Betty White plays football, babies talk about "milkaholics" and a house made of Bud Light cans slowly falls apart. It must be the Super Bowl–or at least the advertising showcase that entertains amid the gridiron action.
The commercials–most of which were not broadcast in Canada on CTV‘s simulcast–from such advertisers as Anheuser-Busch and Coca-Cola got off to a funny start Sunday night on CBS.
Villanova marketing professor Charles R. Taylor said the light-hearted tone is working this year because the ads still manage to tell people what the brands stand for. That marks a turn from last year, when some ads took a more sombre tone amid the still-deepening recession.
Not every commercial was strictly funny. Toyota aired several ads before and after the game to reassure worried owners after its recalls connected with accelerator problems.
A commercial by conservative Christian group Focus on the Family, perhaps the most-discussed ad leading up to the game, hinted at a serious subject, although it, too, had a punchline. The mother of Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow talks about her difficult pregnancy with him–implying an antiabortion message, because she had been advised to have an abortion for medical reasons–but ended with Tebow tackling his mom and saying the family must be "tough."
In terms of returning characters, Budweiser brought back its Clydesdales and eTrade revealed two versions of its talking baby spots.
Taylor said he had been disappointed in at least the past five Super Bowls in terms of the effectiveness of ads in connecting with products, but this year he’s pleased. Advertisers in the U.S. pay dearly for the airtime–from US$2.5 million to more than $3 million per 30 seconds–and marketers say ads work best when they focus on the product, as well as entertaining.
Taylor cited a commercial by tiremaker Bridgestone featuring men carrying a whale in the back of their truck, and another by Dove launching its new men’s skin-care line–one of the few spots to air on CTV. They were winners, he said, because they manage to entertain while telling people about the brands. The ad for Dove tells the story of boy growing into a man and the signal events in a man’s life.
"So far from what I’ve seen I’m quite positively impressed, more than I thought I would be," he said.
A first Super Bowl ad by Google–which rarely advertises on television–told an affecting story of a budding relationship through a series of Google searches, beginning with "study abroad" and "how to impress a French woman" and ending with "churches in Paris" and "how to assemble a crib."
Other highlights include a series of ads by restaurant chain Denny’s, which showed chickens nervous about all the eggs they’d have to lay when the company gives out free Grand Slam breakfasts again this year.
"Green police" by carmaker Audi pushes its new diesel-fuelled vehicle the TDI. Using word play on Cheap Trick’s "Dream Police," Green police officers deal with people making questionable environmental decisions. A man is arrested for choosing a plastic bag at the grocery store, for example.
But not all ads were winners.
Taylor said an ad by Boost Mobile, Sprint’s prepaid cellular phone service, didn’t work because it depended too heavily on the 1985 Chicago Bears’ "Super Bowl Shuffle," a reference that could be too old for the brand’s buyers.
An ad by Kia for its Sorento SUV will be remembered for its story of a whimsical joyride taken by children’s toys.
Celebrities weren’t as plentiful in this year’s Super Bowl. Notable sightings include Charles Barkley rapping for Taco Bell, Betty White and Abe Vigoda playing football for Mars‘ Snickers brand and Beyonce for low-price television brand Vizio.
A promotion for CBS’ Late Show with David Letterman was memorable because its punchline was spoken by Jay Leno, whose show will again be squaring off with Letterman in March.
Letterman, sitting on a couch with Oprah Winfrey, says "This is the worst Super Bowl party ever."
Leno replies that Letterman’s "just saying that because I’m here."
