2007 Super Bowl Ads–What Direction, America?
Any reasonable person watching the Super Bowl could possibly have been offended by some of this year’s crop of lame 2.3 million dollar, 30 second commercials. I know I was. Every season I look forward to this granddaddy event. This is where agencies and their multi-billion dollar clients are expected to bring to the table their best marketing savvy. But sadly, at least for this premiere event, they don’t come close and this year was no exception. This time around, in fact, it only took 90 minutes before I switched off the television without looking back the rest of the evening.
I had similar feelings during last year’s Super Bowl where I struggled through three hours of pointless commercials, cursing along the way at those costly agencies that should have known better. For instance, if an audience is not told what a company does or produces, if an ad holds back relevant content or information about a product, if a commercial is so lame as to neglect to deliver a message, then why are corporations squandering millions of dollars? Why are they wasting my time?
In showing me how well they have mastered their multi-media/hi-tech programs, most agencies accomplished the opposite of what they set out to do–at least from my perspective. They didn’t gain an audience or new buyer; they lost a prospective buyer (e) since a. I can’t remember who those companies were, b. what they were selling or c. even if they had a product or service I required.
This year the commercial presentations did the impossible and surpassed 2006 in terms of generating limp ideas and neglecting the age range of its audience. The ads went leaps and bounds off the consumer charts with loads of color, action and action (did I say action?) but miniscule marketing presence. Inclusive in this package of wasted stupidities was one empty missile after another. Most commercials were so recklessly concocted that my focus constantly shifted from their supposed commercial message to what really annoyed me–a haphazard and juvenile delivery.
All in all, I can’t put all the blame on the agencies that played recklessly with their advertisers’ dollars. The American public may have to share part of this blame, since it was to all of us that advertisers were appealing. Moreover, if today’s marketers believed its audience was only receptive to basement humor, silly pranks and first grade dialogue then maybe should someone check and see if they’re right?
Personally, I don’t feel the majority has quite yet sunk to these levels although, I will grant, our intelligence barometer is certainly approaching dangerous readings. I will also agree that while we continue to academically and socially miss our potential, it’s not to any advertiser’s benefit to play upon our shortcomings. In doing so he both loses a sale and an audience.
Still, there’s a warning that needs to be heeded. It’s been noted time and again that this nation has never had an Enlightened period. We started with a bang with Jefferson and Franklin. In between these two marvelous gents and the Transcendental crowd to the present there’s been a growing demise in our behavior and education. To be frank, we’ve taken a spiraling turn away from enrichment and decency. But even with this downward trend, I don’t believe we’ve fallen to levels that marketers think we have–although we’re close.
Few could argue that these Super Bowl commercials were eye-opening reminders of the rut we’re in. It’s not a place where I wish to hang my hat or spend much time. Yet, how did we go from children of Coke singing around the universal Christmas tree to people exchanging vaudevillian slaps, portraying dim-witted, obtuse antics? I don’t have an answer. I just know we have. Turn on any TV channel or radio station. Scan the magazine racks. It’s pretty much the same bubble gum and glitter buffoonery.
Given all this, maybe I shouldn’t have been totally surprised by the wasted efforts that have come to epitomize Super Bowl commercials. After the first 10 minutes of slug and punch this year I was hoping that maybe someone in Marketingville would feel a bit sorry for me and drag up an old Bud frog commercial or maybe contact Aflac and entice one of these achievers with a spot on its advertising calendar.
But we, the viewing audience, had no such luck. Not this year anyhow. Instead of Cindy Crawford crossing cow fields, high-priced agencies went into high gear with their bells and whistles. Flash without substance. Yet, it’s that area of substance that we should be looking to hook up with again. We have to up the ante and begin raising the bar a bit. We need to start to extend our reach over low comedic and frivolous attempts. Before we all go verbally deaf, communicators need to put real meaning back into their words. Their sights should strive to reach beyond the mundane and extraordinarily ridiculous.
Advertisers need to connect honestly with themselves if only to remind one another that not all Americans are the buffoons they wish to portray. We might have taken a temporary backslide in terms of academic and social progress, but we don’t wish for others to drag us through the muck time and again. To whose benefit is it really?
Besides, if we’re that mixture of buffoonery and geek they believe us to be, playing upon these denigrating behaviors probably won’t guarantee a hard sell. But try to stretch the mark and play to the creative, and even the beautiful, maybe then you might find a more receptive audience. Besides, I probably won’t turn off the TV next time, either.
I had similar feelings during last year’s Super Bowl where I struggled through three hours of pointless commercials, cursing along the way at those costly agencies that should have known better. For instance, if an audience is not told what a company does or produces, if an ad holds back relevant content or information about a product, if a commercial is so lame as to neglect to deliver a message, then why are corporations squandering millions of dollars? Why are they wasting my time?
In showing me how well they have mastered their multi-media/hi-tech programs, most agencies accomplished the opposite of what they set out to do–at least from my perspective. They didn’t gain an audience or new buyer; they lost a prospective buyer (e) since a. I can’t remember who those companies were, b. what they were selling or c. even if they had a product or service I required.
This year the commercial presentations did the impossible and surpassed 2006 in terms of generating limp ideas and neglecting the age range of its audience. The ads went leaps and bounds off the consumer charts with loads of color, action and action (did I say action?) but miniscule marketing presence. Inclusive in this package of wasted stupidities was one empty missile after another. Most commercials were so recklessly concocted that my focus constantly shifted from their supposed commercial message to what really annoyed me–a haphazard and juvenile delivery.
All in all, I can’t put all the blame on the agencies that played recklessly with their advertisers’ dollars. The American public may have to share part of this blame, since it was to all of us that advertisers were appealing. Moreover, if today’s marketers believed its audience was only receptive to basement humor, silly pranks and first grade dialogue then maybe should someone check and see if they’re right?
Personally, I don’t feel the majority has quite yet sunk to these levels although, I will grant, our intelligence barometer is certainly approaching dangerous readings. I will also agree that while we continue to academically and socially miss our potential, it’s not to any advertiser’s benefit to play upon our shortcomings. In doing so he both loses a sale and an audience.
Still, there’s a warning that needs to be heeded. It’s been noted time and again that this nation has never had an Enlightened period. We started with a bang with Jefferson and Franklin. In between these two marvelous gents and the Transcendental crowd to the present there’s been a growing demise in our behavior and education. To be frank, we’ve taken a spiraling turn away from enrichment and decency. But even with this downward trend, I don’t believe we’ve fallen to levels that marketers think we have–although we’re close.
Few could argue that these Super Bowl commercials were eye-opening reminders of the rut we’re in. It’s not a place where I wish to hang my hat or spend much time. Yet, how did we go from children of Coke singing around the universal Christmas tree to people exchanging vaudevillian slaps, portraying dim-witted, obtuse antics? I don’t have an answer. I just know we have. Turn on any TV channel or radio station. Scan the magazine racks. It’s pretty much the same bubble gum and glitter buffoonery.
Given all this, maybe I shouldn’t have been totally surprised by the wasted efforts that have come to epitomize Super Bowl commercials. After the first 10 minutes of slug and punch this year I was hoping that maybe someone in Marketingville would feel a bit sorry for me and drag up an old Bud frog commercial or maybe contact Aflac and entice one of these achievers with a spot on its advertising calendar.
But we, the viewing audience, had no such luck. Not this year anyhow. Instead of Cindy Crawford crossing cow fields, high-priced agencies went into high gear with their bells and whistles. Flash without substance. Yet, it’s that area of substance that we should be looking to hook up with again. We have to up the ante and begin raising the bar a bit. We need to start to extend our reach over low comedic and frivolous attempts. Before we all go verbally deaf, communicators need to put real meaning back into their words. Their sights should strive to reach beyond the mundane and extraordinarily ridiculous.
Advertisers need to connect honestly with themselves if only to remind one another that not all Americans are the buffoons they wish to portray. We might have taken a temporary backslide in terms of academic and social progress, but we don’t wish for others to drag us through the muck time and again. To whose benefit is it really?
Besides, if we’re that mixture of buffoonery and geek they believe us to be, playing upon these denigrating behaviors probably won’t guarantee a hard sell. But try to stretch the mark and play to the creative, and even the beautiful, maybe then you might find a more receptive audience. Besides, I probably won’t turn off the TV next time, either.
posted by Gary Simon at
11:06 AM
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