Wouldn’t you like to be a Pepper? I wouldn’t…

I blogged about the Superbowl ads last month. And Fred Wilson points out that some folks are blogging the Acadamy Awards tonight. But this time, I can’t be bothered. I’m watching the Oscars. It’s fun to watch people squirm when an announcer or award recipient goes off script. Otherwise, it’s a waste of time. Neither the ceremony nor the ads – and let’s face it, the ceremony itself is one long ad for Hollywood entertainment – has any relevance to me. I suspect the same is true for many folks. If you take a look at recent advertising efforts, agencies seem to understand the irrelevance of so-called major TV events. They just don’t know what to do about it. In fact, ad agencies don’t know how to provide much value at all anymore.

First, you had the silliness a few weeks back with Cartoon Network. You remember, the whole bomb scare nightmare. Tremendous publicity. Not all good, you might have heard. The outcome of the advertising stunt gone wrong: Adult Swim’s ratings didn’t improve. Now, there’s a new brouhaha related to a Dr. Pepper promotion. Apparently the agency thought grave digging was an appropriate way to build buzz. In a historic U.S. cemetery containing the remains of John Hancock, Paul Revere and Samuel Adams, no less. As the Bass Ale ad suggests: Brilliant!

Maybe the point is to focus less on advertising or publicity. Maybe companies should actually make products consumers care about. Or at least have the guts to stand up and admit when they don’t.