Eric]

Definitely a weak crop this year. Beavers are the rodent of the moment; next year, it'll be all about the capybara.

[KickSkirt]

The men who make these ads are rehashing so many stale ideas. Don't they know beavers have already been DONE?:) Do I have to remind them of the horrible sleeping pill ads from Rozerem a few years ago taht featured a beaver and Abe Lincoln? Great insight, poor execution. And I guess they forgot that the most chronically sleep-deprived segment of our society is women. Men will always go for the sophomoric gag of a beaver before trying to really connect with their audience.

[ds r4]

Hello
Its very interesting to watch that super bowl ad video and Its really very good.I also like that first photograph very much.Its very interesting to read about Beavers.Thanks for such informative post.

[Micah Castro]

Sometimes you really just wish companies would stick to internet marketing and not waste so much money on a poorly designed super-bowl ad... Couldn't have been cheap.