Super Bowl, Super Ads?

After surviving the first seven seconds of the game, the Colts came through and dominated the Bears. The score was closer than it should have been. Prior to the game I mentioned to a fellow watcher that the Colts would win by 17. Didn't quite happen that way, but it could have.

Some watch "The Game" for the game, others for the halftime show. I watched a few minutes of Prince singing "Let's Go Grazy," then went for some munchy refills. Been there, done that, 21 years ago (yes, it's been that long).

And then, there's the advertisements. Since today is Wednesday, I figure that the most impacful ads would be the ones I still remember. That is the point of advertising, right? That people will remember your product long after the commercial has aired? For the $2.8 million paid for each 30 second time slot, these companies better hope I take memory of their ads to my grave.

So, which one's stand out?

• I liked the one where the critters are using a live mouse to try and run their computer. It made me laugh. But I don't remember the product it was touting. I'm probably not going to go out and buy a live mouse, nor a computer mouse, so that ad didn't earn any money for the sponsor.
• The rock, paper, scissors ad with the two guys fighting over the last beer was also funny. Since Budweiser was the primary (only?) beer advertisor during the game, I assume that was a Bud or Bud Light ad.
• The series of ads from CareerBuilder.com were comical. The fact that I remember CareerBuilder.com is a nice bonus. Sadly, I'm not planning to visit their website.
• GoDaddy has been trying with all their might to make a splash with Super Bowl advertising by showing some skin. Visit their website and you can read all about Bob Parson's fight with the FCC over racy commercials, and why they go that route in the first place. I don't like the ads, for obvious reasons. But at least this year's "Everyone wants to work in marketing" tagline was humorous.
• The various ads from Doritos (the homemade variety), the car commercials (can't remember which cars) and the tribute to black coaches were fine fillers, but not particularly impactful. I certainly won't be going out and buying a new Toyota Tundra as a result of watching a computer generated scene of peril.

In the end, I suppose TV advertising is a necessary evil for certain companies. As consumers we should remember that TV exists primarily as an advertising medium, not for the shows. Your picture would be a snowy blur if not for the willingness of corporate America to display its wares in 30 second time slots.

And by the way, the Colts will repeat in Super Bowl XXXXII.