The slightly-less-Super Bowl recap

I don't know if I'm the only one feeling this way, but I personally felt a little let down by the Super Bowl commercials this year. Most of the commercials I had seen already, and when they came up on screen, I wasn't  phased. In fact, I was pretty bored. A lot of the commercials were just bad. Poorly executed. I've always read that if you don't connect with a commercial or if you don't get, you obviously weren't the target audience. That's a valid argument. But I had this feeling during the majority of the game. I didn't like the Dorito's Slinging Baby commercial. I was disappointed in the beer (Bud Light) commercials also. There was nothing new, nothing novel. This whole Super Bowl reeked of "been there, done that". Or better yet, "been there, seen that".

But with all that being said, there were some standouts. So without further ado, here are my top 5 commercials of the 2012 Super Bowl:

1. Coca Cola, "The Catch". 

I loved everything about Coca Cola's Super Bowl campaign. The live reaction bears were fantastic. I had them on my laptop during the entire game. The bears interacted with everything! Halftime shows, plays, commercials. Well done. 

2. Bridgestone "Performance Basketball".

There are two versions to this commercial, one with a curving football and this. Both were hilarious. I'm partial to this one solely because it has Tim Duncan in it (go Spurs go). The concept was great and both spots were enjoyable to watch. 

3. Chevy Silverado "2012".

If you know anything about me, you know that I am incredibly intrigued by anything to do with the end of the world. The Mayans, Zombies, Aliens. The works. I love it all. Chevy did a great thing by playing off a current social trend, the impending apocalypse. Loved it, loved it, loved it. [Ford is in the process of filing complaints against Chevy due to the implied claims made in this commercial. Chevy of course is known for being "most dependable and longest lasting". However Ford is making an issue that in this commercial they are implying that Chevy is safer and more durable than Ford trucks, which isn't true according to their research. It will be interesting to see what develops out of this.]

4. E*Trade "Fatherhood".

Another great commercial from E*Trade's talking baby. Hilarious, as per usual. Slightly creepy in that it brings a new meaning to the term "cradle robber". Enjoyable nonetheless.

5. Bud Light "Rescue Dog".

Earlier I said I was disappointed with the quality of Bud Light commercials, but this was the exception.I don't even drink Bud Light, and I thought this was great. They created a cute and quirky commercial, while also doing some good. A commercial focused on the idea of rescuing dogs was much more enjoyable than watch super models sipping on some Bud Light.

*Just for kicks.* Careerbuilder.com "Business Travel".

Definitely not the best commercial of the night, yet still not the worst (coughgodaddycough). I'm sure we've all had jobs where it felt like we were in fact working working with monkeys, which makes the commercial slightly relateable Going off a tweet that showed up on my feed "I hate how the career builder ad implies that having ten chimps as colleagues wouldn't be FUCKING AWESOME." 

So those were my faves for the night. Feel free to comment below with your faves and opinions! I'd love to read them.

GAME TIME

The Super Bowl is truly a fantastic time of year. There is something for everyone. For the sports fan, there is the game. For the not so athletic folks, there is the Puppy Bowl. And for the rest of America, there are the commercials. Super Bowl commercials have always been the high point of the day for me. That, and the delicious food (We're making fajitas and I can't wait. The crazy rain here in Houston won't stop us from grilling).

Sunday is the culmination of 364 days of planning and strategizing. I'm just gonna put this out there...I LOVE SUPER BOWL COMMERCIALS. I love seeing what each of these companies have hidden up their sleeve. At no other time of the year will you find me so in love with TV commercials. I realize I'm an ad person, but let's be real. There are only so many Sham-Wow commercials a person can put up with. 

Past Super Bowl commercial favorites of mine have included classics such as the E*Trade Baby, the Betty White Snickers commercials and of course, Bud Light and company typically bring their A game and churn out some pretty solid :30second spots.

Up until recently, the majority of the "big" commercials were kept a secret until their big reveal at the time of the game. But a lot of companies have decided to release their commercials early, in hopes of increasing their total reach. It makes sense, from a business point of view. But as a viewer, I felt kinda let down. 

In the NY Times article, "Before the Toss, Super Bowl Ads", Brian Smith, VP of marketing at Lexus likened the recent trend of companies releasing their commercials early, to Christmas day. 

 "As much fun as it would be to come downstairs and find presents without knowing it was Dec. 25, he said, it is 'a lot more fun when you’ve gone through the buildup, the anticipation, when you know what’s coming.'"

 Sorry Mr. Smith, but I disagree. That's one thing I've realized as I've grown up. When Christmas day comes, it is great to be able to see my family. But the surprise and the "magic" of  all the gifts waiting under the Christmas tree is starting to dwindle. Anticipation comes from waiting for the unknown. Even if I know what's waiting for me, I still love it nonetheless. But that little extra something is missing.

But I digress. 

Another recent trend I have seen developing over the last year or two, is the transition of Super Bowl commercials to Super Bowl mini campaigns. A goal of any ad or any commercial is to increase awareness and with the tremendous increase in Social Media, this has given agencies some unexplored territory to play around with. Instead of just creating a :30 second commercial, agencies are putting the ad not only on TV, but they are also creating additions and spin-offs for Facebook and Twitter. Some notable examples include Coca Cola and MetLife.

This year Wieden & Kennedy has created two versions of a :60 second commercials for Coca Cola. One to be aired if the Giants are ahead and one to be aired if the Patriots are ahead. AdAge recently published a report entitled, "Coca-Cola Preps Two Versions of Super Bowl Ad" where Natalie Zmuda gives more insight into Coca Cola's plans for the Super Bowl. According to Pio Schunker, the senior-VP of integrated marketing at Coca Cola,  

"It appears to be a first-of-its-kind endeavor, requiring the beverage giant to have execs on site at NBC during the game. They will be in the traffic room to decide which spot runs when the game goes to a commercial break."

The commercials will also be part of an integrated campaign utilizing an online Facebook application featuring the two polar bears watching the game live. They will show real time reaction to plays, halftime shows and commercials occurring during the game. To watch the bears follow this link: http://apps.facebook.com/cokepolarbowl/.


MetLife has also ventured into the Social Media realm. Stuart Elliott notes in his NY Times article that many of MetLife's new Facebook "likes" include notable characters like Scooby-Doo and Voltron. The characters routinely post on the company's page with messages like "Rook out for me and Shaggy on TV Feb. 5th!". Beth Hirscholorn, the executive UP and CMO at MefLife explains,

..."between now and Sunday, 'it’ll build and build'...until 'people figure out why the characters are talking.'"

Consumer brands aren't the only ones taking to Social Media this Super Bowl Sunday. A recent Mashable article discussed the partnership between Google+ and NBC. Together, these two will host "Ad Blitz" where people can call in to "Hangout" to voice their opinions on the Super Bowl commercials. I agree with the article's author, Peter Pachul, while this may not have been one a part of Google's master plan, it is definitely one of the better uses of the Youtube/Google integration.


New England Patriots running back Stevan Ridley, who is already very active on Facebook and Twitter, made a very clever move that I think other companies should take note on. Spotify is the new music listening craze and it's recent Facebook integration has allowed it be more of a social networking platform as well. Ridley created a Super Bowl Pre-Game Mix on Spotify, then shared it with his Facebook followers. I see this as a new and unique way for celebrities and brands to create deeper and more intimate connections with their fans. If it's not already, Spotify should be added to your Media Mix when it comes to Social Media. Music is one thing that has the possibility of connecting hundreds, thousands, millions of people. The sky is the limit when it comes to the potential uses for Spotfiy.


Well that's all folks! Y'all have a wonderful evening and enjoy the game tomorrow. Comment below with of your favorite commercials from the game!




[And for all you wondering why I didn't talk about the Star Wars ads, just take a deep breath. I'm doing a Star Wars Ad post soon where I talk about the growing trend in Star Wars advertising. No worries, I love me some Star Wars too much to just pass up on them.]