• by David Goetzl , February 21, 2008

It's a bit too easy to pick on a network that pays a fortune in rights fees for the Super Bowl and then does its best to sell enough spots and sponsorships to at least reach loss-leader status. But Fox deserves a flag for unsports-fan-like conduct for the following line from its Feb. 3 broadcast: "Up next it's Tom Petty as the Bridgestone Halftime Show begins ... But this has been the SoBe Life Water Halftime Show."

Announcer Curt Menefee delivered the run-on pitch as Halftime Show I during Super Bowl XLII gave way to Halftime Show II. The SoBe version included highlights and commentary with Menefee as the host, followed by the Petty-fronted Bridgestone part. As Menefee engineered the SoBe-to-Bridgestone handoff, he reminded viewers not to forget the post-game show--but only went two-for-three as he stopped short of adding a third sponsor to the stanza.

Networks have become pretty creative at finding ways to generate more and more revenue during sports broadcasts with newfangled exposures for sale, such as digitally inserting logos on signs made to look like a fan actually chose to write "Chevy Malibu" instead of, say, "Go Red Sox." But creating Halftime Shows I and II just to give another sponsor the chance to lay claim seems awfully unoriginal.

Never mind the actual risk for the sponsors themselves that viewers might be more confused than Tom Brady appeared at times by the Giants pass rush, and neither sponsor's message has any resonance.

Nonetheless, SoBe's parent company, Pepsi, appeared determined to ensure that the new Life Water brand had plenty of exposure leading into--and during--its half of halftime (one of the top product placements of the week, according to measurement firm iTVX). As the seconds wound down in the first half, play-by-play announcer Joe Buck mentioned the sponsorship several times (he called it the "SoBe Life Water Halftime Report," which was also written on screen). And the brand's image with the orange lizard got ample screen time.

Then, during Halftime Show I where Menefee was joined by three analysts, Fox employed what could be called the "four-shot" multiple times. That's when the camera pulled back to show Life Water signs behind two of the announcers' shoulders, a third sign in front of the desk they sat at, and a smaller logo next to the info ticker that moved across the bottom of the screen--all at once.

From Pepsi's standpoint, the strategy was clear. The company was using the game to launch the new brand as a direct competitor to rival Coke's thriving VitaminWater. Besides the halftime presence, there was the well-received spot with Naomi Campbell and the lizards celebrating the anniversary of "Thriller."

But while Pepsi apparently grabbed as much airtime as it could get for Life Water, it's possible that at least some of its efforts got drowned out.