SUPER BOWL AD: Emerald Nuts - Really Nuts
Brand: Emerald Nuts
Execution: TV
Link: Click Here To View (Go to ‘TV Ads’ section)
Target: The Terminally Confused
Reviewer: David
Rating: *
Description:
Several men wield machetes in a living room, pretending to use them. On notices a druid under the stairs, speaking on the phone. The spot cuts to him as he negotiates on the phone. The voiceover takes over, saying “Eagle-eyed Machete Enthusiasts Recognize A Little Druid Networking Under The Stairs.” Which spells EMERALD NUTS, as the visual shows. Finally, we see the Druid and two Machete Enthusiasts sitting on a couch eating Emeral Nuts as the voiceover says, “Even druids love Emerald Nuts.”
What Works:
Nothing, really.
What Doesn’t:
This spot is a disaster from start to finish. The idea was to create a quirky, iconic spot that would match the success of last year’s Super Bowl Ad for Emerald, which was an instant hit and dramatically lifted brand sales. That spot (click here to view) had a father telling lies to his daughter about unicorns to avoid sharing his nuts. The Easter Bunny and Santa Claus made an appearance as well.
Emerald learned the wrong lesson from that spot. It was offbeat, that is certain, but it underscored a real brand proposition (they are so good that you’ll lie to keep them to yourself.) The 2006 Super Bowl spot dissolves into complete nonsense. There is neither a brand proposition nor a reason to believe in this spot. Instead we are left with a sort of puzzle that is supposed to be charming because of its unexpectedness. It only succeeds in annoying us.
This advertising blog supports creativity, but creativity must build a value proposition for the brand. We see nothing of the sort in this confused, difficult ad which does not even show us the brand or brand name until the second half of the spot.
Branding Bottom Line:
Emerald needs to stop adding peyote to those nuts.
February 28th, 2006 at 10:52 pm
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February 9th, 2007 at 11:13 am
[…] What Works: Emerald Nuts first broke out with a Super Bowl spot two years ago, expectations were high for their return in 2006. The spot that actually broke was bizarre, to say the least, featuring the tagline “Eagle-eyed Machete Enthusiasts Recognize A Little Druid Networking Under The Stairs” which spells out Emerald Nuts. (see our review here) We can safely say that the new Emerald Nuts Super Bowl spot is not the disaster that spot was. In fact, this spot is entertaining, cohesive and actually attempts to create a selling proposition for the product. The ‘Robert Goulet - office vandal’ angle is fresh and startling and it does grab the attention. It is also funny and well-executed. There is an attempt to brand Emerald Nuts with a verbal mention midway through the spot and the closing shot of the Emerald packaging. […]