Classic Ed: Super Bowl XXXVIII Ads -- The Cool, the Crude and the Classy

As the showcase of commercials known as Super Bowl XXXVIII was about to begin it occurred to me that growing advertiser concerns about the adzapping capabilities of TiVo and other personal video recorders not to mentionamp160television remote controls were aboutamp160to be mercifully alleviated if only for aamp160few hours amp160Millions of Americans whom advertisers believe typically look foramp160ways to avoid commercials at any costamp160were ready willing and eager to watchamp160dozens of ads once the game began amp160This was due in part to advance publicityamp160about some of the new commercialsamp160that would debut during the show including one for Pizza Hut starringamp160Jessica Simpson and one for MasterCardamp160featuring Homer Simpson no relation amp160It was also the result of cultural conditioningamp160viewers for years have beenamp160systematically conditioned to embrace commercials during the Super Bowl asamp160part of the event itselfIn other words for a few hours oneamp160day a year commercials are welcome accepted and considered to be part ofamp160the fun of one of television39s top entertainments amp160This led me to wonder isamp160there no way to generate similar interestamp160in commercials at any time throughoutamp160the rest of the year amp160Might there beamp160special premiere nights for certain commercialsamp160perhaps during sweeps periodsamp160and connected to specific programs amp160Could interactive contests beamp160utilized to generate interest and driveamp160viewersOf course the quality and impact ofamp160the commercials would have to live upamp160to the extra hype or such endeavorsamp160would be largely pointless amp160That39s certainlyamp160true of the fresh advertisementsamp160that debut every year during the Superamp160Bowl the most costly commercial realamp160estate on televisionCollectively yesterday39s new commercialsamp160were somewhat disappointing amp160With the possible exception of oneamp160Pepsi spot there wasn39t a single ad unveiled during the gameamp160that will likely be remembered as anythingamp160special if remembered at all inamp160the weeks months or years ahead amp160It doesn39t help that the media responseamp160to Janet Jackson39s bare breast hasamp160eclipsed the usual postSuper Bowlamp160buzz traditionally enjoyed by the new commercialsAll I will say on that subject is does anyone really believe thatamp160the MTV producers responsible for that lame halftime showamp160didn39t know that Jackson was going to flash her breast amp160Does anyone buy Justin Timberlake39s pitiful excuse amp160quotWardrobe malfunctionquot my assUnfortunately there wasn39t one commercial that packedamp160the popculture punch of last year39s unforgettable spot foramp160Pepsi Twist with Ozzy Osbourne Donny and Marie Osmondamp160and Florence Henderson amp160Consider the car ads amp160There wasn39tamp160an eyecatcher in the bunch including all those for the new Chevrolets the possible exception being the spot that featured several children with bars of soap wedged in theiramp160mouths because they had been moved to curse whenamp160admiring Chevrolet39s new productsThat said the standouts included two tuneful eyecatchingamp160crisply edited commercials for Monster which seems toamp160have dropped the dotcom from its name perhaps to distanceamp160itself from the lingering stench of the Internet bust three yearsamp160ago amp160The first and best of the two crosscut between an employeramp160and an eager wouldbe employee preparing for their dayamp160and finally meeting at the office amp160Both ads were so upbeat thatamp160they accomplished the impossible They made job interviews seem like happy business amp160Four years ago the Super Bowl wasamp160packed with ads from dotcoms amp160Last night only two Internetamp160companies were represented Monster and ExpediaAnother standout came at the very end moments after theamp160New England Patriots claimed victory amp160It was a lengthy ad foramp160Subway sandwiches that explained through a series of humorousamp160scenarios that the company which markets its fast food asamp160a healthy alternative to its competitors advocates occasionallyamp160eating bad things such as donuts rather than doing bad thingsamp160like snipping kite strings and trying to bring back quotvan artquotAlso memorable at least for fans of the Discovery Channelamp160series American Chopper were two spots for AOL Top Speedamp160technology featuring Paul Tuttle Sr and his sons earnest Paulamp160Jr and goofy Mikey amp160In both ads the boys applied quottop speedamp160technologyquot to personal vehicles with comic results amp160On theamp160downside these ads likely did not impact viewers who wereamp160not already familiar with the show amp160Budweiser came through with its typical classy annualamp160spot featuring the Clydesdales amp160This year39s commercialamp160detailed the charming efforts of a donkey desperate to beamp160accepted alongside the legendary Budweiser mascotsAt theamp160other extreme another Budweiser spot likely prompted argumentsamp160in living rooms across the land amp160It showed a refereeamp160taking major verbal abuse from a coach as a voiceoveramp160mused quotHe the coach is beating him the ref like a rentedamp160mule amp160Where did he train to take such abusequot amp160Cut to the ref at home catching a ration of expletive deleted from hisamp160screaming nag of a wifeNumerous spots for Bud Light memorably reinforced itsamp160identity as the beer for boneheads amp160In one a talking monkeyamp160hit on its owner39s hot date amp160In another a romantic candlelitamp160ride in a horse drawn carriage was compromised when theamp160horse released an explosion of intestinal gas causing the candle flame to become a fireball and blacken a woman39samp160face hair and clothes amp160Her date was safely out of range havingamp160reached down to extract two bottles of Bud Light from aamp160cooler amp160quotDo you smell barbecuequot he asked after the flatulentamp160flareupAmong the other Bud Light spots was one in which twoamp160trained dogs displayed their talents One dog brought Budamp160Light to his owner the other bit the crotch of the man withamp160the Bud Light causing him to release the prized bottle amp160Whyamp160do we laugh when men suffer injuries to their genitalia amp160Would we laugh at women suffering similar misfortune amp160Inamp160another Bud Light ad a man played by Cedric theamp160Entertainer inadvertently set himself up for a bikini wax andamp160later commented on the breeze between his legsInterestingly men39s genitals and their immediate environsamp160were the focus of numerous new ads targeted to theamp160largely male Super Bowl audience Besides the crotch bitingamp160and bikini waxing spots for Bud Light there was one foramp160Sierra Mist in which a kiltwearing bagpipe player disappeared from a parade to stand over a subway grate squealingamp160in delight as steam blew up at his manhood amp160I39ve gotamp160to say I won39t be buying a can of Sierra Mist anytime soon amp160In the aforementioned ad for Subway a fedup waitressamp160continually poured hot coffee into a man39s lap amp160There wereamp160also ads for erectile dysfunction medications Levitra andamp160Cialis amp160In the former football legend Mike Ditka spoke of theamp160superiority of football over baseball amp160No matter the weatheramp160quotIn football we stay in the gamequot Ditka declared a notsosly reference to Levitra39s motto quotStay in the Gamequot amp160Theamp160Cialis spot took a more direct approach showing adult couples acting frisky as a voiceover asked quotWhen the momentamp160is right will you be readyquot amp160Question Was there a singleamp160beerandchip bloated American male watching the Superamp160Bowl last night who was ready to be reminded of the possibility of this particular medical problemThe MasterCard ad with Homer Simpson winninglyamp160played like an actual scene from an episode of Fox39 Theamp160Simpsons amp160As the familiar voiceover from MasterCard adsamp160stated quotGetting your errands done quicker and spendingamp160more time with your family Pricelessquot an annoyed Homeramp160tried to ignore it in favor of a brew at Moe39s amp160Also memorableamp160if not classic was the muchhyped HampampR Block spotamp160featuring country singer Willie Nelson now equally famousamp160for his legendary problems with the IRS and the Willieamp160Nelson Advice Doll which gave questionable advice to anyamp160taxrelated questions amp160There was another funny but forgettableamp160commercial for Lay39s Potato Chips in which an elderlyamp160man and woman competed to reach a bag of chips amp160Heamp160tripped her and got to the bag first but she was holding his dentures amp160I39m not convinced that this spot will sell a singleamp160bag of chips but it was funny and well madeOne of the most interesting adsamp160of the night was theamp160spot for Linux in which a fairhaired child who appeared to be a clone watched archival footage of an exuberant young Muhammed Ali as the present day Ali advised him to quotshakeamp160things upquot and quotshake up the worldquotThe coolest commercial of the night came from Pepsiamp160near the end of the game amp160In it a child identified as Jamesamp160Marshall Hendrix at age 11 in 1953 Seattle was faced withamp160a choice Buy a soda from a Coke machine located in frontamp160of an accordion store or one from a Pepsi machine near aamp160pawn shop with an electric guitar in the front window amp160Theamp160tag line quotWhew amp8230 that was closequot amp160This is the commercialamp160from last night39s cavalcade that has the best chance ofamp160becoming a classicPepsi also debuted a cute commercial in which twoamp160brown bears masqueraded as humans to buy Pepsi but itamp160was hard to tell if the bears have the stuff of memorableamp160mascots or if they will simply fade into fast obscurity amp160If Pepsi unveiled the finest commercial of the night it alsoamp160debuted one of the most irritating amp160The spot called attentionamp160to a new promotion in which Pepsi and iTunes are legally givingamp160away 100 million songs through free online downloads amp160The star of the ad was a teenager who smugly identified herselfamp160as quotone of the kids who was prosecuted for downloadingamp160music free off the Internetquot amp160She continued quotI39m here toamp160announce in front of everyone we39re still going to downloadamp160music free off the Internet amp160And there39s not a thing anyoneamp160can do about itquot amp160Then she giggled as I contemplated changingamp160my position on the downloading of free music a practice I have always defendedClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of 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Classic Ed: Super Bowl XXXVIII Ads -- The Cool, the Crude and the Classy

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Ed Martin

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Classic Ed: Super Bowl XXXVIII Ads -- The Cool, the Crude and the Classy

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FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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