Super Bowl Ads

A Mid-Winter Classic and Advertising Showcase

The midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox falls almost exactly on Feb. 1, a great day for those of us in Pennsylvania to celebrate having made it through the first half of winter and look toward spring.  For sports fans, though, our attention also turns to another much-anticipated annual event, the Super Bowl.

For the first time in several years, the game will not feature a team from a major media market—New York, Boston, Chicago or a West Coast representative. As a result, the lead broadcast network (NBC) was probably hoping for an all-Pennsylvania matchup to generate interest and ratings. Nevertheless, the sports media will hype the game, the Boss will perform at halftime and we in Pennsylvania, at least Steelers fans, will have a vested interest in Super Bowl XXLIII.

But will the rest of America embrace the contest? And how will the advertisers approach the event?

The economy is on the injured list. There is skepticism about the willingness of big companies to spend on Super Bowl ads (which cost $3 million per minute). And nobody knows how consumers will react to companies that pay so much for ads in a touch economy.

A number of big advertisers, including General Motors and FedEx, have chosen to sit out this year, either for business or public relations reasons, despite the fact that some 150 million viewers will watch in the United States alone.

Still, many of the big name brands and their agencies are back. That includes Pepsi, Coke and Anheuser-Busch while Miller bought time in the less expensive pre-game show. The competitive nature of the beverage marketplace dictates the presence of these recognized brands—consumers expect it and their bottlers and distributors demand it. 

Here are some of the beverage highlights:

• Anheuser-Busch has purchased 4½ minutes of time, some of which will feature the Clydesdales to provide reassurance and inspiration from a company with new foreign ownership in a market where consumers are trading down to lesser-priced brands.
• Bud Light is expected to continue its appeal to young males, which probably means some humor.
• Miller has chosen to continue the use of comedian Windell Middlebrooks as its spokesperson in the pre-game spots in 25 local markets with one-second commercial ideas. Spots are written around the concept of common sense in a bottle, mocking A-B for spending $3 million per spot ($100,000 per second).  Miller will drive consumers to their Web site for more interactivity, too.
• Coca Cola will use the game to kickoff the brand’s “Open Happiness” campaign, and Coke Zero is expected to be in the third quarter of the game.
• Pepsi is expected to build on its recently introduced “Hope … Refresh Everything” campaign targeting a new generation and attitude, and Diet Pepsi will charm us with warm emotion.
• Finally, Pepsi SoBe beverages and DreamWorks Animation are teaming up with NBC and Intel Corporation on 3-D spots. The NFL tried this during a game late last December, with mixed results. Do you have your 3-D glasses?
  

The movie studios will be there as always, promoting their new releases. Brands like Monster.com will talk to job seekers (an audience expanded by the weaker economy) while Go Daddy.com will appeal to start-ups and businesses needing to enhance their Web presence. Go Daddy.com, which has battled censors before, has promised not to challenge them this year. E-Trade Financial, another returning sponsor, will integrate its advertising with interactive initiatives online.

General Electric, the parent company of NBC, is in the game for the first time in a number of years. GE will step back in time and use the Scarecrow from the “Wizard of Oz” to position the company as a leader in energy and the environment. New advertisers such as Denny’s restaurants and Pedigree pet foods will make appearances as well.

Advertising agencies BBDO, DDB and Goodby Silverstein who regularly have a number of clients in the game are back, although client budgets have been reduced. These agencies, undoubtedly, have had extensive discussions with clients about saying something relevant, striking the right tone and avoiding the outrageous.

On the other hand, clients and agencies will feel a need to entertain, and they might feel humor can be appropriate and effective even in these times of financial malaise.

The game is still a great venue for advertising and for many the advertising in the Super Bowl has become as much of a draw as the game itself. Because advertising reflects contemporary culture, it will be interesting to see the results this year.

How will the advertising change to reflect the mood of the times? What qualities will be essential? Will we see warmth and brand character? Will humor be toned down or will some of the advertising simply seek to call attention to itself?

Will consumer-generated commercials for brands like Doritos, stand up to the creativity of spots from agencies?  We will also see a continuation of companies leveraging their advertising expenditures on the Web and through social networking platforms. Will we be engaged enough to visit these sites?

The Super Bowl is the one football game of the year where Monday-morning quarterbacking is not limited to the game itself.  On Monday, we will talk about the ads, USA Today will have its rankings of viewer reaction to the spots and we will analyze them in all of our classes in the College of Communications. One of the key principles we teach in advertising is to put ourselves in the shoes of the viewer and ask, as a consumer, “What’s in it for me?”  Will we be impacted or inspired by the Super Bowl advertising because we see something in it that is rewarding for us? 

Of more importance to the advertising agencies and their clients is the answer to the question of how long their Super Bowl advertising will stick with us. For those whose $3 million ads missed the mark or were instantly forgettable, it will be a long winter. For those whose ads resonated with us, making us feel more connected with their brands, spring has arrived!

Ken Yednock is a senior lectuer in the College of Communications at Penn State who served as principal and chief operating officer at GKV Communications in Baltimore before joining the University. During his time in the private sector with advertising agencies, Yednock managed accounts for companies such as Keebler, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Lowe’s Home Centers, National Car Rental, Pillsbury, Royal Crown Cola and more.