Super Bowl Advertisements

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Super Bowl Advertisements

I am fascinated by outstanding advertising. Goodness only knows why. At any rate if one is fascinated by great advertising there is no better event to watch than the Super Bowl. So let me get this out of the way to start with. This blog is not diabetes related. I would say this one falls into the realm of what one might call Rick cool. In other words, this is something Rick thinks is cool. Now I understand I am likely the only one and I get it, that others will no doubt complain about the use of a diabetic web site exploring super bowl advertising. All I can say in that regard is that a person with diabetes (PWD) is a person first. It is not robots, or drones, or the self-absorbed, it is people and this person the one writing this blog likes advertising. So this person with diabetes has decided to write about it. Now I understand other people with diabetes may ignore it and if you do, I will regard that as being equally valid. Let’s face it I do not care for international football (soccer), but if a PWD wants to write a blog about it, I would say ok and wish them well.

Having said that I will discuss the best part of the super bowl for me, well that is the advertising. So what are commercials? Simply put commercials are stories, the best commercials have three distinct elements.. It sets up the story, tells the main part and delivers on a memorable punch to complete the tale. These are usually played out in 30 or 60 second vignettes. As a person who used to try to write these things, I can attest it is difficulty to deliver a product in this format. But wow when they hit it is so good.

Yesterday I spent most of the day watching every super bowl, and pre and post-game advertisement. I believe I watched 72 advertisements though some may have been reruns and I might have missed a couple. The standard storyline were presented in 30 second ads, a few 60 second advertisements and then the Ford ad, which spanned 2 minutes of boredom and confusion to me. After watching these advertisements I picked my favorites. Some are nationally ranked, while some were considered dudes. Oh and to set the stage 30 seconds of air time one the super bowl telecast cost approximately $4 million. Production costs have been estimated to about an additional $4 million for each 30 second commercial, making the average total cost of a 30 second spot cost $8 million plus.

Was it worth it? Well according to NBC, Fox had total viewership of about 111 million, the highest ever for a super bowl. By comparison the puppy bowl on animal planet had viewership of about 12.4 million. In ‘AD” speak it was probably a pretty good day. My top ads:


Puppy Love Pre-game show:

This was almost universally rated as the best advertisement in the super bowl line up. It is hands down my number one commercial. Get some tissue:

Doritos Cowboy kid.


Doritos continues to score some big time advertisements by getting two in the top five. Frankly I made this one number two and other watchers did not put in the top 10 so maybe I am jaded for kids and dogs?

Doritos Time machine

What is not in dispute is the best advertisement for the dollar. That title belongs to Doritos and the time machine. It cost a about $200 to make and took a mere 6 hours to film Given the budget and the outcome it is amazing and should in my opinion receive the one the advertiser awards for innovation, production, or something.

GO Daddy I quit

Go Daddy is no stranger to hitting the super bowl with some eye popping ads. But this year they may have out done themselves. Go Daddy’s general fair is very racy with very attractive women just about showing off way too much for prime time. But not this year and this ad is gaining considerable attention. Incidentally the woman in the ad actually did quit on national TV.

There are two ads that are getting a tremendous buzz for not overtly trying to sell anything. The first one is the bud wiser returning home ad, which is very well done. And this one for General Motors which plays directly to family values. Almost every year someone goes with one of these and I never know if they work or not. Regardless if it sells cars it does make one stop and think, a lot. We need a diabetes day ad for next fall. No don’t hold your breath.

Chevy World Cancer day

Ok that is my list and of course everyone has an opinion. So let’s hear your favorites. ,

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Rick

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i liked doritos cowboy kid

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the time machine advertisement was restored this morning. I apologize.

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Puppy Love, also my first choice. How on earth did they manage to film such an ad?

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Thanks, Rick. This is fun. I also liked the controversial Coke ad very much. I thought it beautiful in it's depiction of America. Same with the Cheerios Family. Of this batch, I'm with both Trudy and Shoshana. Delightful, both of them.....

I learned to appreciate good ads early on---my Dad was an ad exec in the Twin Cities when he came back from the Pacific War. 1950s Midwest (I and my 2 siblings are classic post war Boomers).

3M Tape Division was a major account---remember The Invisible Man? That was his. And Betty Crocker. That one was especially fun because we were a Test Household for new products like the first pizza crust and sauce in one of those whack-a-doodle containers. Also German Chocolate cake mix. And my Mom was a contributor to the first edition of the Betty Crocker Cookbook. My daughter has her Gramma's copy now, every page with scribbled notes in the margins.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane, my friend!...Judith in Portland

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PS: I've always found TuD to be a place to share Life, The Universe, and Everything, because, after all, The D touches every part of our Lives! Besides, you write really well...Blessings

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Here is another ad I love. It was part of a great advertisement campaign by Microsoft. They had poor placement but some wonderful individual ads.

Rick

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this kid is great