February06

More Like Super Blow

What has happened to the Super Bowl? I remember getting plenty excited about hunkering down in front of the television for three+ hours just to watch the best of the best play on the field. Not only that, but also to watch the best of the best play off the field and during the commercial breaks. Sadly, the past four years have made me realize that the whole idea of the Super Bowl is a joke and isn’t what the NFL championship game should be.

First off, can you name one normal person, one normal fan, who has the means to see the Super Bowl in person (aside from those who won tickets)? If you can, I bet there’s not many more than whoever you just listed. Ticket prices for the Super Bowl have gotten outrageous and it’s not very conducive to those people who really are fans of their teams.

Secondly, the damn game isn’t played in EITHER teams home field (unless it’s by chance). No no no, we couldn’t do that, because not everyone has a dome field or plays in Florida or California. For Kansas City to even get a chance at hosting a Super Bowl, we had to put the idea of a rolling roof to a vote, and that’s not guaranteed. Besides, what’s the point if you don’t have home field advantage for being the better team in the regular season?

Thirdly, no one watches the Super Bowl to see Stevie Wonder or the Rolling Stones!!! No matter who the artist is, get them off the field, get the stupid planted fans off the field, and let’s play a game of football... preferably one with a normal 20-30 minute halftime.

Fourth, I’m tired of the “Best and Worst Day of Advertising.” This is a day where more money is spent (this year, $2.5M for a :30 second spot), more commercials are criticized and not one thing good comes out of it. I’d really like to see if Budweiser products get a boost in sales since Miller didn’t buy any slots this year. My guess, no. No one drinks more beer because the commercials are funny, we drink more beer because the commercials were lame.

On an ironic note, here’s my top ten list for last night’s best better commercials:

1. Bud Light – Hidden Bud Lights
   The idea of people going crazy nuts over finding free beers all over the office is funny, especially the guy punching holes in the walls.
2. CareerBuilder – Monkey Party
   Anything with a monkey is gold, but this spot is awesome because it makes the monkeys look like they’re smarter than they think they are. Great copy, great direction. Rumor is, the guy who came up with the idea is the guy in the spots, that’s a nice reward.
3. Budweiser – Wave
   I think this was one of the better executed spots and what a simple idea. How cool would it have been if this were real and not an animation?
4. Ameriquest – That Killed Him
   The Ameriquest spots from last year were arguably some of the best, and this year is no exception. Why a guy kills a fly with the paddles is beyond me, but very funny.
5. CareerBuilder – Pracitcal Jokers
   Along the same lines as the Monkey Party, witty.
6. Emerald Nuts – Machetes and Druids
   The other Emerald Nuts spots kill me, very odd, very off-the-wall, but funny as hell. This one, even better than the typical EN spots.
7. Sprint – Locker Room
   Dammit, I don’t want to like Sprint’s commercials, but ever since their merger with Nextel, I can’t help but like them. It doesn’t mean I like their service any better, just their creative direction and branding.
8. Ameriquest – Turbulence
   Yet again, the Ameriquest peeps are finding extremely awkward situations to turn into commercial gold.
9. Budweiser – Superfan
   These spots are always pretty fun and this one seemed a bit cheesier than normal, but not bad.
10. Toyota Tacoma – Invincible
    This one barely makes the list due to it’s realism factor. If this were real footage, then it’s rad, if not... then it’s super lame.

...Yeah, and the worst five:

1. Diet Pepsi – P. Diddy and Kung-Fu Can
   Nice waste of $5M+. These commercials were easily the worst and did nothing for Pepsi except make them laughable.
2. GoDaddy – The Approved Ad
   Let’s see, there’s a web site that you can buy domains at and their branding is all about big-breasted girls. Throw in some “controversy” and you’ve got one crappy commercial.
3. Gilette Fusion – Secret Experiment
   Did everyone rush out and buy this on the 5th? No. Did anyone care? No. Did everyone think of the 21-blade spoof commercial from SNL? Yes.
4. Capital One – Skiing in the Summer
   I’m tired of these commercials.
5. Aleve – Leonard Nimoy
   Please.

Let’s do better next year, shall we?

+ original post date: February 6, 2006 07:06 PM
+ categories: Advertising, Pop Culture, Sports, Television