Super Bawl

I was going to start out this entry by saying, "was it just me or..." but since it is rhetorical, and really this is all about me - I will just focus on what I think.

Anyways, one of my favorite days of the year just happened... No, not the 4th Friday of the 1st month of the year... it was the SUPER BOWL. I really appreciate most aspects of this glorious event. It is perhaps one of the most over-hyped non-holiday there is! I say over-hyped not with a negative connotation, because sometimes it is really fun to get swept into the whole emotional context with the day! But in some regards I feel like the Super Bowl sets some high expectations that don't always get addressed.

I, of course, am referring to the commercials. Don't get me wrong, I am a big football fan, and usually become a bandwagon jumper of whatever team is the underdog going into the Super Bowl (obviously, I would cheer for the Vikings if they made it, but I also have a strong sense of reality running through me). The commercials really are a large part of my Super Bowl experience, as that is what spawned my interest in my hopeful future in advertising. The fact that these commercials are designed mainly for entertainment purposes really intrigues me, because brands are more open to take risks and put themselves out there in a unique way.

This year I felt disappointed. Brands like Budweiser opted to repeatedly use dull characters (Clydesdale horses) in their advertisements - which really befuddles me. Budweiser used to be the juggernaut of Super Bowl advertisements, it always felt like they were a brand that knew their stuff when it came to preforming on the big stage. It turns out this year they flopped harder than Ashlee Simpson.

Don't get me wrong, there were a few commercials that did get me chuckling. But take me back to the days of Terry Tate: Office Linebacker, or even Cat Herder (two of my favorite ads that were both ironically done by Minnesota-based Fallon agency - no Midwestern bias here...) and let me see some more extravagant and creative advertisements. Obviously, it is a sign of the time (dare I say the "bad economy" buzz words), businesses cherish their image and may find it fiscally irresponsible to take a $3 million risk on a more exuberant advertisements.

Needless to say, I am already looking forward to next years Super Bowl! Hopefully a few years down the line I will be able to be more game and less talk - by helping to contribute to an awesome Super Bowl commercial! Here's to dreams!