This year, the Super Bowl was a great game, but the ads were not so great.
This game was even more exciting and interesting than last year’s, which was also an anomaly, with many past games being uninspiring blowouts.
Usually I watch just for the commercials, but not so much the game. This year I did both—sort of. I set the DVR to record and began watching about two hours later. Since there is generally more than 30 second between the whistle of one play and the snap of the next, I would merely advance the playback 30 seconds at the conclusion of each play. In this manner, I watched every play in record time and missed all the filler in between.
The only difficult thing was to remember to not zip through the commercials. Alas, I was generally disappointed with them. I planned to give you my top ten Super Bowl ads, but I can’t come up with 10 good ones, which is sad given that the airtime reportedly cost about 3 million for a thirty-second spot.
I did enjoy the Budweiser commercial of the Clydesdale fetching the “stick.” I also snickered at the Doritos “snow globe” spot, though my bride was not amused. The eTrade commercial was good, but not at a par with last year’s. I also enjoyed the Cheetos ad with the pigeons. The movie ads were all compelling, with me noting that I wanted to see each one, but at this time, I can’t name a single one. Were those ads wasted on me, or did they plant a subliminal message in my subconscious?
Anyway, another football season is (almost) done (does anyone care about the Pro Bowl?) and I’ve discovered a faster and more satisfying way to watch football through my DVR.
Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, is an author, blogger, and publisher with over 30 years of writing and publishing experience. Check out his book The Successful Author for insider tips and insights.