Ads Gone Wild
If you were one of the tens of millions of people to watch the televised NFL championship game known as the Super Bowl, you no doubt were witness to one of the weirdest annual American spectacles. No, I’m not referring to Madonna trying to convince the world (and herself) that she’s still somehow relevant, but rather the insanity, enthusiasm, and hotly-debated conversations surrounding the Super Bowl advertisements.
In an odd juxtaposition of attitudes, Americans all spontaneously decide that, for one day a year, they will not fast-forward through commercials and will be sure to watch, remember, and be ready to discuss their favorite ads from the game. Forgetting the name of a player who dropped a ball or one that made a great play is forgivable, but not having an opinion on which ads you liked, hated, or just felt apathetic about? Don’t be that guy (or girl).
Don't get left out of the loop. Watch the Super Bowl ads, or this could be you.
This year was no different, with plenty of ads for beer, cars and pizza all hoping to be named of the ‘best commercials.’ GoDaddy regularly shows something that borders of soft-core porn, and advises it’s potential customers to go to the website if they want to “see more.†Thanks, GoDaddy, but believe it or not I’ve actually already found a website or two on the Internet where I can see boobs, if I so desire.
Nothing like a moderately-attractive female race car driver to drive traffic to your site!
Not to be outdone, H&M showed that men can be sex symbols, too — especially if the man in question is a world-famous soccer player with tattoos and a lean, muscular physique. The Beckham ad is dripping with sexuality (not literally, thank God) and caused quite a stir on Twitter and social networks everywhere. Here’s the commercial, so you can see what got everyone so riled up (Warning: This commercial may make you tingle in your nether regions):
In fact, shortly after the ad aired, CNN analyst Roland Martin got in a little hot water for Tweeting about the H&M ad. Said Martin “If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham’s H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him!†Tough words coming from a man who’s been known to don an ascot from time to time. Apparently the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) was not amused by Martin’s tweet, and demanded Martin’s removal from the network. CNN responded by suspending Martin indefinitely.
Yes, Roland Martin actually dresses like this.
Like everything else surrounding the Super Bowl, the reality rarely comes anywhere close to matching the hype. For every “epic party†people that people meticulously plan, I’d say a fair 80% turn out to be tame affairs with a bunch of overweight guy and gals eating potato chips and drinking beer on the couch. The game itself is usually something of a letdown, and the advertisements are right there, too, promising to be the most clever and funny thing you’ve ever seen and being really sort of hit-and-miss. To be sure, there are plenty of “good†advertisements, but that’s tricky to define. Did I buy anything I wouldn’t have because of seeing the ads? Nope. Will I watch them all again next year? Absolutely. It’s the only American thing to do.
-Bill Henry