I remember being a kid and looking forward to the ads almost as much as the game itself. (I guess I should have known long ago where my career passions would take me ....) Particularly when I was growing up overseas, Superbowl ads represented a window into American culture that I otherwise was largely separated from — often gaudy and ridiculous, but also humorous and engaging .... not unlike American culture itself.
But this past year? Sheesh. Even the Budweiser ad featuring its famous Clydesdales was less-than-brilliant (though I'll freely admit it: I am a sucker for those big shaggy beasts and their Ugg-like feet). Of course, many of the Powers That Be in the ad industry are making the case that Superbowl ads simply don't have the cache they once used to. Many big-name brands are forsaking the 30-second spot — more and more expensive each year, recession and diminishing returns notwithstanding — in favor of other advertising channels. This Ad Age article makes the observation that, more and more frequently, it's up-and-coming brands that look to the Superbowl spot as the holy grail for visibility and brand promotion. Seems true enough ... for every ad by Coke or Audi, there was one for a company that left me scratching my head and thinking .... who? Really?
Whatever the case may be, I was underwhelmed by the overall creative. Megan Fox in a bathtub? C'mon .... can't we do better? What about Apple's ingenious 1984 spot, or EDS' hilarious Cat Herders (done by Minneapolis' own Fallon, no less)? Of course .... I suppose I'm not exactly the target audience for these things (see again: Megan Fox in a bathtub). Still, I was hoping to see more ingenuity: an actual concept, well-developed, instead of a few cheap sight gags. Then again, I also would have liked to see a Peyton Manning victory, and it just wasn't in the cards. Better luck next year, indeed.
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