As an iPhone 4S owner myself, I’ve noticed that I’ve been using Apple’s voice assistant less and less as time goes on. It’s not that Siri wasn’t useful on many occasions – because she was. It probably has something to do with being set in my ways. My first thought is always to just do something manually – set a reminder, look up something – before I even think about poor Siri just sitting there, waiting to help me.

For their part, Apple is still pushing Siri as the main draw of the iPhone 4S. They’ve just released two new TV spots, both of which highlight some of the various ways that Siri can be rather useful.

The first ad, called “Road Trip,” shows all of the things that Siri can help you with while you’re, well, on a road trip. The users ask for directions, nearest gas stations, facts about Orion, and even “where are we” when they get lost. Check it out below:

The next ad, entitled “Rock God” is probably the best of the two. It also stars Siri, but this one is about an aspiring musician. Siri helps him locate a guitar, learn how to play a couple of classic rock songs, and even text some girls about his garage show. Check it out:

As you might have caught, both ads feature Siri calling up Wolfram Alpha in order to fulfill her requests. That partnership has been particularly beneficial to Wolfram Alpha, as they recently said that Siri accounts for about 25% of their queries.

[Hat tip to Slashgear]

The only catch: you didn’t see it.

Nobody did. Well, almost nobody – one small community of people in North Platte, Nebraska, saw it because that was the only area in the country where the ad appeared. In fact, Deadspin reports that North Platte is the second-smallest TV market in the country. In case you don’t live in North Platte (and since there’s less than 25K people that live there, you probably don’t) and thus missed the commercial, here’s the epically elusive ad for Old Milwaukee Beer featuring Will Ferrell:

Beyond the hilarious fact that this ad was only seen by a mere handful of people on a day celebrated for commercial exuberance, the 15-second ad cuts off to the local news affiliate right as Ferrell beings to talk! That totally wins February. It does. It wins this month, likely March, and maybe even a few more months ahead. Amazing.

Somewhere, whether he’s dead or alive, Andy Kaufman is wearing that crazed smile of his with approval.

PS – If you’re so inclined, an HD version of this can be viewed at the above link to Deadspin.

“The ad has to really connect with consumers on an emotional level,” he said.

Daboll went on to say that consumers should be able to remember the brand, the product, and goal of the ad.

What’s your all-time favorite Super Bowl commercial? We’d love to know.

Interestingly, many brands think that getting a celebrity spokesperson will automatically guarantee success. Based on the ad effectiveness research from Ace Metrix, Daboll said this is completely false. The company found that, during last year’s Super Bowl, ads that didn’t include celebrities performed 9.2 percent better than those ads with celebrities.

What’s even more interesting is that Ace Metrix found that animals are a much safer bet than celebrities. According to its data, 21 percent of ads with animals performed better than ads with celebrities.

Daboll told us that celebrities stir emotions, both for the good and for the bad. Animals, on the other hand, appeal to a large demographic.

It appears that Sketchers is paying attention to this research since it replaced its spokesmodel Kim Kardashian with a dog earlier this month.

Here’s Kardashian’s 2011 Super Bowl ad for Sketchers:

Last year’s research also shows that Internet companies need to step up their game this year. Half of Ace Metrix’s 10 least effective Super Bowl ads were from dot-com companies such as Salesforce, Groupon, LivingSocial, and GoDaddy.

“The Internet companies think they’re funny and just roll with it,” said Daboll. “A lot of times they just completely miss the mark.”

Chances are, everyone remembers Groupon’s Tibet ad that sparked so much conflict for the company.

Daboll believes if Groupon had tested this ad, it wouldn’t have been aired. He said testing is a key component of success and that it’s surprising how many ads are not tested, even though the companies pay millions for them.

For Groupon specifically, the company was forced to deal with a major PR crisis following last year’s Super Bowl, which, no doubt, cost the company considerably.

Many brands also make the mistake of targeting too narrowly for the big game. Daboll told us that Super Bowl ads should be created for broad appeal. If a brand is trying to reach a group of young males, a specific group of women, or some other very niche demographic, he said that the Super Bowl was not the right venue.

For this year’s Super Bowl, there has been a little controversy since more and more companies are releasing their ads early. They’re argument is that the ad can gain more momentum, especially in social media.

One of the most popular early releases is Honda’s CRV commercial that is a mini follow up to the hit movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

While Daboll understands the justification for releasing ads early, he thinks it is risky since there is an advantage to having a “surprise factor.”

“If someone tells you a joke for the first time, it’s a lot funnier than if you heard it 3 or 4 times,” he pointed out.

This year will also likely see a greater integration with social media. Daboll said there would be a lot of experimentation in this area as brands determine how they can incorporate interactive elements.

Although the winners won’t be known until Sunday, Daboll said that since Coca-Cola, M&M’s, and Doritos consistently produce effective spots, they would likely be in the top this year too.

What do you think makes an effective ad? Please share your thoughts.

As the 2012 Super Bowl ads roll in during the big game on February 5th, they will become available on the channel as well.

We’re kicking off the Hulu AdZone, presented by Toyota. AdZone offers you easy access to all of the Super Bowl ads available on Hulu today, from iconic ads from as early as 1973 to preview ads from 2012 (like VW’s Bark Side). Browse through ads from 2008 to 2011, and new this year, Hulu has partnered with Advertising Age to highlight celebrity cameos as well as their expert picks for the most iconic Super Bowl ads of all time, including Apple’s groundbreaking “1984.” And don’t forget to come back on game day, February 5, to watch all of this year’s ads in real time, share them with your friends, and vote for your favorites. We’ll announce our users’ pick for the best ad of 2012 on Monday, February 6.

YouTube has also launched their Super Bowl ad channel this year, Ad Blitz. It works a lot like Hulu’s Ad Zone – as in it will display all the new ads once they air during the game, and users will be allowed to vote on their favorites.

Hulu’s interface is putting a little more emphasis on the nostalgia of Super Bowl ads and taking you on a trip down memory lane – from Mean Joe Green to Volkswagen’s popular ad “The Force.”

Along with the Ad Age’s “best ads of all time” category, AdZone has categories for leaked and preview ads, Hulu editor picks, celebrity cameo ads, baby and animal ads, and fan-made submissions.

Head on over to AdZone to see a comprehensive playlist of the most memorable Super Bowl ads of all time. Or whet your appetite with my favorite, Terry Tate: Office Linebacker.

Because of this, companies tend to bring out the big guns for Super Bowl ads, which means that they are often better than your everyday run-of-the-mill ads.

So if you enjoy Super Bowl commercials, YouTube and NBC have a place you can go to catch all of them. YouTube is returning with Ad Blitz, the “premier online gallery” of Super Bowl commercials.

YouTube’s Ad Blitz channel will post the Super Bowl ads after they’ve aired during the game on NBC. After the game is over, a voting period will begin allowing users to choose the best of the bunch.

The YouTube Ad Blitz channel is already live, but it doesn’t yet include any 2012 commercials. You can find tailgating videos, party food recipes and dozens of the best ads from 2011, however.

Troy Ewanchyna, Vice President, Business Development & Digital Strategies, NBC Sports Group, noted, “YouTube’s Ad Blitz is the perfect platform for us to extend our online promotion for our coverage of Super Bowl XLVI. The post-game Ad Blitz and the next-day Google+ Hangout allow us to extend our coverage and continue to serve viewers even when the game has concluded.”

BONUS: During the post-game, Google+ will host a special hangout with an “NBC Celebrity.” More to come on exactly who that will be.

Hulu also announced their own Super Bowl ad-viewing service today with the launch of AdZone. There, you can take a trip down memory lane with the best commercials from as early as 1973.

What do you think costs more? A public service announcement on YouTube, or unique (and often funny) ad content to be consumed by the masses, complete with actors who want to be paid for their time? The answer is pretty obvious, especially once you see FedEx’s thoughtful response, one that undoubtedly was cheaper to make. There’s nothing wrong with a pragmatic approach, especially if the message is getting through:

It should be noted the FedEx apology has not received near the amount of views as the package-tossing video did, which isn’t surprising. Controversy sells, especially when the mainstream media picks up on it, and the offending video was seen on local news channels across the nation. It’s actually unfortunate these same outlets won’t give the apology the same kind of airplay, but then again, being nice doesn’t sell quite as well.

It should also be noted the fate of the delivery driver is unknown. In the apology, Matthew Thornton III, FedEx Express Senior VP, indicates the driver is no longer working with customers, but the implication is being made that he’s still employed with FedEx. Maybe they have him locked in the company pillory as punishment.

I’m guessing the Apple 4s will be the big winner there, but nothing has been decided yet. In fact, some of us would rather enjoy Thanksgiving before transitioning to Christmas, but that hasn’t stopped the big box stores from rolling out their various Holiday Season ad campaigns.

Aside: for those of you who want your holidays to go in order, this is for you:

Whatever the case, Currys nailed these offerings, so much so, in fact, that if they were Currys PC World stores in United States, I’d consider shopping there before going to Best Buy. Take a look for yourself:

With that in mind, the Google Chrome YouTube page has recently debuted two new videos, and much like the Super Bowl commercial, the “ads” feature a myriad of ways Google’s web browser can make your life easier. As indicated, the videos don’t make much use of the humorous approach, instead of relying on more on the dramatic. Of the two videos, one is receiving the majority of the publicity because of its subject matter: An appeal to persecuted gay people, saying that life does indeed get better.

The “It Gets Better” commercial also appeared as a televised commercial, appearing during the latest episode of Glee. To create “It Gets Better,” Google made use of content from the “It Gets Better” channel, a service started by Dan Savage. Savage is, among other things, a gay activist who created the “It Gets Better” project as an invitation for positive content aimed at bullied, and/or persecuted gay people.

Some of contributed videos include such celebrities and dignitaries like the White House Staff, staff members from NBC Universal, Senator Sherrod Brown, David Cameron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and staff members from Apple, to name a few.

Check out the Google Chrome commercial and see what you think:

As for the other Google Chrome commercial, the subject of fatherhood is discussed; specifically, using Google Chrome to preserve memories of your children. In “Dear Sophie,” Chrome isn’t as much a browser as it is a scrapbook/time capsule. See for yourself:

As for each commercial’s reception, the responses seem generally positive, with “likes” for both videos far exceeding the “dislikes.” One thing that stands out is the view count for “It Gets Better” far exceeds the count for “Dear Sophie” by over 100,000 views. Sure,the appearance on Glee had a lot to do with that, but “Dear Sophie” was run during the One Tree Hill time slot.

Apparently, Glee use the Internet more than their One Tree Hill counterparts.

The company uploaded the new commercial to its (Google-owned) YouTube channel. Accompanying the video is a short description:

"When you’re looking for a restaurant that is family friendly, romantic, or maybe something with an otherworldly atmosphere, use Bing’s reviews to stop searching and start deciding."

You also may be seeing this ad on a television near you.

What do you think of the latest Bing commercial? Is it good or does it "suck"? Ah Ah. (That was supposed to be the Count). Share your thoughts here.

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> Have You Seen Bing’s Commercials Yet?

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> Microsoft Seinfeld Ad Not Exactly a Hit

I have to admit I don’t mind the commercials. I don’t know if they’ll be converting me to a full-time Bing user, but they’re not bad, and seem to be going over better than the Seinfeld/Gates ones.

Not everybody loves the new commercials, but repsonses are ranging from "I think these are funny and great," to "These are annoying, I hate them." These are presumbaly from those who know Microsoft has recently released a new search engine. Then you have some like this:

Just before Bing’s arrival, it was reported that Microsoft was spending $80-100 million on advertising Bing. This would include TV, radio, print, and online ads.