Super(b) commercials from The Big Game
February 6, 2017
30 seconds at a time, for $5 million, the Super Bowl is not only the most important day for football, but also the most important day for advertisements. Nearly 111.3 million people watched the Super Bowl last night and many major companies treat the event as the perfect time to present their products.
This year, there were funny ads and motivational ones. Many advertisements took advantage of the current social climate to send a message while simultaneously promoting their product. AirBnb’s commercial #weaccept sent the message of acceptance and unity regardless of faith, color, gender or sexuality. Google’s commercial depicted people of all cultures uniting for a birthday party. The Budweiser commercial chronicled the journey of its founder as a refugee from Germany, a comment on recent and controversial immigration policies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yetFk7QoSck#action=share
Car commercials, the most common and often most repetitive Super Bowl commercials also brought power and influence to the Super Bowl audience. Ford’s “Go Further” advertisement was a humorous yet thought-provoking interpretation of the importance of forward thinking. Audi addressed gender roles and gender equality issues in a father’s message to his daughter while Go-kart racing. Honda also dished out a commercial of celebrities talking through their high school yearbook pictures delivering inspirational messages of success. Lastly, Kia employed Melissa McCarthy to deliver a message of environmental conservation awareness through its eco-friendly vehicle.
Other commercials put a smile on audience’s faces. The Skittles’ commercial showed a boy throwing Skittles threw his girlfriend’s window while the girlfriend and her family caught them in their mouths. Mr. Clean’s commercial “Cleaner of your Dreams” sent a humorous message about men cleaning. Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg took a comical spin on their T-Mobile commercial.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8X8Ygy5VjI
“The skittles one was funny,” senior Valerie Bistrong said.
Some, however, did not feel that this year’s commercials failed to live up to the hype.
“I thought last year’s were better and more entertaining,” junior Christian Ortega said.
Corporations dealt tens of millions of dollars; many with more than once commercial slot. Captivating the largest concentrated audience of the year puts the pressure on these companies to deliver the most memorable commercials. Some people watch the Super Bowl for the game, others watch for the inspirational commercials. Until next year.