Go to nearly any major site on the web and you are bombarded with advertisements. Like many other people I know, I use browser plugins like AdBlock to try and remove them from my browsing experience.
But, for one time each year, there is an event in the USA where I actually tune in as much to see the advertisements as to see the event itself. I'm talking about the Super Bowl where we find out who wins the National Football League (NFL) championship. This year's game, Super Bowl XLIX, pits the New England Patriots versus the Seattle Seahawks and is scheduled for Sunday, February 1 at 6:30 PM EST.
With such a large viewing audience and such large sums spent to acquire a spot during the game, advertisers go out of their way to try and make ads that are actually interesting and memorable. Some have strained the limits of technology to pull them off.
If I were to mention nothing but net, you'd probably know I was referring to a series of ads pitting Larry Bird against Michael Jordan going one-on-one on increasingly challenging and then outlandish basketball shots, the winner to get a McDonald's Big Mac.
So, with the big game soon to be upon us, I ask: What are your most memorable Super Bowl ads? What's the biggest flop? Some advertisers have "leaked" copies of commercials on-line before the big show. Where did you find them? What's your favorite so far?
Related Stories
While the New England Patriots have absorbed a beating in the press, with many scientists concluding that only the surreptitious hiss of air being released from their footballs could explain the loss of pressure making them easier to handle, James Glanz reports at the NYT that the first detailed, experimental data has concluded that most or all of the deflation could be explained by environmental effects.
[The NFL is investigating whether the New England Patriots intentionally deflated footballs during their victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Sunday's rain-soaked AFC Championship Game.]
“This analysis looks solid to me,” says Max Tegmark, a professor of physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who reviewed the paper. “To me, their measurements mean that there’s no evidence of foul play.” Some academic and research physicists now concede that they made a crucial error in their initial calculations, using an equation called the ideal gas law. But applying the equation to real situations can be surprisingly deceptive. When a gauge indicates that the ball contains 12.5 p.s.i. — the minimum allowed by the N.F.L. — the actual pressure is more than twice that amount because the surrounding pressure of the atmosphere must be considered. This roughly doubles how much a dip in temperature can lower the pressure. “I stand corrected,” says Tegman, “It’s pretty funny that the ideal gas law is making headlines."
Thomas Healy measured the pressure drop in 12 footballs when they were moved from a room at 75 degrees to one at 50 degrees (the approximate temperature on the field in the Colts game). In the experiment, the deflation of the footballs was close to the larger, correctly calculated value. When Healy moistened the balls to mimic the effects of the rainy weather that day, the pressure dropped even further, close to the deflation of 2 pounds per square inch that the N.F.L. is believed to have found. Healy, who is from the Boston area, conceded that he would be rooting for the Patriots — whether he gets tickets or not — but says engineers who were not Patriots fans had helped with the experiments. Healy says his interest was just in the science. “It’s bringing science to a really public light, especially when everybody is getting interested in the Super Bowl."
Non-USA readers may wish to refer to our earlier story about the Super Bowl which explains some of the terminology and background on the game.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Wednesday January 28 2015, @09:39PM
Oddly, I can seldom remember where I first saw any ad, because, while it may first appear during some major TV event, it lingers on long after everyone has seen it 30 times, and then fades into the background. I see ads that have literally been running for two years straight.
Some while some superbowl ads may be marginally better than your average ad, but over-use ruins them in short order.
Oh, and TV shunners: This story is NOT FOR YOU, so just move along, rather than pile on.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 5, Funny) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday January 28 2015, @09:48PM
OK. One cranky old guy has already closed down the thread. Let's move on, people.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday January 28 2015, @10:03PM
Advertising on TV has been an anachronism for quite a while now. And the future of advertising itself has also been here for a while now. When I left Madison Avenue 10 years ago budgets were only beginning to shift to online from TV. The MBAs who run corporate America simply could not wrap their heads around the concept that only old people whose brand loyalties are cast in stone still watch TV. But even then it was clear to those of us online guys that there would be no simple translation of the brainwashing advertising model to online--users have too much control over the platform. Google had it much more right, and their sharp revenue growth has rather confirmed that.
But in the meantime the TV people have been completely left in the dust by those who leapfrogged banner ads and the like online to what advertising could only inevitably be outside Google: PR. That, too, has been reflected in the hiring sprees that I've watched in NYC and in the tracks they've left all over the social web; Every time you read somebody on a blog going on and on about some product (non-critically, of course) or spreading FUD and you think to yourself, "Man this guy sounds like a shill," that's because he is a shill and he is being paid to push that meme. Remember when all the schlubs were extolling the virtues of Surface after its launch, when every other one among us with two neurons to rub together knew it was a turkey? Yep, that's right, they were astro-turfers paid by MS-funded PR firms.
As an exercise, wait for some new OMG! product to be announced on some news site somewhere, then go onto Amazon and read the reviews for that product. Note the talking points the 50 5-star reviewers leave. If they hit the same 2-3 you know that they are, in fact, working from a talking-point memo handed them by their bosses at PR Agency X.
So, with all apologies to frojack and martyb, talking about TV ads during the Super Bowl *is* ridiculously anachronistic. Mocking those who point that out does not make it any less true: only old people care one whit about TV anymore.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 5, Funny) by Thexalon on Wednesday January 28 2015, @10:39PM
No, us hand-egg shunners who are fine with TV are still around. Why Americans see such a need to put on padding and helmets and stop all the time when playing rugby, I'll never know.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by Leebert on Thursday January 29 2015, @02:13AM
I can help you with that. We're not talking about rugby, we're talking about American football. Different game altogether.
Hope this clears it up.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 29 2015, @04:06AM
The whoosh sound is the joke going over your head
(Score: 2) by Leebert on Saturday January 31 2015, @02:09AM
Physician, heal thyself.
(Score: 2) by SlimmPickens on Thursday January 29 2015, @04:37AM
Stoppage is the word.
I'm glad Rupert Murdoch never got control of R. League, but if he had then this [youtube.com] wouldn't be happening in the R. League World Cup.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Thursday January 29 2015, @11:57AM
...and vastly less beer and songs that can curdle the milk of virgins at 50 paces, right?
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by Jeremiah Cornelius on Wednesday January 28 2015, @09:55PM
If you think that large scale, corporate owned "sporting events" are anything but some contrived spectacle, engendering strong allegiances and attachments to non-existent local/regional entities, you are subject to delusional conditioning. This selects you for other false attachments, such as "brand loyalty" with the curious dissonance of "savvy consumer".
See: Pavlov, Bernays, Skinner...
You're betting on the pantomime horse...
(Score: 2) by frojack on Wednesday January 28 2015, @10:01PM
Other than floods, earthquakes and volcanoes and such, there is no such thing as an "un-contrived spectacle".
So condemning something because it was a human creation is unlikely to win any converts to your point of view, at least not among humans.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 1) by Buck Feta on Wednesday January 28 2015, @11:30PM
How about football shunners? Can we stay and crap on things?
- fractious political commentary goes here -
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 28 2015, @09:45PM
But very, VERY glad that I don't really like football on so many different levels.
(Score: 2) by GungnirSniper on Wednesday January 28 2015, @09:54PM
A big reason why the commercials matter so much in the Super Bowl is the novelty factor. They're new and usually big-budget.
This is in contrast to ordinary TV where you'll see the same ads ten times or more. It can't be that hard to do multiple spots in a few takes, so I don't see why commercials won't shake their ads up. Three different commercials three times is better than the same one nine times, right?
Tips for better submissions to help our site grow. [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by SpockLogic on Thursday January 29 2015, @12:59AM
What, no mention of Apple's 1984 Big Brother Mac ad. You lot are slipping.
Overreacting is one thing, sticking your head up your ass hoping the problem goes away is another - edIII
(Score: 2) by wonkey_monkey on Wednesday January 28 2015, @09:57PM
I'm talking about the Super Bowl where we find out who wins the National Football League (NFL) championship.
Oh, is that what that is? I've always wondered why everyone makes such a fuss.
One of my favourite ads of recent years is an ad for, well, ads:
Harvey and Rabbit [youtube.com]
systemd is Roko's Basilisk
(Score: 2) by francois.barbier on Wednesday January 28 2015, @11:17PM
ALALAPOOPOLALA!!!
(Score: 3, Interesting) by tooyoung on Wednesday January 28 2015, @09:58PM
The entire "watching the Super Bowl for the ads" thing died for me years ago. It wasn't too long after the media played up the whole idea and it became an arms race for memorable ads. Somehow that made them all a let down. I think expectations got set too high by all of the media attention. Before all of the attention, it was a nice surprise to see some cool ads. Now it is the expectation. It has been several years since I remember any friends remarking on the ads the day after the game.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Daiv on Wednesday January 28 2015, @10:17PM
Animal Planet has a Puppy Bowl on repeat during the "Big Game" that I usually watch once through then turn on a movie or catch up on some other shows I might be behind on. It's about as important to be as football (read: not at all) but the wife likes it, so we watch it.
I'm not hating, just saying there's plenty of alternatives for everyone on that day. Reading a book, staring at a wall or solving some problem for all mankind are other options, if you're too good and/or can only think in binary means.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by gallondr00nk on Wednesday January 28 2015, @10:23PM
I supposed that people only used to like the ads because the underlying football was so boring and incomprehensible. It wasn't that the ads were truly staggering in themselves.
It's a (great) excuse to eat things and drink beer, and so it should remain.
(Score: 2) by buswolley on Wednesday January 28 2015, @10:30PM
Give me a Pliny the Elder and I'll watch anything.
subicular junctures
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday January 29 2015, @01:01AM
Apropos ads, eating and drinking, give to The night of Ad Eaters [adeater.com] a try if you can. Back in 2001/2002 when I last managed to attend one, it was worth it (even if, from about 8-9 h, only for the about 1.5h worth of ads really-really exceptional) .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by frojack on Thursday January 29 2015, @01:28AM
8-9 hours?
Hasn't YouTube just about done these guys in?
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday January 29 2015, @01:49AM
This is just as asking: doesn't Internet displace museums?
It's not only about the ads availability, it's about the effort of selecting them as worth the time watching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Thursday January 29 2015, @03:34PM
[* Sorry guys, but when abbrieviating "american football" to "football", the fact that you were removing the disambiguating word should have flashed warning signs that the abbreviation was not a sensible one. E.g the GAA call gaelic football "Gaelic Football", and the australian AFL call australian rules football "Australian Rules". If the intention was to imperialistically make sure that when the word "football" is uttered, your version of the game was thought of first, the rest of the world is here to tell you that you've failed miserably. Maybe something like "'Merkinball" would have been better?]
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 29 2015, @05:06AM
For those who don't live in the US, the Super Bowl is by far the biggest annual TV event, one that draws lots of people who don't ordinarily watch football or sports or even (like me) don't own a TV. And it's a social occasion, more than let's say a Presidential debate. It started that way and then as corporations and their ad agencies made it the biggest TV ad day, that kept the momentum going by giving non-football fans something to look forward to watching. Everyone has a reason to watch so they can offer their critiques to friends and coworkers the next day - there's the game, the performance of the TV announcers and refs (always the sport-within-a-sport), the halftime show (a gigantic spectacle which more often not falls on its face, but people enjoy talking about it) and the TV ads.
(Score: 2) by TheLink on Thursday January 29 2015, @09:42AM
I actually do like watching (and re-watching) many of those Thai ads.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYpThnZjWaw [youtube.com] (ceiling board ad)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbc4grjOA-o [youtube.com] (noodle commercial part 1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGmJVpYtIUA [youtube.com] (noodle commercial part 2)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJFHYA0v87o [youtube.com] (bridgestone tyre ad)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckwo2l8BpUg [youtube.com] (bank ad)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMU3Mfc04g4 [youtube.com] (canned tuna ad)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS_EqmoRvns [youtube.com] ( TrueMove H 3 min, 6 min longer version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89aowrlN--k [youtube.com] )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZGghmwUcbQ [youtube.com] (TMB - Thai Bank 3 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU4oA3kkAWU [youtube.com] (TMB 5 min)
Many others (including a phone/telco ad with a just married couple where the bride turns out to have lots of fake bits), but youtube search is bad and google search isn't so good nowadays (or my google fu is lacking)...
(Score: 2, Funny) by Paradise Pete on Thursday January 29 2015, @10:02AM
How do you pronounce that? Super Bowl Zlicks?
Why are Roman numerals still used for anything?
(Score: 2) by JeanCroix on Thursday January 29 2015, @02:15PM
(Score: 1) by Paradise Pete on Thursday January 29 2015, @02:31PM
I notice that if I squint the L and I blur together to look like a U, making it Super Bowl Sux. So they should watch their kerning I suppose.
(Score: 2) by Magic Oddball on Thursday January 29 2015, @10:10AM
My favorites (or at least the ones that have been impossible to forget) are the infamous OutPost.com Gerbil Cannon [youtube.com] and High School Marching Band + Wolves [youtube.com].
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 29 2015, @02:58PM
I'm not a TV shunner or a football shunner, but I don't use the internet.
(Score: 1) by Rich on Thursday January 29 2015, @04:42PM
Makoto Shinkai did a few ads, which are probably more enjoyable than the program framing them will be.
This one apparently was commissioned as a short film for some life insurance corp, where his task was to pack in a story about family values and the future, in line with the goals of the corp. It does worry me a bit that artistry on that level has to align in such a way, but as long as we're able to identify the advertising "content" in it, I guess we'll have to be fine with it being so:
"Someone's Gaze" (Life Insurance) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSwbnUQJGnA [youtube.com]
Other work of him included less story or just a bit of nice "scenery porn":
"Cross Road" (Cram School) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK7n7TBeh2I [youtube.com]
"Sri Lanka High Way" (Construction) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fx7Y57msH2g [youtube.com]
"Shinano Mainichi Shimbun" (Newspaper) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsqJrMOWeMI [youtube.com]
And, to get fully back on topic, as far as superbowl ads are concerned, there is exactly one I could remember after reading the heading:
"Wasted $2M" (Online Brokering):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbBLDBohgrY
Seems the $2M weren't that wasted *g*