Super Bowl ads 2013: staff opinions

BRIAN:

I found it interesting that both the game and the commercials were much better in the second half. For the reasons of personal experiences alone, my favorite ad this year was GoDaddy’s “Your Big Idea.”  If you’ve ever had to pick a domain name (I’ve done so multiple times), you’ll know that seemingly every name has been taken. I’ve even made up words and have been stunned to find the URL has already been locked up. That’s why I could relate to this commercial, which emphasized the importance of being first.

PATTY:

“God made a Farmer” was a phenomenal Super Bowl ad and tribute to agriculture and the families who spend their lives farming so we have food.  This ad made me feel grateful and thankful for these down to earth, hardworking, family oriented farmers.  My family are farmers, I worked on the farm and this commercial triggered many of my happiest memories.  The rugged, yet sensitive photos and the voice over by the great radio legend Paul Harvey had us in tears.  Thank you Dodge Ram for giving us an ad that spreads joy, wisdom and beauty.

TIANA:

What really got me this year during the Super Bowl were advertisements that made an attempt to be relevant. For example, my favorite commercial was Tide’s “Miracle Stain,” featuring a 49ers fan that miraculously gets a Joe Montana stain on his jersey. Not only was it funny and cleverly executed, it went that extra step to incorporate the teams playing that day. It was also nice to see a commercial with a wide appeal and didn’t just play the sex appeal card (*cough* Calvin Klein and Go Daddy *cough*). Second favorite ad was Oreo’s brilliant response to the blackout.

AMY:

I wasn’t really impressed by any ads this year. Maybe it was because I wasn’t drinking during the game. The best of the rest was the Dodge ad. This one resonated with me for a few reasons. First, I grew up on a hog farm and secondly, we would always listen to Paul Harvey on long drives to Minnesota. But I was disappointed Monday morning to find out the Dodge ad was a “remake” of an ad not even 2 years old. Are there no original ideas left in this world? Well, anyway, it is back to DVRing everything I watch so I can skip all the commercials.

ALEXANDRA:

I wasn’t too impressed with the commercials this year at the Super Bowl.  However, one that did make me laugh was Amy Poehler’s Best Buy commercial.

Super Bowl ads 2012: staff opinions

BRIAN:

I was really underwhelmed by this year’s Super Bowl commercials. Even without the annual build-up, the commercials by themselves were pretty dull. The Chrysler commercial with Clint Eastwood was entertaining, but all it did for me was invoke memories of GM’s “Imported from Detroit” commercial with Eminem. I did notice many spots add a hashtag at the end, which makes me wonder how many conversations they spawned.

STEPH:

In my opinion, a combination of animals and humor make some of the most memorable Super Bowl commercials that are also able to appeal to a wide audience. This year was no exception. One of my favorite ads was the Sketchers dog racing commercial featuring a French Bulldog named Mr. Quiggly. Not only was the commercial creative and funny, but I think people that saw the ad will actually remember what product it was advertising. Good call on Sketchers’ part deciding to ditch the Kim Kardashian commercial for this one instead.

WHITNEY:

Usually the Super Bowl commercials that keep people talking are the ads that no one can remember what the ad was for! This year, my favorite ad fell into that category–the boy peeing in the pool. Call me immature, but it was really cute (especially the look on the boy’s face as the girl jumps into the pee pool). Unfortunately for TaxAct, I had to look up who did the commercial. I’m sure many others will also remember the boy peeing in the pool ad, but what is the point of a great commercial if we can’t remember what was being sold? Second favorite ad–David Beckman for H&M … yum.

EMILIE:

Thoroughly underwhelmed, that’s my feelings on both yesterday’s game and commercials. While I anticipated a boring game, I was taken aback by the lackluster ads. But it wasn’t all bad and if I had to pick a favorite it would be the M&M’s commercial. It had everything I think makes a great Super Bowl ad without trying too hard. Plus, the idea of candy being naked is just silly, and who doesn’t love silly fun? I even like the use of the overplayed “Sexy and I Know It” song, which I have secretly come to enjoy. I think the only thing that put a bigger smile on my face was Bradshaw’s stylishly awkward touchdown.

Not so Super Bowl for fans

Before the Super Bowl kicked off, the TV announcers mentioned that some seats were unsafe and as a result, NFL officials were doing their best to relocate the fans who had those seats.

ESPN.com wrote a detailed story on what happened. Some of the fans did get new seats, while others were offered three times face value as compensation.

Meanwhile, all fans had a difficult time entering the stadium, as some gates were closed due to ice on the roof. Some waited an hour-and-a-half to get in!

Here are some things stadium personnel could have done better:

  • Be more prepared for any situation. Two days before the Super Bowl, some ice fell from the roof and injured some people. Thus, officials had two days to come up with a better plan than just closing four of the 10 gates last-minute and poorly communicating this to the public.
  • Communicate better. One fan said, “Problem was, you didn’t know if you were in the right line or not. Everywhere you looked, there were just fences and screens and you couldn’t get in anywhere.” For one thing, announcements should have been made continuously through the exterior PA system. In addition, staff (including the police) should have been instructed how to better guide people to their (new) gate.
  • Have back-up systems. Ticket scanning devices malfunctioned at one gate, causing fans to get unruly. Did they not test the devices earlier in the day? Why not have back-up devices ready? Since four gates were closed, there should have been plenty of extras.
  • Manage staff better. Since four gates were closed, those ticket handlers should have been reassigned to the closed seating area to be there to explain the situation to the fans. Or, more than likely all those fans would have entered through the same gate. So those staffers could have met them right away and saved the fans the trouble of finding out when they got to their seats (and probably after purchasing food, etc.).