Comments on: Super Bowl Winners and Losers – Sports Business Edition

By: Brad Ryan

Brad Ryan — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:50:57 +0000

I think the car commercials are a waste of a marketing budget. I cannot remember a single specific car from the Super Bowl. With the 6 million price tag for two commercial spots, you could certainly do something more creative and effective–something like what Pontiac did with Oprah..

Give me 6 million dollars and I’d certainly be able to generate more hype behind a car than two superbowl commercials.

By: Cynthia

Cynthia — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:23:52 +0000

Overall, the car and beer ads were pretty forgettable this years – well, except Hyundai’s Brett Favre 2010 MVP commercial. I thought that one was pretty effective.

Also, I’m already a How I Met Your Mother fan, but the Barney Stinson placement was great. Especially since they opened last night’s episode with it too! That had to have recruited a couple thousand new watchers, or at least made them call that number on the poster.

By: Rob Knapp

Rob Knapp — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:59:35 +0000

What I liked about the Google ad was that it effectively communicated what you can do w/the product (or at least some of what you can do), and at the same time it extended the brand beyond what we immediately associate it with, tech, to real human connection, all without being overly sappy. Really well done.

By: Russell Scibetti

Russell Scibetti — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:58:15 +0000

Brad – good point. Don’t know how I missed that one. Thanks.

By: Brad Ryan

Brad Ryan — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:48:53 +0000

The Docker ad proved to be really effective. “Docker free pants” ranked 1 and 2 for google hot searches after the game.

By: Sean Callanan

Sean Callanan — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:46:17 +0000

Unfortunately we don’t get the full picture of the Super Bowl internationally as you miss out on the adverts. But definitely agree that Twitter needs to lift it’s game to support traffic surges around major events as it will only become more mainstream.

By: Rob Scibetti

Rob Scibetti — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:47:41 +0000

I think Boost Mobile’s ad should be considered a loser. It brought back a great gimmick of the 85 Bears but it failed to really mention its product ($50 unlimited cell phone plans with a recently increased line of phones). Unless you took the time to goto the Boost Mobile Shuffle site and watch the 4 minute video, it was hard to tell what the ad was trying to accomplish.

I really liked the Dockers ad for free pants. Its drawing attention to their brand by having people sign up to win 1 of 1000 free pairs of pants. But there are no losers in this campaign, as a coupon of some sorts is offered for those who didn’t win. Definitely a good way to appeal to Dockers fans who haven’t entered the eCommerce realm or for those who are just looking for a bargain.

By: Russell Scibetti

Russell Scibetti — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:04:12 +0000

Mike – the Bridgestone spot was good. I intentionally left them out of the poll because of their halftime show sponsorship deal (I believe the ad spot came with the sponsorship), and I didn’t want one to influence the other.

By: Mike Mahoney

Mike Mahoney — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:01:23 +0000

My other vote was for the Bridgestone “Hangover Ripoff” the Bachelor Party Orca spot. Bridgestone executed very well all weekend.

By: Russell Scibetti

Russell Scibetti — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:38:20 +0000

Amanda – I give them credit for a “creative” approach, but I just didn’t connect with the ad. It was more distraction that awareness for me.

Dave – I think the problem with most car advertisement is that unless they are part of a large-scale campaign that I’m used to seeing, I have a hard time remembering what car brand was actually being pitched. However, in looking at your reviews (nice work), I do remember the Favre ad which I thought was very humorous. But there’s a problem if I remember the punchline and not the brand.

By: Dave

Dave — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:08:04 +0000

For the most part, I agree with your ad reviews. TruTV was definitely creepy, and I’m bored with the E-trade babies. But was there a reason you left out Kia, Hyundai, and Dodge? 3 of the best, in my opinion. In fact, I wrote a one-line review of each commercial as they happened last night and posted it on our blog at http://vantagepointblog.wordpress.com/2010/02/07/my-super-bowl-commercial-review/

By: Amanda

Amanda — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:59:15 +0000

I have to disagree with your opinion about the TruTV spot since this is an unforgettable ad. While at first it was a little touch-and-go, I actually remember what it’s an ad for, unlike many of the other spots that typically air during the SB. The second Troy popped out and the guy said ‘SIX MORE WEEKS OF FOOTBALL,’ I was hooked. The best of the SB44 commercials to me was Denny’s. The screaming chickens cracked me up, especially the one in the space suit. Memorable and I just might go to Denny’s to reward them for it.

By: Russell Scibetti

Russell Scibetti — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:47:08 +0000

I did forget about that one. I’ll add it to the poll, but I guess a couple of the “Other” votes are already for that one.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:29:27 +0000

How could you leave out the Betty White Snickers commercial, or had you turned the game off already? It was the best one and got the loudest laughs from me.