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Sunday was an amazing day for football and just a so-so day for brand messaging, I have to say. Despite all the millions of dollars being thrown around, I found most ads to be middle of the road and not super memorable. Gone also this year (with a few overly sexed up exceptions) were the outrageous, loud, fall-down-go-boom ads of recent years past. In general the ads on display were pretty safe.

But in terms of pure effectiveness, I have to give the crown to Chevy and to its agency, Goodby, Silverstein, & Partners.

In 60 seconds, the ad managed to…

+ Be both funny and Zeitgeist-y, with a droll reference to 2012′s long-rumored Mayan apocalypse
+ Be memorable, with the help of Twinkees and a Barry Manilow song
+ Be quintisentially American – a great thing on Super Bowl Sunday
+ Deliver a classic value proposition (“Dave didn’t drive the longest-lasting, most dependable truck on the road”) in the context of a joke playfully sticking it to rival Ford

As a former pickup truck driver, perhaps this spot hit me more directly than the average viewer. But an informal survey of my ad nerd buddies proved out my theory: this was the ad people were talking about. Television ads are a visual medium of course, and my favorite part about this spot is how elegantly it delivers a message: Chevy trucks are dependable, no matter the circumstances.

As further proof of the ad’s strength, the story continued into the next day — compelling Ford to dispatch spokespeople to dispute the ad’s claims, and giving Chevy free follow-on media in the process.

But I have an even more personal example. Yesterday morning, a Chevy pickup cut me off in traffic. Rather than curse the guy out, I saw the logo on his tailgate and smiled, as Mr. Manilow’s dulcet tones suddenly and surprisingly filled my head.  

I mean, really, what more could Chevy ask for?

Looks like they made it.

I went to New York City for work recently, and was lucky enough to have my choice of hotel.  I chose the Ace because I had read this New York Times article; I had been to the Portland location; the Ace features Manhattan’s first Stumptown Coffee store; and the TripAdvisor reviews were glowing.

In terms of being very Of-The-Moment and Quite A Scene, the Ace did not disappoint. My room looked like this:

…Complete with original street art on the wall, an acoustic guitar, hushed indie rock playing when I entered, and a Polaroid instamatic camera loaded with film.

Wi-fi is free at the Ace, so all manner of downtown creative and technology types make it their de facto office during the day.  I couldn’t walk 5 feet without overhearing a conversation about ad agency business or a social media startup.

The Ace, in other words, is what Starwood’s W chain used to be: a place to see and be seen.  Full of hipsters and cool hunters.  Where it’s at.

As a 34 year old business traveler, I finally have some purchasing power.  And while I have the option (again, very fortunately) of staying in fancier places in midtown, when the choice is mine I want to be where the rest of my tribe is.

We talk a lot in marketing circles about millenials, and their desire for authenticity, transparency, and altruism when it comes to consumer brands.  I’m at the north end of the millenial spectrum, age-wise.  But my compatriots are not going to be young forever, and when they get real purchasing power too they’re going to exercise it on the things that really drive our economy.  And you can bet the cars, durable goods and homes they choose will reflect their values.

Consider the W, with its bottle service, high rates, dozens of locations and party-party like it’s 2004 vibe, the canary in the coal mine for the hotel sector.  In my view, the Ace presages enormous changes in the broader brand marketplace when it comes to how and what young people consume.

So.  Look at what you’re selling, and consider: does your brand strategy welcome millenials and their values?  If not, you might become the proverbial W Hotel in this equation: full of choices that were awesome 10 years ago, but seem lots less awesome now.