The World Cup began yesterday, and you don’t need to be in Brazil to feel the excitement. For the first time in World Cup history, social media networks have transformed into a hub of country support, score updates, and conversations surrounding the largest soccer event in the world.
Tag: budweiser
OH the Super Bowl. A day of overeating, excessive drinking and the only time people go to the bathroom during play. Let’s recap, shall we?
Categories
St. Louis Bucket List
We may not have the popularity of Chicago or the pizzazz of Nashville, but St. Louis is an outstanding city. From our rich sports history to our flavorful communities, it’s a city all it’s own. And sure, maybe we’ve got a few quirks (as outlined by the What High School Should We Call Me tumblr), but that’s what makes it unique. As spring awaits it’s arrival, it’s time to remember just what we love about this city. Some of these items are on my own 2013 bucket list, some are tradition, but all are meant to highlight what this city has to offer.
- Attend a Cardinals game at Busch Stadium. I have tickets to my second straight home opener against the Cincinnati Reds!)
- Visit the St. Louis Zoo at Forest Park and make sure to see the new Sea Lion exhibit, although the Penguins are my personal favorite.
- Get your custard served upside down at Ted Drewes.
- Take a Brewery Tour. And I don’t necessarily mean Budwesier. St. Louis is home to many craft breweries, including Schafly, O’Fallon, Urban Chestnut & 4 Hands.
- Eat, drink and be merry at Food Truck Friday in Tilles Park. Sarah’s Meltdown (grilled cheese), Sarah’s Cake Stop (cupcakes) and Zia’s (Italian) are my favorite.
- Stop and smell the flowers at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Bonus points for going on Wednesday nights during the Whitaker Music Festival.
- Head on over to Fast Eddies. This is top of my bucket list this summer!
- Watch a concert on the lawn at Verizon Wireless Ampitheater.
- Soak up the humidity and see a show at The Muny in Forest Park. It’s incredibly hot, but totally worth it.
- See the city from the Rooftop bar at 360. Sadly, I have not had this pleasure yet.
- Grab a root beer at Fitz’s Bottling Company in the Loop. Then pop across the street for a burger at Blueberry Hill.
- Brush up on your French and visit the annual Jour de Fete in Ste. Genevieve.
- Head to Live on the Levee under the Arch. Don’t miss the fireworks, either!
- Load up on carbs at the Hill. You won’t regret it.
- Take your bets at Fairmount Park. I need to make it to a Party in the Park on Friday nights this year!
Of course, I could go on for days, but instead, I invite you to add your Must-Do in St. Louis! What is your go-to when the weather gets nice?
*Yes, I left off the oh-so-popular ride in the Arch. It’s definitely a must-do if you’ve never been to the city!
Categories
What We Learned – Super Bowl Style
The Super Bowl has come and gone with a close win by the Giants, minor middle finger mishap during half time, and enough new commercials to fill a weeks worth of American Idol. While it wasn’t the best year for the #BrandBowl, there were some lessons to be learned.
1. Dogs can sell anything. This seasons top ads had one thing in common – no, not an exceptional strategy – they all used dogs. From Volkswagon’s preview ad “The Bark Side” to the beloved Bud Light rescue dog Weego, this seasons ads created a real dog-eat-dog world. Below are some of my favorite publicized pooches.
Bud Light: WeeGo the Rescue Dog
Sketchers: GO RUN Mr. Quiggly!
Volkswagon: The Dog Strikes Back
2. Betty White’s Still Got It: OK – this can be up for debate with some, but I still love Betty White, and her appearance in NBC’s “The Voice” spot was priceless.
NBC’s The Voice: Vocal Kombat
3. #Hashtags #Sell: #MakeItPlantinum and #SoLongVampires started off the first quarter. Tying in the Twitter hashtags boosted online traffic for the brands who used it. My favorite? #MarryBacon
Jack In The Box: Marry It
4. You Mess With American, Clint Eastwood Messes With You: Step aside Chuck Norris. Chrysler’s “Imported From Detroit” campaign took another one of America’s icons, Clint Eastwood, to show that halftime doesn’t mean the game is over. America, eff yeah.
Chrysler: It’s Halftime America
5. We Love Beer. This is something we all knew, but Budweiser’s “Eternal Optimism” proved it.
Budweiser: Eternal Optimism
6. At a loss for strategy? Throw in everything you possibly can. Kia included Adriana Lima, Motley Crue and Chuck Liddel. Samsung used The Darkness, Miranda Kerr and a stylus (seriously, a Stylus?) Did it work? Personally, I’ll take my iPhone any day.
Kia: A Dream Car. For Real Life.
Samsung: Galaxy Note
7. Twinkies will Survive 2012. OK – The first thing that was said when this commercial came on was “interesting choice of song” by my boyfriends dad. Little did we know that the song would just ad to the hilarity. It should be noted that I was raised on Ford trucks, but I always appreciate someone having the balls to call out their competitor.
Chevrolet: 2012
You could also talk about the (terrible, lip synced) halftime “performance,” the fact that Coke & Pepsi should just stop producing bad ads, or the unfortunate idea of leaked ads (it wasn’t nearly as fun to watch ads I’ve already seen), but I’d rather just post a few more videos. Which was your favorite?
M&M: Sexy and I Know It: How can you not chuckle at that?
Budweiser: Flash Fans: This was aired in Canada, but gained ridiculous digital recognition.
NBC Sports Network: The Next Ones: Obviously I’m going to like an ad with kids and hockey in it, but overall I’ve loved the NBC Sports campaign. And that child in the Flyers jersey is absolutely precious.
I don’t know who will be in this years super bowl. I had to think hard to remember the four teams left (49ers, Patriots, Giants & Ravens) OK – I had to Google to find the Ravens. But what I do know, is this years ads will blow you out of the water – or at least out of your taco dip for 1:30.
Doritos:
We’ll start with Doritos Crash The Superbowl contest. I’m sure you all remember last years darling pug and idiot owner who should know better than to anger said dog.
This year, it’s the dog who gets the last laugh in my favorite of the five finalists. Probably because I also dislike the other species.
I will have to admit though that the Baby Sling is pretty good, too. Plus, you just want to smack that chubby kid right out of his playhouse.
This competition has provided some great entertainment over the past 6 years, and this year shouldn’t break the trend. You can see all of the finalists at the link above, and vote for your favorite.
Volkswagon:
You remember last years memorable spot, right? With the little Darth Vader “starting” the all-new Passat?
Well, hold on to your seats folks. This year’s teaser follows along with the Dark Side theme. Or should I say the Bark Side.
Seriously – that’s just the teaser. And, if you watch it again, you’ll notice the pug on the left does absolutely nothing. (Thanks Chelsea for pointing this out!) I love the tie in with Star Wars, because even though I’m not a fan, I know exactly where it’s coming from.
Budweiser:
AB-InBev has been pretty hush-hush, but they have bought 4:30 worth of ads. Some will most likely focus on the launch of Bud Plantinum, but I’m really pulling for a new Bud Light campaign. Last year’s Hack Job just didn’t win me over, not to mention lacked campaign focus with the Dog Sitter spot. Let’s hope AB can pull out a top 5 this year.
GoDaddy.com
Please, PLEASE stop letting them have space. I cannot stand Danica Patrick. But, unfortunately we’re doomed to two more ads this game day. Just keep Joan Rivers out of it this time, for all sanity sakes.
You’ll also see ads from first-year participant Dannon Yogurt, H&M featuring David Beckham, Chrysler and more. See the full list at Super Bowl Ads For Geeks.
The Parks Department 