By Jeff Meaney
Class of 2011
Half the fun of watching the Super Bowl is watching the commercials that companies spend an astronomical amount to have aired during the big event. With the economy in turmoil, many major companies did not opt to pay the three million dollar per 30 seconds of air time cost.
Anheuser–Busch, however, was not affected by the economy as they were able to play six humorous ads during the Super Bowl. Similar to Anhueser-Busch, Doritos aired multiple commercials and used comedy as their marketing tactic to entice consumers as well.
A recurring theme between ads was remakes of old commercials. Boost Mobile remade the 1985 commercial featuring the members of the ’85 Bears Super Bowl team. In addition, McDonalds remade their classic Larry Bird vs. Michael Jordan commercial featuring two new NBA stars (LeBron James and Dwight Howard) playing each other in a game of one-on-one for a McDonald’s meal. Vacation.com was another company that followed this pattern, using Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo, who starred in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, as a couple looking to go on a vacation.
Most ads were marketing either beer, chips, cars or upcoming movies including Robin Hood; which is scheduled to be released May 2010. There was no shortage of entertainment from six o’clock until ten o’clock when the Saints became the new Super Bowl Champions. The game was exciting for fans of both teams and the commercials added a comedic element. The only aspect of the event that had some fans scratching their heads was the half-time show. The Who, needless to say, is a little past their prime. Roger Daltery’s voice was sub par however the special effects were exciting.
As a whole, the Super Bowl lived up to the hype. The commercials were as entertaining as the fast paced offense of the Saints and Colts. Although ads cost $3 million, the many companies who took the opportunity to advertise during the biggest advertising event of the year were rewarded tenfold as the game went down in the books as the most watched event ever.
