PepsiMax, VW, Doritos makes Super Bowl a great night for ad fans
Today is Super Bowl day in the US of A. And the fact the clash between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers will attract a TV audience of 110m viewers makes it a fascinating media event, even for those with no interest in the bizarre game of American football.
The most hyped side-show of all is the TV commercials which will run throughout the televised event.
Many claim that they enjoy the commercials more than the event itself. And given the massive size of the audience the US Super Bowl is an unparalleled platform to launch new commercials.
Tonight a broad range of companies will be paying $3m for a 30 second spot or $100,000 dollars a second.
Many have decided to make the event a focal point for new campaigns or promotions. PepisCo, for example have been running a competition for two its most famous brands: PepsiMax and Doritos.
Logging into a special website the great American public were invited to make their own ads. The winners, as voted by the site's visitors, is then to be screened tonight.
There was one hitch. The winner for Doritos was so bad taste it was banned by the American networks. It didn’t stop the ad, featuring a man deliberating running over a woman to save his bag of Doritos becoming an internet hit. Also sounds like a contender for this year’s Chip Shop Awards!
The Banned Doritos Ad
An unssuccesful contender for PepsiMax (good endline 'Zero calories maximum Pepsi tits).
Another one of the most anticipated spots is a Best Buy ad featuring teen idol Justin Bieber and Ozzy Osborne. The retailer is keeping the ad under wraps and will only say the spot will “showcase creativity and humor to millions of football and advertising fans throughout the country.”
GoDaddy.com meanwhile offers race car driver Danica Patrick and Biggest Loser fitness trainer Jillian Michaels in what appears to be a “compromising position.” Reality star Kim Kardashian is shilling for Skechers Shape Up with an ad that is rumored to heat up the screen with a mystery man.
Carmakers will also figure in prominently this year. Of the nearly 30 Super Bowl advertisers, eight are car brands including Audi, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Chrysler, General Motors and Volkswagen. The ad for Volkswagen brings back a Star Wars moment with a boy wearing a Darth Vader costume as he attempts to use The Force on his father’s car.
Some of the ads, not being kept under wraps, have already been heavily trailed on YouTube, giving insights into another emerging trends; where big brands like to encourage audience to ‘discover’ their latest work first before it is broadcast to the masses.
VW previewed their new ad on YouTube