by Luis Descanzo
The Super Bowl tradition of creative advertising continued on the February 6 telecast of the live game on FOX Network. Super Bowl XLV featured commercials from veteran companies which have aired commercials for decades and from companies which ventured out into the world of football advertising for the first time. The use of consumer-made videos and social media networks to attract public attention are 2011’s biggest themes.
Doritos, which has been popular since its 2007 debut, continued its tried and tested gimmick: letting creative consumers make their own commercials. One of these three commercials showed a man who taunts a pug dog with Doritos chips and is promptly struck by a glass screen which had initially protected him from the hungry animal. USA Today’s Ad Meter, which compiled real-time audience responses to all Super Bowl commercials, listed this commercial – along with a Budweiser commercial which also featured dogs – as the most popular advertisements this year.
Many commercials took advantage of social networks to create widespread interest over new products. Audi’s ingenuity appeared at the end of its advertisement when it challenged viewers to complete the phrase “Progress is…” on Twitter as part of its Progressive Luxury Trade-Up contest. According to Audi, the ten Twitter users who receive the most responses out of the tweet, whether they be from YouTube, blogs, or other social networking sites, will be eligible to win prize packages worth over $25,000.
Similarly, Lipton’s Brisk promoted its Brisk Stories contest by asking viewers to visit the product’s page on Facebook. The commercial featured Eminem in a stop-motion animation sequence wherein he explains his reluctance to endorse products. Other candid interviews with celebrities like Ozzy Osborne were posted at Brisk’s Facebook page.
One other popular advertisement was centered on an arrogant boy clad in a Darth Vader costume who believes he has the power to “use the force” by will of his mind. This commercial was actually leaked out by its maker, Volkswagen, a week before the game. By allowing the commercial to be viewed online, Volkswagen received much attention over Twitter and had a whopping 13 million YouTube views just before kickoff.
Overall, 2011’s Super Bowl was marked by an eclectic mix of commercials which encouraged audience interaction. While companies spent up to $3 million dollars for each 30 seconds on air, the attention gained during the Super Bowl will surely reward social-media-savvy investors for months to come.
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