Commentary

Super Bowl or Super Bull .... ?

by justin , February 10, 2011

I know its Thursday and you are sick of hearing about the Super Bowl but I just have to continue the discussion. I am a huge sports fan, so I was really excited for this year’s big game and it did not disappoint me at all.

Something else disappointed me, though. No, it wasn’t the very disturbing debauchery of the National Anthem by Miss Aguilera. It wasn’t the TRON themed, glowing, bedazzled football gear that the Black Eyed Peas wore at halftime. It was actually the long awaited airing of the “Super Bowl commercials.” Let me go into detail why this bugs me.

Don’t get me wrong, there were some very entertaining commercials that aired during the game. I’m just really bothered by how much attention the commercials get. Companies go way over budget and spend way too much time on these commercials only to have them critically picked apart by the largest television audience of the year. Why do that to yourself? I understand that this is the most watched program on television and that your ad can reach millions of viewers. That’s awesome. Those millions of viewers are going to literally critique your commercial to the bone simply because it aired during the Super Bowl. It has become such a big deal now and while probably everyone in America would say that a Super Bowl ad is the best ad possible, I am going to be bold and stubborn by saying that ad can hurt your business just as much as it can help it.

I know for a fact that everyone I watched the game with was keying in on those ads so hard that we found ourselves still bashing the commercials when the game was over, even continuing into the week. Now, you might say: “That’s what they want you to do. They have your attention now.” That, my friends, is where you are wrong. A good commercial is not one that gets stuck in your head. A good commercial is not one that makes you laugh hysterically. In the words of Mr. Dan O’Day, "a good commercial is a commercial that SELLS."

So, sorry Brisk, your Eminem commercial was really cool but I’ve been to the gas station 3 times this week and none of those visits resulted in a purchase. Doritos, your ads were by far the funniest but I regret to inform you that yesterday I chose your shelf-neighbor Chex Mix for my mid-day snack.

I understand why these companies want to pay the big bucks for a Super Bowl ad, but I just don’t think they are as effective as everyone portrays them to be. Why not put that same time and effort into your ads year around? Try that and see how sales are looking.

Or I could be completely wrong. This is just MY opinion.

super bowl

3 comments about "Super Bowl or Super Bull .... ?".

Check to receive email when comments are posted.

jessie, February 11, 2011 at 2:18 p.m.
As an avid Colts fan, I found myself less than interested in the game this year.
However, come game time, there were approximately 35 girls filling my living room and kitchen ready to tackle some pizza and football. Well... I would say a very small percentage of them actually watch sports but I must have heard at least half the girls mention showing up to watch the commercials.
My point is, I agree with you. In fact, I think the general concensus from my "expert" friends this year was that all the commercials were terrible. I never knew 35 girls could be so mean, but they were. They had a negative comment about every single commercial that aired and most of the time, I agreed completely.
Reply

Ace Howard from Ball State University, February 11, 2011 at 8:01 p.m.

This is coming from a huge football fan: the entire event was a disappointment to me. The game was not very exciting even considering that the team I was rooting against lost, Aguilera goofed, the Black Eyed Peas demonstrated how much production goes into their music, and last but not least: the commercials didn't do anything for anybody.

As for your argument, I completely understand where you are coming from. None of those commercials created the slightest feeling that I should buy their product. Unlike this former Super Bowl commercial. This one sells products. I actually considered buying it once while I was shopping for bathroom supplies at the start of the semester. This is saying something as commercials don't usually sway me.

Also, it's been almost a week since the game and I don't even remember half of the commercials that were aired...

Rita Allenrallen@freshaddress.com from FreshAddress, Inc., February 14, 2011 at 10:28 a.m.

Just last night I was telling someone about the cell phone commercial where the skiers on the lift were chatting about Guy A's former girl friend and Guy B is now involved with her and the Guy A chucked Guy B's cell phone when she called...Can I remember the cell phone brand? No...But I do recall the chuckle I got thinking regarding the reality of that scenario? Sure do :)