The Super Bowl has come and gone, and the advertisements
that came with it are now bearing the weight of public scrutiny. Fortunately, because
there are so many ways that these advertisements are analyzed, we can get a
great idea of how effective the commercials from the Super Bowl have been
already.
Given the fact that the average cost of a 30 second spot in
this year’s Super Bowl came with a price tag of a record $4,000,000,
it would seem to me that we as the audience should expect the very
best creative and entertaining commercials that a company can produce. And
there is no reason why we shouldn’t. If we are going to spend our money on
their products, it should be expected that they make an effort to compete for
our attention.
The Super Bowl, as a singular event, provides the best
opportunity of the year for companies to do that. Much of the United States is
tuned in to the game, and the commercials that accompany it have gained such a
reputation that some even watch the game just to be entertained by the
advertising. There will most likely not be a better opportunity in the year to
reach a more extensive or a more receptive audience. But this can also be a double-edged
sword. Because the audience is watching the commercials more actively, they
will also be more judgmental about them.
It would be easy to understand if a company attempts
something unique and risky in their attempt to capitalize on the great opportunity
that a Super Bowl slot provides. However, some companies seem to fail in their
advertising efforts without even departing from the standards of their previous
methods.
As an example, the least effective advertisement according to Forbes was the Calvin Klein “Concept” ad, which featured a male model with a
ridiculous physique, dressed in nothing but underwear. This ad seems to be the
latest attempt by Calvin Klein to promote their product by associating it with
unrealistic body images, and it is obviously not being well received by the
general public.
Occupying the positions for the second and third worst ads
of the Super Bowl are the continuing efforts by GoDaddy.com to appear edgy and provocative.
The most widely talked about ad is the kiss between a model and a “nerd.” The
ad is simply uncomfortable, and even if their intention was to make it
infamous, it seems to be so poorly received that there is no way it could have
a positive effect on their business.
I don't understand why such a big deal is made about the Calvin Klein ad. Anyone see a Victoria's Secret ad lately? I would say the Calvin Klein ad is even less offensive because it is portraying such a pristine male physique as power and strength, not blindly sexualizing, as Victoria's Secret does with their ads.
ReplyDeleteAs for GoDaddy, I think their ads are more interested in shock value than informing their public. And it kind of worked, didn't it? We're all still talking about it.