Bowl – Fast:Forward Farther

February 6, 2012

Beholder’s Eye

Imagine being a marketing executive for Budweiser or Doritos or Pepsi – and having the pressure to deliver a Super Bowl ad that’s more entertaining and effective than last year. You might come up with the memorable ‘Weego’ featuring a dog that fetches Bud Light when you call its name or create the clever ‘sling baby’ that snags a bag of chips out of big brother bully’s hands. Then again, you might have a distorted opinion that your audience is moved to make a purchase because you show Danica Patrick scantily clad or David Beckham in his briefs.

Sometimes I wonder who has more pressure in ‘America’s Biggest Sporting Event’: the players and coaches or the advertisers. Yesterday’s game really didn’t have a clear winner in the ‘what happens during timeouts at $3.5 million every 30 seconds’ category. I heard a radio announcer this morning say, “We kept waiting and nothing outstanding ever appeared.”

The challenge with trying to top your greatest hit is it’s difficult to keep raising the bar. (Think about Madonna’s new single as compared to some of her best-known releases.) That’s why some are questioning Tom Brady’s legacy today… as if taking his team to five Super Bowls isn’t enough of a career accomplishment. On the other hand, experts are talking Hall of Fame for Eli Manning. What a difference a couple of minutes make at sports’ highest level.

For the rest of us mere mortals, perhaps it’s best to just try and be a little better each day. Over time that makes a big difference in the results of your company. Most of all, thank your stars there aren’t 80,000 people and a billion more around the world watching you work right now.

For the record, at the Super Bowl party I attended, laughs were loudest for these five spots:

M&M’s – ‘It’s that kind of a party’
Doritos – ‘Dog buries cat collar’
Skechers – ‘Mr. Quigley dog racing’
ETrade – ‘Speed Dating’
Acura – ‘Jerry Seinfeld’

January 31, 2012January 30, 2012

Unique Opportunity

Listening to ESPN Radio in the lead-up to Sunday’s Super Bowl, I heard several former players talk about their career experiences. The Patriots’ All-Pro linebacker Teddy Bruschi mentioned playing in five championship games over 12 years. When he said it was no fun losing two of the Roman numeral classics, an ex defensive tackle – who never got there in a decade of chances – said, “I’m not feeling sorry for you.”

The Super Bowl, of course, is the biggest thing in American sports, with the nation – and many around the world – stopping to watch the plays, see the halftime performance and check out the new commercials. It’s become a tradition to gather with family and friends each February for cheering, celebration and critiquing… and a lot of good food.

My personal brush with greatness that is the Super Bowl happened 30 years ago this month. As a 21-year-old producer of sports at a local television station in Dallas, my heart was ripped out when Dwight Clark out-leaped Everson Walls to beat the Cowboys in the NFC Championship and send the 49ers on to Detroit where they won the first of their five titles. I was standing just yards away when he made what came to be forever known as ‘The Catch.’ Unfortunately, that’s the closest I’ve come to making it to football’s summit.

So when you watch the Super Bowl, regardless of which team you’re rooting for, think about all the players who will only have this one opportunity to perform on that stage. It takes years of hard work and dedication to make it in the NFL, and a few athletes will never again experience such lofty heights. Here’s hoping it’s a great game… and some unheralded player turns in the performance of his life.

February 7, 2011February 7, 2011

Ho Hum

You would think a Super Bowl that came down to the final minute before the Packers were assured of victory over the Steelers would be memorable; however, last night’s game didn’t seem as suspense-filled as the past three close contests.

The halftime show with the Black Eyed Peas disappointed, thanks to poor audio and over-production. Going forward, maybe it would be better to stick to the normal 12 minutes and skip the entertainment.

As for the commercials… well, it’s clear the golden age of ‘Did you see that one?’ spots is past. Most these days are average, a few are entertaining and some are obvious examples of ad agencies wasting clients’ money. Note to E-Trade: Time to retire the talking baby.

The best ad of Super Bowl XLV was a freebie: the NFL spot in which all the sit com stars of old were outfitted in team gear. (No, they didn’t really wear those back in the day. It was, as my father used to say, ‘trick photography’ thanks to computer animation.)

Here is my analysis, based on the reactions of those around me:

Best

“Hack Job” – The game’s first spot about a kitchen remodeling that consists solely of placing a six-pack of Bud Light on the counter tops the list. Simplicity at its finest.

“Young Darth Vader” – Everyone loved the little kid trying to find his ‘force.’ The shock on his face when dad remotely starts the VW was a terrific finish.

“Detroit” – The teenagers at our party unanimously felt Eminem’s third quarter Chrysler spot was the highlight of the game.

“You Gonna Finish Those?” – There was great laughter when the Doritos lover licks the fingers of his co-worker. Pulling off another’s pants and smelling them… not so much.

“Dog Party” – There weren’t a lot of animal spots, so this Bud Light commercial where canines put on a blowout while master is out of town stood out.

Worst

“Godzilla” – Outstanding animation in this Coke spot but it left our room saying, “What was the point of that exactly?”

“Compact” – After much build-up in the playoff teaser commercials, the multiple Hyundai spots were big letdowns.

“Cram It in the Boot” – I have no idea what Mini was trying to accomplish with this ad.

“Shape Up” – The night’s last spot in which a beautiful woman tantalizes her hunky trainer missed the mark. Oh, that’s Kim Kardashian?

“Tibet” – Something tells me a few folks are getting fired this morning at Groupon for making light of a serious situation. Timothy Hutton should look for a new agent.

Noteworthy

“1984 Redux” – Thought Apple had hit a home run with this sequel to their legendary Super Bowl XVIII ad. Then it turned out to be Motorola Zoom. Talk about stealing your competitor’s thunder. Nice surprise.

“Product Placement” – This Bud Light spot spoofing how filmmakers allow advertisers to impact storylines was a hit. Everyone should take a lesson from Bud Light: terrific ads throughout the game.

“Just Send” – Faith Hill is always worth watching, although a few executives at TeleFlora are asking right now, “Who approved that?”

“Reply All” – Good comment by Bridgestone on the perils of e-mail. I also liked their commercial where the beaver pays back a driver six months later.

“Joan Rivers” – I thought it was hilarious when the new Go Daddy celebrity turns out to be the face-lift queen. Then one of the teenage boys near me said, “We were getting all excited until she showed up. Then we were just grossed out.”

February 8, 2010February 8, 2010

The Ads Have It

Good Super Bowl. Saints deserved to win. Brees outplayed Peyton. Mardi Gras will be long this year.

The Who put on a solid performance – although I kept thinking: 1) I hope Roger Daltrey doesn’t have a heart attack; and, 2) It’s time to leave behind the rock icons and start using current stars. (Guessing next year in Dallas, Jerry Jones will serve up an array of country acts – George Strait, Kenny Chesney and Carrie Underwood.)

Like the game, the commercials will go down as good, not great. The ad execs were as conservative as the Colts offense. No one showed the kind of risk-taking Sean Payton took with that onside kick to open the second half.

Here is my Top 10 for 2010:

10. Budweiser “Clydesdales” – I wanted to put the Super Bowl Shuffle remix here; however, any ad that includes a Bevo lookalike works for me.

9. Audi “Green Police” – Great concept that built toward a surprise ending as a car commercial.

8. Google “Paris” – This one probably didn’t make your list…but for simplicity and creativity, it was a winner (especially since my daughter spent last summer in France).

7. Kia “Sock Monkey” – Anyone willing to bring back that classic symbol of the stock market bubble deserves recognition. Really liked the robot doing the robot.

6. CBS “Letterman” – Great connection with recent NBC late night challenges. Oprah mediated as Leno took subtle swipe at his own network.

5. Denny’s “Grand Slam” – It was corny, but I liked the screaming chickens.

4. Budweiser “Bridge” – Nice take using a ‘B’ movie approach. I could hear some small town folks in west Texas saying, “Yep, we’d do that here.”

3. Tru.tv “Troy Polamalu” – Well-timed Groundhog Day premise with a shocking ending. Good follow-up to his shampoo commercials that appeared all season.

2. Snickers “Betty White” – The moment it came on, I said, “That looks like Betty White.” Turns out it was. Liked the Abe Vigoda ending. Surprised to learn he’s still alive.

1. Doritos “My Momma” – Ads with children and pets always work, especially when the kid gets in the face of mom’s date.

Finally, I hope all the pundits and folks who criticized Tim Tebow learned a lesson. Before you make negative comments, watch the ad. This turned out to be one of the better ones – and a great way to handle a difficult subject. Focus on the Family got a lot of value from its investment.