Listening to readers leads to good folo on Clydesdales in Super Bowl ads
Todd Frankel
The Saint Louis Post-Dispatch's Web site reports about Anheuser-Busch's decision to consider restoring the Clydesdales to its Super Bowl ads, after a firestorm of negative reaction to their planned absence this year.
Todd Frankel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch didn’t see the news in Anheuser-Busch’s announcement that it was using humor in its Super Bowl ads this year. Neither did the paper’s readers. They knew the news was what wouldn’t be in the ads. He writes:
“Sidelining the Clydesdales drew plenty of criticism. Readers called and complained to the Post-Dispatch and on message boards. Twitter was burning. ‘Say it ain’t so! They’re the reason I watch!’ wrote one woman. ‘What are they thinking?’ lamented another. And: ‘Boo Hiss! Everybody loves the Clydesdales!’”
“Clipping the Clydesdales just didn’t seem to make sense — and readers picked up on that,” Todd says. “The Budweiser Clydesdales are symbols not only of A-B, but, in some way, of this city.”
Today’s Tip: Listen to your readers — whether that’s on the phone, message boards or on Twitter.
The result was a follow-up story on the public’s reaction and the fact that Anheuser-Busch was considering restoring the iconic draft horses to the Super Bowl ads, in which they’ve appeared 15 times.
It “sounds simple, but often reporters seem more attuned to the words and concerns of their sources and the ‘experts,’” Todd says. “Also, try to approach stories as a reader, from your audience’s point of view.”
