• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, January 29, 2015

As is common practice around large events such as, well, any mundane event an attention-seeking entity deems "large," there's always an agency who doesn't have any skin in the game that wants to hijack the conversation. Let me introduce you to Canton, Ohio-based Innis Maggiore.

Now Innis Maggiore may, in fact, be a fine, upstanding advertising industry citizen complete with skills, intelligence and a fine track record but they are also an agency that wants to "offer advice on how to watch commercials like an expert."

What does that mean? Well, to Innis Maggiore Chief Strategist Lorraine Kessler who notes 85 percent of ads can't be linked to increased sales, we don't really know because the press release non-sequiturs its way into Kessler telling us $4.5 million is a waste of money to spend on a Super Bowl ad and that there are four important questions to ask when determining the merits of an ad.

I'm sure this stunning insight will shock you much like running into Donny Deutsch wearing a Speedo somewhere in the South of France. The four questions? Did the ad gain your attention? Can you recall what brand or product was advertised? Does the ad convey a meaningful benefit? Does the ad offer a distinct advantage over the competition?

Yeah, no one ever asks themselves those questions when creating an ad campaign. 

But she's high on that (now pulled) GoDaddy puppy ad and finally understands what GoDaddy does, saying, "In the past I've been thumbs down on GoDaddy because even though I remember the ads, like the sloppy kiss (2014) or the courtroom bombshell (2009), none told me what the product actually did. This year's ad is different. You make your own website. I get it now."

I do have to give her props, though, for liking Victoria's Secret Super Bowl teaser ad, the ad they should have run during the game instead of the typically tripe crap they ultimately decided to air .