Superblow

Everyone associated with the advertising and marketing industry is weighing in on last night's Superbowl--or, more specifically, the commercials. After all, the game (like most Superbowls) pretty much sucked (and what was up with the officiating?). Ad industry guru Bob Garfield offers his critiques at Ad Age. I'm with him in being slightly appalled at Kermit the Frog whoring for Ford, but then again when people start questioning the ethics of sock puppets, perhaps it's time for the van to come.

I always enjoy watching the Superbowl with a crowd; last year, I was in a crowded sports bar and everyone talked during the game itself, but got real quiet when the commercials came on. This year, I was at a party at a friend's house, and we all watched the commercials, but not with rapt attention. I was less appalled by them this year than last year; happily they were a bit less scatological and generally upsetting. (Very violent, though. As CG effects get cheaper and easier to produce, it's easier to integrate cartoon violence with live action--which is more disturbing than cartoon violence that is obviously a cartoon.)

We all agreed, though, that the tagline "brown and bubbly" doesn't exactly make Diet Pepsi appealing (the phrase reminded me of sewage). There was one disturbing commercial about a "nude sheep" that reminded someone at the party of Brokeback Mountain (I didn't fall asleep during the commercial, so I didn't make the connection).

There weren't any ads that I particularly liked, and I maybe chuckled slightly at one or two. Then again, I'm probably not the target audience for a sports broadcast anyway. (And no commercial, however clever, will ever change my opinion that Bud Lite is anything but vile, tasteless swill.)

What I suppose I find most upsetting (and this is true of commercials in general) is that they all seem to feature really stupid or really selfish people. There is just this cynical harshness to commercials these days--perhaps it's reflective of how increasingly sociopathic we're all becoming. (Advertising doesn't have to be this way--I remember a campaign from the 70s where you were encouraged to buy more than one of something and share it with others.)

The party started to break up after halftime, which is when I left (and when I got home only had the game on in the background as I talked to a friend on the phone so wasn't paying much attention). As for the Rolling Stones...I've never been much of a Stones fan, but my sense is if you're 62 (Mick Jagger's age) and you still can't get no satisfaction, perhaps it's time to just cut your losses and stop trying. It seemed like a poor choice for a halftime show--I think something Motown-related (they were in Detroit, after all) would have been more appropriate.