Isn’t it interesting how branding and advertising strategies converge around the Super Bowl? No matter how what kind of products they’re promoting, companies and agencies seem to play copycat in the run-up to the big game. This year it’s all about teaser leaks and hashtags.

The game has changed: two days ago NBC already had a post up ranking the leaked clips, and most marketing execs “don’t see any downside” to releasing ads ahead of time, thereby foregoing “the ‘aha’ moment” when viewers see future classic commercials for the first time. Their theory: all buzz is good buzz, and social sharing could make their ads even bigger. Just because people have seen or heard of them before doesn’t mean the public response will be any less positive.

Not everyone agrees, though: a marketing professor tells the New York Times that leaks only work for particularly “dynamic, innovative or exciting” ads, while “old school” ad execs prefer the “element of surprise” that comes from making the public wait. The Bleacher Report blog even theorizes that the leaks will lead to decreased viewership since so many Americans are more interested in watching the commercials than the game itself.

So let us know, readers. Click through for the poll.

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In somewhat surprising and discouraging news, an international study conducted by Adobe and Edelman Berland found that the public values the work of marketers less than the work of bankers and politicians. Sigh.

The worst part about the study (and its handy infographic PDF)? A quarter of its participants were themselves marketing professionals—and they were twice as likely as members of the general public to name their own profession as “least valuable”! Why did Edelman choose to arrange the sample in this way? They must have had a hunch that marketers don’t think too highly of themselves.

Other revealing/contradictory findings:

• Despite the fact that 53% of participants call marketing “a bunch of BS”, well over 90% also say it’s “strategic to business” and “paramount to driving sales”. So the public hates it but agrees that it is both necessary and effective? Those are some conflicting emotions right there.
• The public’s favorite place to view ads is “in their favorite magazines”–and their least favorite place seems to be “on their favorite TV shows”. Way to screw with the dominant business model, guys.
• A majority of participants call online ads “annoying”, and a paltry 3% like to see paid spots on social media. Oh and, yes, Facebook “likes” almost never drive them to buy stuff.

See, but here’s the thing that really irks us most about this poll…

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