The real reason Groupon's Super Bowl ad missed the mark

By now you're probably well aware of online coupon site Groupon's failed foray into the big time of national advertising. If not, just Google "Groupon Withdraws Contentious Super Bowl Spots."

So how could a bunch of really smart people--Groupon's execs are geeks, remember--completely botch such an elementary assignment?

Simple. They didn't have a model to assess cultural ideas, nor a way to size up the people and organizations who pitch said ideas (in this case, ad agency CP+B). In fact, they probably still don't have one.

So, they did what most harried business people do. They based their decision on what "felt" right to them at the time; the relationship and recommendations of their agency "friends" (a.k.a. the pitch), their initial, contextually-biased viewings of the commericial, the opinions of peers, etc.

And that's why they missed the mark. No framework, wildly unexpected results.

Do you have a model? Do you have a perceptual lens to bring the marketplace and your ideas clearly into view? If you do, please let me know. I know of, and have worked with, only an elite few who actually employ one. Note: CP+B has one, but in my opinion it's woefully flawed.

Unfortunately, most organizations have neither a unifying perspective that inspires them, nor a framework to guide their actions. So they end up bouncing from one tactic and consultant to another, looking for shortcuts and tossing things against the wall to see if they'll stick. A reckless way to run a business in today's unforgiving marketplace.

Do I have a framework? Absolutely. And a component of mine dictates that our actions and communication be reflective of our audience; their situations, their hungers, and, especially their sense of self. Because what matters most is not what people think about you or your idea, but rather how you make them feel about themselves and their decisions in your presence.

Groupon caused the viewing audience to feel like shallow hypocrites. Take a look:

By contrast, how do you feel about yourself, and by association Apple, as you watch this:

Posted February 11, 2011
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Comments

Stephen Denny

Tom: I'd tend to agree that the Groupon folks weren't prepared for big league marketing and managed the unhappy trifecta of running a lousy and expensive campaign, apologizing for it and then pulling it.

If they decided to be edgy, great. Once upon a time, people thought Go Daddy was edgy. Now, it's fairly tame stuff - compare to the average re-run of Sex in the City for a moment's perspective. But if you're going to be edgy, you can't back down. Ever. If you do, you earn our contempt. And Groupon has.

Worse, instead of simply changing creative, they made their mess in public. Oy. They need to add Bob Parsons to their board.

Posted by: Stephen Denny | February 11, 2011 at 03:55 PM

Tom Asacker

Great points Stephen. But it's one thing to have fun (even a juvenile version), and another to point a fun house mirror at ones audience.

Posted by: Tom Asacker | February 11, 2011 at 04:45 PM

Chuck Kent

I agree, you need a model. I disagree when say "They didn't have a model to assess cultural ideas, nor a way to size up the people and organizations who pitch said ideas." Perhaps they had no formal structure for shaping and assessing their creative strategy or the resulting commercials, but unless they grew up on a motu off Bora Bora, sans satellite uplink, they should at least have taken note of the models implicit in decades worth of commercials that we have all seen, particularly the strikingly simple examples of self-evident truth such as the old Apple spot you reference. I think what tripped them up (and their agency with, or likely before, them) was sheer arrogance, a hubris born of massive influence gained too quickly via the gift of genius… but exercised without the wisdom that experience earns. Hopefully this experience will bring some wisdom (if not humility) to their next foray in to advertising.

Posted by: Chuck Kent | February 14, 2011 at 12:51 PM

Kneale Mann

We can claim the big brains at Groupon didn't know better and we would be lying even to ourselves.

Most humans have the patience of a three year old so tactics will do if it will be the quickest way to make a buck which is often a decision made void of strategy or thought.

And it's not just kooky Internet start-up geeks that make publish insensitive things...

@KennethCole: “Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online at http://bit.ly/KCairo –KC

Posted by: Kneale Mann | February 14, 2011 at 02:44 PM

Tom Asacker

Thanks Chuck and Kneale. I certainly agree with your sentiments, however truth is obviously not self-evident, and to know and to still do is simply not to know. :)

Posted by: Tom Asacker | February 16, 2011 at 03:22 PM

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