A recap

I am in no advertising classes this semester, and seeing as the Super Bowl was yesterday, I am missing out on the opportunity to participate in the veritable onslaught of reviews that will be taking place in classes all over the Jesse H. Jones Communication Center today. So the readers of girlfriday get to indulge me.

First off, I actually watched the game, and understood most of it. Sure, there are still some basic football concepts that I don't get. I don't know any positions, except for quarterback. I don't get what penalties are given when a flag is thrown. Is yardage lost? I don't know. Someone should explain this to me. I'm sure my brother and dad have, and probably on more than one occasion. It's kind of like learning a new language. It's gonna take me about 20 times to hear it before it finally sinks in.

I'll speak more of the game later, like how I'm totally on the "the Patriots are a team full of horses' asses, led by a coach who is the biggest one of all" bandwagon. And how it was one of the most exciting football games I've ever watched. I'm a sucker for a good underdog story (see UT at the 2006 Rose Bowl and Boise State at the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. And every sports movie ever).

Of course the ad I was most interested in seeing was played during the pre-game, which I am just not a die-hard enough fan to dedicate those four hours of my time to learning about all the hardships each team has had to endure over the past season, just to see the ads. And I, unlike the announcers themselves, do not particularly enjoy the sound of their voices. The ad I missed is for Pepsi, and is totally silent, done all in ASL, captioned for the hearing world. A nice twist, if not a bit contrived. Is Pepsi just trying to convince us they're a benevolent corporation? Are they sucking up to the Deaf community? Either way, the ad is worth watching. What's cool about it is that it uses a popular joke within Deaf culture. Check it out here:



Overall I thought ad agencies were trying harder with their spots this year. The past two years have been so disappointing, I went into last night's extravaganza expecting the same. I was pleasantly surprised. Here are my top three:

1) Pepsi/Justin Timberlake. This one wins by default, because it has JT in it. I am also a sucker for cute, skinny boys. And it was funny, which was no surprise. If you've never seen the two SNL eps that he hosted, find them online and watch them, he actually has great comedic timing.

2) Careerbuilder.com/"Follow Your Heart." This one was so shockingly gory, I paid attention. Then to juxtapose that heart bursting from a woman's chest with the cliché line, "Follow your heart" was hilarious. I noticed it and I remembered the company, what more can you ask for from an ad?

3) Tide-to-go/"Silence the stain." Clever.

Other notable moments (for better or worse): FedEx, with the birds as mail carriers. It evoked Harry Potter in me for some reason. RIP, Hedwig; Budweiser Clydesdale with the dog - this is old, right? I don't get that. Just make a new ad for crying out loud. Yeah, it's cute. But I've seen it. Give me something new, Budweiser. Same goes to you, Jack in the Box; That Planters commercial with the uni-brow girl who rubs peanuts all over her and that's why guys are attracted to her? Yeah, that was just weird; I'll chuckle at pretty much anything that includes Charles Barkley, and that ad was definitely not "turrible." Of course I don't think I'm their demographic for these ads, because I actually recognize "Chuck," not D-Wade; Local Fox News spot, something about "ditching" those 8 tracks and embracing new technology. Ah, yes, all those damn 8 tracks I have lying around, I've been meaning to get rid of them and buy a cassette player. Seriously, Fox; New Will Ferrel movie? Yeah, I'll probably see that. But the Bud Light ad with his character in it was funnier than the actual trailer; Salesgenie.com and their panda bears with horrible, fake Chinese accents. I don't even know where to start or go with that one; Bridgestone Tires....the guy should've run over Richard Simmons; talking baby for E*Trade. I don't need to see a baby spit up on television, I get enough of that in my reality. Gross; Sunsilk with their Shakira and their Madonna. Are they trying to convince they're cool and young and hip? I'm not buying it. You're a shampoo for crying out loud; Carville and Frist, best friends because of Coca Cola. Ok, I laughed a bit. It's hard not to like Carville, ass that he is; Adam Sandler movie. May not be horrible; Oy, "The Moment of Truth." If I haven't complained to you about what a ridiculous and horrible idea I think this show is, then we probably haven't talked in awhile.

So the Giants pulled it off. Upset the mighty Patriots. Such a beautiful thing. One of the most enjoyable Super Bowls in years, that's for sure. Having some concept of what was taking place on the field helped, too.

I don't know if I should be admitting this in the written form, but I might be starting to agree with my sister-in-law. I just might be a fan of the Manning brothers.