Super Bowl Sunday is a big day. Large quantities of beer, pizza and wings are consumed by millions of Americans across the country as they tune in to watch the big game. While football fans might find entertainment in watching a ball get carried, thrown and kicked up and down a field, the rest of us are only in it for the commercials. The Super Bowl is the event for TV advertising. Some of the best commercials of the year are unveiled on Super Bowl Sunday.
It makes sense that the Super Bowl would draw in the big advertisers. Nielsen Media Research reported that 90.7 million viewers tuned in to last years Super Bowl. With that many people watching, its no surprise that 30 seconds of air time during the event costs around 2.5 million dollars. Advertisers willing to shell out that kind of money are going to want to fill the time they’ve bought with 30 seconds of the most creative and engaging TV spot they can come up with.
After scouring You Tube in search of super bowl commercials, I noticed something interesting. In previous years, there have been some big budget ads which often include celebrities and run on for much longer than 30 seconds. However, last year the most memorable commercials were shorter and didn’t include anyone famous. Instead, the creators relied on pure, simple humor to sell their product.
Take Bud Light’s “Magic Fridge” commercial that aired during the 2006 Super Bowl:
Let’s compare the above to this Pepsi ad that ran during the 2002 Super Bowl:
Britney Spears was paid millions of dollars for the contract she had with Pepsi. This included the Super Bowl ad as well as a series of other advertisements that came before it. Add that expense to the cost of the minute and a half of Super Bowl ad space and you’re looking at a pretty hefty fee for what was essentially just a music video with lots of Pepsi logos in it. In the end, I have to wonder if it was really worth it. Sure, it’s a fun video but was it any more or less effective than the Bud Light commercial in terms of promoting the product? The Magic Fridge ad is simple, funny and has a great punch line. It cost Bud Light a fraction of what Pepsi spent on their ad and I’m sure people enjoyed it just as much, if not more, than the Pepsi Music Video.
Here’s a video that FedEx ran during last year’s Super Bowl:
Once again, simple and funny. It’s the kind of commercial you can rewind and watch over and over again.
Super Bowl commercials don’t always have to be funny in order to be effective. However, if advertisers do decide to go with the dramatic and emotional style of advertising, they have to make sure they don’t take it to far.
Below is a commercial that Nuveen Investments did back in 2000:
Does anyone else remember watching this and feeling kind of uncomfortable? Obviously now in retrospect, the commercial is kind of sad but even when it first aired (which was years before Christopher Reeve died) I remember thinking, “What a total gimmick”. Digitally grafting Reeve’s head to someone else’s body and having him walk across a stage was supposed to give us hope for the future, but I think it missed its mark. Was it engaging? Did it give me hope for the future? No, it just made me feel uncomfortable. If the intent of the commercial was to get people talking, it worked but I’m not really sure it made people want to invest with Nuveen.
When it comes to Super Bowl commercials, I’m definitely of the mindset that less is more. It seems like this is the current trend for the time being which is a good thing. Rather than throwing millions of dollars away on a glorified music video or a gimmicky ad involving a quadriplegic, advertisers might consider going the FedEx and Bud Light route with a simple clever ad that will engage viewers, effectively promote the product and in many cases, be remembered for years to come.
What are some of your favorite Super Bowl commercials? Do you prefer the big flashy ones or do you agree that the simpler ones are the most memorable?
Super Bowl XLI: Bears vs. Colts (CBS) 6:25 pm
Here’s a cheat sheet for those of you who are attending some sort of Super Bowl function but know nothing about football – The (Chicago) Bears are playing the (Indianapolis) Colts in the Dolphins stadium in Miami. Don’t try to ask someone to explain football to you, today is not the day for that. Instead, drink lots of beer, eat unhealthy food, join in on the “pool” if there is one and make sure not to miss the Half-time show, Prince is set to perform.
’How I Met Your Mother’ (CBS) 8:00 pm
Monday Night Football - (New!) – The gang has to miss the Super Bowl in order to attend a funeral.
Watch: ’24’ (Fox) 9:00 pm
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm- (New!) – The last we saw of Jack, his brother had sent him and their father to their death. I’m pretty sure Jack will find a way out of it.
TiVo: ’Heroes’ (NBC) 9:00 pm
Distractions- (New!) – Hiro tries to explain his mission to his father, Claire goes to meet her mother and Peter continues trying to learn how to harness his power.
’American Idol’ (Fox) 8:00 pm
San Antonio – (New!) – The judges head over to Texas. Anyone else getting tired of the auditions?
”Veronica Mars” (CW) 9:00 pm
There’s Got To Be A Morning After Pill (New!) – Veronica helps a girl who was slipped a morning after pill which caused her to miscarry her baby. Chances are, this is where the “I’m Pregnant” line that we saw in the previews comes in. Also, Veronica confronts Logan about sleeping with Madison.
’American Idol’ (FOX) 9:00 pm
According to TV Guide this is a “best of” the auditions from around the country. I guess after subjecting us to the worst of American vocalists for weeks, they’re finally going to show us more of the people who actually made it to Hollywood.
’Lost’ (ABC) 10:00 pm
Not In Portland(New!) – Finally, ‘Lost’ returns! The episode will pick up where they left off last year. The flashbacks will be about Juliet.
”Ugly Betty” (ABC) 8:00 pm
Brothers - (New!) – Alex Meade returned to Mode last week with a huge coming out announcement. Now Betty will have to help deal with the aftermath of Fashion Week. Will Betty be able to keep the peace between Daniel and Alex(is)?
”The Office” (NBC) 8:30 pm
Phyllis’ Wedding - (New!) – Phyllis regrets appointing Michael with an important task during her wedding. Please don’t tell me she asked him to give her away! Meanwhile Pam reflects on her own cancelled wedding. Could this be the episode in which she reconsiders her relationship with Roy? We all know that’s going to happen sooner or later.
’Grey’s Anatomy’ (ABC) 9:00 pm
Walking on Water - (New!) – The previews for this episode showed something big. Some major disaster takes place near the hospital that the interns have to help deal with . This will be the first part in a three part episode.
”Men In Trees” (ABC) 10:00 pm
Nice Girls Finish Last - (New!) – Lynn isn’t sure if she wants to invite Marin to her baby shower. Buzz gets to know his son and Jane decides to stay in Elmo and telecommute. Somehow I don’t see that working for very long.
Back To The Future III (ABCFam) 8:00 pm
The third and final installment in the classic trilogy. Marty goes back to the 1800’s to rescue Doc Brown.
Final Destination 3 (HBO) 7:00 pm
Somewhat predictable but worth a watch anyway. A word of caution though, if you’re the type of person who enjoys going to tanning salons, you might want to pass on this movie or at least be prepared to be seriously grossed out.
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