The $7 Million Mistake: Why "Cute" Doesn't Always Mean "Good" in Video Marketing

Let’s be real for a second: many people don’t like mayonnaise. Some prefer Miracle Whip, and some just like a plain, dry sandwich (judgement-free zone here).

But regardless of your stance on condiments, you might find it interesting that a Super Bowl LVIII commercial, which costs roughly $7 million for 30 seconds of airtime, can have all the right ingredients and still result in a bland sandwich.

I’m talking about the Hellmann’s Mayo commercial featuring Kate McKinnon and the "Mayo Cat."

To the uninitiated, this video seemingly has nothing wrong with it. It’s memorable, it introduces a fun new character, and it features a world-famous actress. However, as videographers and storytellers, if we look a little deeper, we see a classic case of Selective Attention hurting a brand.

Here is why this ad failed to stick the landing, and how you can avoid making the same mistake in your own client work.

The Problem: Who is the Main Character?

The ad starts with Kate McKinnon looking in the fridge. She has no ingredients. Her cat meows, it sounds like "Mayo," and suddenly the cat becomes a world-famous culinary icon. It’s a funny premise.

So, what’s the issue? The issue is Visual Hierarchy. In video production, your job is to direct the viewer's eye to the most important thing in the frame. In a commercial, that "thing" is the product.

In this ad, the cat is the issue. I would argue the cat is more influential in this video than the actual Mayo.

• Scale: The cat is almost always larger in the frame than the mayonnaise bottle.

• Motion: Every time the mayo is actually on screen, it is either motion-blurred by fast camera movement, overshadowed by the cute animal, or brushed by in a split second.

If an older demographic (the primary buyers of mayo) saw this ad, I doubt they would even comprehend what product was being sold. The video was too fast-paced, and the "hero" of the shot was the pet, not the product solving the problem.

The "Geico Effect" Comparison

Some might argue, "But Blake, Geico uses a Gecko, and it works!" That is true. But watch a Geico ad again. The Gecko rarely says anything without explicitly mentioning that you can save 15% or more on car insurance. That value proposition is drilled into your brain until the day you die.

Hellmann’s tried to do the same, but the connection was weak. The cat was cute, but the value of the mayo (making leftovers taste better) was lost in the chaos of the cat's fame.

The Director’s Cut: How I Would Fix It

If Splendor Media had the reins on this shoot, here is how we would restructure the video to fix the Selective Attention problem:

1. Fix the Framing: We need a static, clear shot of the bottle. No motion blur. Let the audience read the label. If the bottle design is boring, redesign it. Start the video with a fresh, amazing-looking bottle so the audience knows exactly what the subject is.

2. Focus on the Solution: Have the cat suggest mayo, but then immediately cut to the result, a close-up, mouth-watering shot of the leftovers turning into a gourmet meal.

3. The "Gordon Ramsay" Pivot: Instead of a montage of the cat getting famous, let’s spend that budget on a conflict. Imagine a legendary face-off: Culinary genius Gordon Ramsay with his Miracle Whip vs. Kate McKinnon with her Hellmann’s leftover recipe.

   • Kate and the cat win.

   • This taps into the human love of competition.

   • It positions Hellmann's as the superior taste.

The Takeaway for Creators

Whether you are shooting a Super Bowl ad or a local spot for a dentist, remember this: Your "cool idea" cannot overshadow the client's message. It is easy to get lost in the sauce (literally). You might fall in love with a cool camera transition, a funny prop, or a great piece of music. But if the viewer remembers the transition and forgets the brand, you have failed. The product must be the Main Character. The main character must solve the audience's problem.

Don't let your "Mayo Cat" steal the focus from the mayo itself.

Have you ever filmed a project where the message got lost in the visuals? Let me know in the comments below!