The Indianapolis Colts are Super Bowl champions and Peyton Manning finally has the ring and MVP trophy to silence his critics. However, for millions of people watching Sunday night, the game was about way more than a self-promoting quarterback. It was about dozens of self-promoting corporations spending top dollars to get the attention of over 100 million consumers.
Once again, Budweiser was the king of advertising with over six commercials throughout the game. “Rock, Paper, Bud Light,” “Wedding Auction,” “Bud Light Slap” and “Hitchhiking Hops,” kept up the tradition of smart and entertaining clips from one of the Super Bowl’s most consistent sponsors.
This year two companies shot to the forefront with commercials that I guarantee had viewers hitting the rewind button on their Tivo’s. Sierra Mist’s “Beard Comb-over” was a great 30 seconds of television no matter the circumstance. Sierra Mist has always done a great job with their irreverent brand of humor and they took it to the next level during Sunday’s big show.
The grand prize goes to Mars Incorporated and their brilliant spot, “Snickers Kiss.” The commercial begins with two mechanics working on a car engine when hunger suddenly strikes one and he pulls a snicker out and begins to chomp down. The comedy begins once the other mechanic notices and latches onto the other side of the candy bar and an innocent kiss takes place, just like the spaghetti scene from “Lady and the Tramp.” However, to prove their manhood, both men rip huge bits of hair from their chests as the Snickers logo graces the screen.
Honorable mention goes to several commercials including, Nationwide Life Insurance’s “K-Fed Front,” which satires Kevin Federline’s 15 minutes of fame and perhaps predicts his future. The second honorable mention goes to the NFL Network’s peak into Chad Johnson’s Super Bowl party. The commercial featured dozens of celebrities including Janet Reno, Reggie Bush and David Beckham all taking a poke at themselves and their larger than life personalities.
Unfortunately, this year saw very lackluster commercials from some past champions. Coca-Cola showed a variety of commercials that have been playing in movie theatres for months now, and the other soft drink giant Pepsi was completely absent. Also missing were the Blockbuster movie teaser trailers that are normally sprinkled throughout the game.
According to USA Today, advertisers paid up to $2.6 million for a 30 second advertisement during the Super Bowl and this year I would have to say, except for the commercials mentioned above, the money could have been better spent. The Super Bowl is the grandest stage for all commercials and I was left feeling the same way I did after Peyton Manning was announced the MVP – a little bored.