Super Bowl Ads Lost Their Super Powers

The Super Bowl advertisements this year just weren't...super. Maybe it was the budget cuts to advertisements caused by our ongoing recession. Maybe it was the obnoxious sorority girls at the Super Bowl party I attended that insisted on singing Spice Girls and playing flip-cup as opposed to watching the game. Regardless, I was able to take some time to watch all the advertisements without distractions after the game and I came to some conclusions.




Let’s be honest. When you go to the bar and order yourself a cold Bud, it’s NOT because it’s the best tasting beer. It’s because it’s your “go-to” beer. You know that every bar will have it and that no one will look at you funny for ordering it. Your father drank it, your grandfather drank it and someday, your son will probably drink it. It’s a symbol of what is America just like McDonald’s or Barack Obama.



Therefore, when Budweiser thinks of commercials, they aren’t always overtly product-heavy. Much to the chagrin of some of my cohorts, my favorite ad of the night was the Clydesdale Lovers. Prior to the Clydesdale Lovers, there was a previous commercial with Bud Light in an office meeting which was more on the traditional product placement side. Why does the emotional response commercial work over the obvious cheap laugh commercial?

The Clydesdale represents those fond memories of your first beer with the soft focus lens capturing the struggle of two horses in love, with many people, does not connect to beer…but who cares? Those horses fighting for their love against all odds works for the American beer drinker because we all have some emotional response within us that is secretly a sucker for love stories. Advertisers know this and use it. Even if we aren’t aware of the significance of Clydesdales in the Budweiser history, they are important because they symbolize tradition which America prides itself on. For those who don’t know, August A. Busch, Jr. gave a group of Clydesdales to his father, the President of Anheiser-Busch, in celebration of the repealing of Prohibition in 1933. Thank you, Wikipedia.

For many, the other top favorite of the night was the Career Builder ad showing bad times at work essentially. It was funny and got the brand message across clearly. I was particularly amused by the punching of a Koala bear that was obviously a puppet, obviously wearing glasses, and most certainly had a British accent.



My issue with this one might be a bit too philosophical but follow me for a moment. In the current times, hunting for a career is not a cavalier endeavor. People aren’t looking for new jobs because they are dreaming of riding dolphins or punching koala bears. They are hunting for new jobs because they are losing their current employment. Every major company is announcing layoffs by the 1000s. So, while Career Builder is known for its sense of humor, it may not translate as well as they think.

I don’t think Career Builder needed to be intensely serious but I think that they failed to relate to their real audience: the unemployed American. Then again, advertising is a matter of perception. It’s possible that with the tough times, everyone was looking for a laugh. After they chuckle, they could consequently start snooping around the website.

As for the rest of the ads, they were honestly disappointing as a whole with the possible exception of the 3D ads for Monsters vs. Aliens which led into an ad about SoBe which then led into a 3D ad for NBC’s Chuck. According to the Associated Press, Jeffrey Katzenberg, DreamWorks Animation chief executive, said: "It's perhaps the biggest media-advertising event in history" and "involves tens of millions of dollars.” The companies sent 150 million 3D glasses across the country which used a new Intel InTru 3D and ColorCode 3D technology, replacing the old red-blue Anaglyph system. To learn more check out this article.

I hope the advertisers find a way to "spice up" their ads for next year.