Topics for 2/14/2010

Here are the proposed topics for this week's episode of The BeanCast, and as usual we'd love to hear your thoughts and questions.

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This week's panel will be Bill Green (MTLB), Steve Hall (AdRants) George Parker (AdScam/The Horror!) and Åsk Wäppling (Adland.tv).

TOPICS

The Emphasis on Nostalgia in the Ad Bowl: It seems like there was common consensus in the press after all was said and done with this year's Super Bowl. Again and again we heard that commercials were turning to nostalgia. George, is this just reaching on the part of reporters or do the analysts have a point? Is just rehashing old commercials and even older actors count as nostalgic? Whether nostalgia was the point of the ads or not, why did the press beat that drum? Were people just searching for an optimistic note to strike or is this about disparaging the ads?

Has Sexism in Super Bowl Ads Worsened?: The other big topic that began during the game and spilled onto the blogs and into the press was that the ads were more sexist than ever before. Is this a fair charge, Åsk? Were the ads worse, or did people just have more chances to voice what they've always felt about these ads? Is sexism in ads on the rise in general? Is this another sign of bad economic times -- angry men taking their frustrations over the economy out on women? Is this more a problem with ad creatives being too focused on the old idea that sports means masculine?

Favorites and Dogs During the Game: Now, let get into what we think were the winners and what were the real dogs of the game. (Open discussion.)

Edelman Study Shows Consumers Trusting Friend Recos Less: Turning back to other ad news from the week, there was an interesting study released by PR agency Edelman, that revealed consumers are less likely to trust their peers for recommendations than previously thought. Only 25% of people surveyed trusted a friend's recommendation on a product. Bill, is this a stake in the heart of the social media juggernaut? Why the surge in skepticism? Is this more a backlash against social technology or just a sad comment on the times?

Does The World Need Google Buzz: And hot on the heels of this news comes the launch of Google Buzz, Google's social application tied to Gmail. Whether we love it or hate it, did Google need to do a social network, Steve.? What benefits could this service offer? Is it a valid tool for marketers? Thoughts on it's chances of success?