Attack of The Super Bowl Ads

For many non-sports fans, Super Bowl Sunday is the one day of the year in which watching a sporting event is the desired goal.  This is because it is much more than a sporting event; it is a time to gather with friends, enjoy the junk-food version of a Thanksgiving Day spread, and view the entertainment on a big screen.  For non-sports fans and sports fans alike, the viewing of the advertisements during commercial breaks rivals the main event taking place on the football field.  But after watching yesterday’s game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, I’ve got a strong feeling that the ads that ran weren’t what most people were expecting. 

This year there was a clear effort made by the advertisers to strike an emotional tone.  Several of the ads featured narratives touting the boldness of being a dad.  There was the “My Bold Dad” ad by Toyota in which a man watched his daughter grow up, only to drop her off at the airport with tears in his eyes at the end of the spot.  There was also the Dove “Real Strength” ad which featured various children crying out “daddy” during significant occasions in their lives. So there was definitely a “dad-vertising” theme this Super Bowl. 

Then the tone turned from touching fatherhood, to drastically more serious domestic violence awareness as nomore.org ran a 30 second spot of an apparently authentic 911 recording that featured the voice of a lady calling to report an ongoing domestic violence incident.  She reported it by using coded language.  Fortunately the 911 operator caught on to what she was trying to say.  It was unfortunate, however, that the incident was occurring at all.  This was a bit tough to listen to, and certainly didn’t fit the typical “silly to get laughs” type of commercials that have come to be associated with the Super Bowl.  Although it was a downer, given the issues the NFL has had with domestic violence for many years – issues that were front and center for much of this season – I think it was advertising time and money well spent.

Then came a commercial that grabbed my attention.  It featured a boy telling us about all the things he won’t be able to do in life (at this point, I’m thinking maybe it’s an ad about a health condition he has).  He gives several examples of things he’d like to do but won’t be able to, and then he has some jarring news for the viewership:  He won’t be able to do all those things because “I died,” he said.

After being taken aback by the little boy telling us that he died, I was thinking that maybe this was going to tie back into the domestic violence theme.  But nope, I was wrong.  It turned out to be a Nationwide insurance ad…that’s all. 

“And for what purpose?” you ask.  I have no idea!  I don’t see the value in that commercial, neither do I see how that commercial is going to help Nationwide secure new clients. 

After viewing the commercials, my significant other told me she felt like she needed to control her emotions better because the (typically funny) Super Bowl commercials were making her want to cry.  She wasn’t alone; as I signed on to Facebook, I saw that many of my friends had the same sad reaction to the ads…including sad reactions to the Budweiser puppy ad and the touching dad-vertisements.  

I certainly think that there are many serious issues that need to be addressed in our society, and I’m not against serious issues being tackled on the Super Bowl advertising platform.  I just think that it was overdone during this year’s game, and I think some of the commercials (namely the Nationwide commercial) lacked tact in the message they were trying to get across.  I think the advertisers need to consider that whole families watch the game together, including children.  And in the case of Nationwide, parents who have lost their children may not be ready to view that type of commercial during what is usually a fun occasion.  Finally, maybe the vetting process should include more than just a 4 million dollar payment. 

With the blowback that this year’s crop of ads are receiving, my guess is that next year’s Super Bowl ads will return with a much more good-humored vengeance.

-Maelstrom