Out to Launch Super Bowl Edition -- Day 5

by Amy Corr, Jan 30, 2009, 3:00 PM

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It's the final day of pre-Super Bowl ad madness. Today we take a look at GE, Pepsi and Gatorade. Let's launch! 

GE is making its Super Bowl debut as the first commercial to run during the fourth quarter. "Scarecrow" is a modern-day take on "The Wizard of Oz" song, "If I only had a brain." It's great. The 30-second spot begins with a scarecrow made from old, outdated electrical parts, singing and dancing atop a power grid. Much like the movie scarecrow, this electrically-crafted version is also afraid of birds. The ad promotes GE's Smart Grid technology, an effort to create more efficient, sustainable electrical energy grids. Smart Grid technology "will make the way we distribute energy more efficient simply by making it more intelligent," says the voiceover. The ad ends with the scarecrow en route to the Emerald City, or should I say sustainable energy city? Watch the ad here, created by BBDO New York. 

Pepsi is launching a 60-second feel-good spot called "Refresh Anthem" during the big game. The spot takes Bob Dylan's popular hit from the '70s, "Forever Young," and refreshes it for the younger generation. We're treated to vintage Dylan shots as he croons in the background. Then the song is "refreshed" with Will.i.am, from the Black Eyed Peas. Was no other artist from the current generation available? Will.i.am raps a verse from "Forever Young" as events from the past are updated with present-day occurrences. Remember when lighters were used to illuminate concerts? These days, that's what cell phones are for. Shrek replaces Gumby, but patriotism remains the same. "Every generation refreshes the world," concludes the ad, seen here. TBWA/Chiat/Day, Los Angeles created the commercial.

What is G? It's the new brand identity for Gatorade and consonant that differentiates dedicated athletes from everyone else. Athletes from Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Serena Williams, Derek Jeter and Misty May-Treanor appear in the ad that uses Lil Wayne as the voiceover. And I recognized his distinctive voice immediately. What does that say about me? Gifted, glorious, genius and G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) are spoken, as athletes, shot in black and white, pass by. "What's G? It is the heart, hustle and soul of the game," ends the ad, seen here. The ad also directs eyeballs to a newly launched Web site, MissionG.com, featuring a hodgepodge of content. "Talking Heads" lets the athletes do the talking about what "G" is and what they do to differentiate themselves from others. Peyton Manning, Tiger Woods and Jackie Joyner-Kersee, among others, share inspirational nuggets on how to succeed. My favorite: "G is what gets you up at 6 a.m. when no one else is awake because you want to be better than anyone else out there." See the ad here. TBWA/Chiat/Day, Los Angeles created the campaign.

 
I've watched the Monster.com ad, created by BBDO New York. I can't post or talk about it, however; but I will say this: I thought it was funny, but in the Super Bowl ad battle between online job sites, I think Careerbuilder.com wins.

 
I can't talk about the two E*TRADE ads, created by Grey New York, either. But I will leave you with this: one ad I watched five times, because I thought it was that funny, while the other ad I watched just once and walked away with that "eh" feeling.

  
And this concludes the pre-game Super Bowl ad extravaganza; I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope to see you on Monday for post-Super Bowl highlights in my other column, Media Creativity. Enjoy the game!

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