Mock commercials have been discussed on this blog before, whether it’s “Saturday Night Live” or others that find creative inspiration from direct response or general advertising. However, a recent independent commercial supporting Obama has blurred the lines of advertising and advocacy. This example is intriguing because it’s a new take on an old, famous Budweiser commercial. It also shows how commercials can at times have the power to transcend into pop culture. The actors from the original, infamous “Whassup” campaign have taken a hard line at McCain in this updated version.

Original Whassup Bud Ad:

Obama Whassup Ad:

This also becomes an issue of branding. Could Budweiser’s brand be somewhat tarnished for Republicans? Did all the references of Teresa Heinz Kerry harm the Heinz brand in 2004? I can tell you this much, my college roommate ordered “W- America’s Ketchup” off the Internet after refusing to buy Heinz products. A lot of Americans wouldn’t buy it, regardless of the fact that her role at the company is limited to philanthropy projects and that her former husband was an admired Republican senator. The same could be true for die-hard democrats that declined to buy Coors products while republican Pete Coors was running for the Senate in Colorado.

According to The Wall Street Journal, “But the video is causing a ripple in industry circles, because Budweiser—which clearly has no interest in backing a presidential candidate—is powerless to stop it. In a departure from normal industry practice, neither Anheuser Busch nor its ad firm, Omnicom’s DDB Chicago, own the Whassup slogan or concept. Instead, the brewer paid Charles Stone III, who created and starred in the ads, roughly $37,000 to license the idea for five years. That deal expired three years ago.”

But, regardless of this particular political ad’s positive or negative impact, it does further prove that advertising campaigns can have a long-standing impact in American culture. Having already received well over 2 million views, they’ve taken something straight from the ad world to create an organic, viral marketing phenomenon.

Pat Cauley is Electronic Retailer magazine’s eMedia editor.

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Growing up I consistently had to write thank you notes to my grandparents whenever they would give me gifts or take me back-to-school shopping. My grandfather had a long career as a sports writer for a Pittsburgh newspaper, and he has always believed in the written word. That’s probably part of the reason I went to school for journalism and now work for a magazine. I like to actually hold magazines in my hands and flip through the pages, reading at my leisure. To this day, I still receive and respond to cards and letters from my grandmother.

Many will argue that the web is killing print, whether it’s the daily newspaper or a direct-mail piece. I don’t think that’s entirely the case. There is something uniquely different about receiving something in the postal mail, as opposed to e-mail. Even the mail I throw away holds my attention longer than a spam e-mail I delete. Admit it—you love receiving real mail from friends and family.

The recent New Zealand Post ad campaign speaks to this. These ads are so moving and memorable that they are also a testament to the fact that marketers can truly make powerful, human connections with people in only a minute’s time.

My grandfather actually once said that there’s nothing more respectful than a hand written letter. Whatever your thoughts are on the future of snail mail, these ads certainly demonstrate not only the unique quality of mail, but also the story-telling potential that exists for all creative ad campaigns.

Pat Cauley is Electronic Retailer magazine’s eMedia editor.

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Attend any marketing conference or read any industry trade publication and you’ll receive the same message: The consumer is in control. We’re told that we need to engage consumers on their turf, make brands interactive, and gasp—perhaps even include user-generated content into the marketing mix. What happens, however, if a brand tries to follow these new rules, but the results aren’t engaging, funny or propel a consumer to share the brand’s content with their family and friends?

Take the recent Coors Light commercials, which seem to have all the right moves. The commercials consist of YouTube-esque videos of stand up comics cracking unknowingly, lame jokes about Coors Light before cutting to a standard quick marketing message. I distinctly remember sitting on my friend Val’s couch as one of these commercials played. We all looked at each other with a gaze of slight embarrassment for Coors Light. It was at that point that the room decided the commercial actually made us want to go out and buy Miller Light, to which Val gleefully chanted, “It’s Miller Time!”

(Ed. Note: Only one I could find; most were even worse)

But for every Coors Light stinker, there’s usually another campaign that does get it right. A recent example that comes to mind is JC Penney’s back-to-school campaign that cleverly touches on the iconic ’80s film, “The Breakfast Club.” Considering my job involves marketing and advertising, I sometimes get a strange pleasure from watching my friends, family or even strangers watch, react to and discuss various forms of marketing without them knowing that I’m observing. This was the case with the JC Penney ads. During a recent trip to South Carolina, I watched my older cousin view the ad. I noticed that he paid particular attention to it. I mentioned that it seems to have lifted heavily from “The Breakfast Club.” His eyes lit up, “I knew that seemed familiar,” he said with a bit of excitement. When his wife entered the room, he told her that she’d like the JC Penney commercial next time it came on, which he was sure would be soon since we were watching MTV, the king of repetition.

A few days later, I was watching the Olympics with my little brother when the same JC Penney commercial aired. “I like this commercial a lot,” my brother said without any prompting from me. As the Olympics began to play again, my brother continued to sing the song from the commercial. Just for sh*ts and giggles, I decided to test him. “Do you remember what brand that song and commercial were for?” I asked. “Yeah, JC Penney. Why?” “No reason,” I said, thinking to myself that his answer would be exactly what executives at JC Penney would want to hear coming from a kid who was literally about to do his back-to-school shopping after vacation for his upcoming sophomore year of high school. JC Penney’s “Get That Look” campaign rounds off with an enticing, interactive micro-site. It’s almost like “The Breakfast Club” theme song that also plays in the commercial has an underlying message about JC Penney for consumers: Don’t you, forget about me…don’t don’t don’t dooon’t you, forget about me.

Pat Cauley is Electronic Retailer magazine’s eMedia editor.

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The ERA Minute is a new feature where ERA members can film marketing tips that will be distributed throughout all of ERA’s channels and social networking outlets. If you’re interested in making the next ERA Minute, contact Tom Quash at tquash@retailing.org. In this ERA Minute, Avalanche Creative Services’ George Brianka explains why you should avoid playing it “safe” when creating a commercial.

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