Super Bowl Breakdown

What do you remember most about the Super Bowl? Was it the food you had, the nail-biting end of the game, the halftime extravaganza, or the commercials? For me it is always a little bit of everything. More than 1.3 million people watch the Super Bowl annually and about half of those watch primarily for the commercials.

Commercials are a great PR tactic used by companies and organizations to bring awareness or invoke an action from their target audience. Commercials can be difficult for a company to create because they reach such a wide audience. The commercial must be placed on the right channel and in the right context in order to have the desired effect. There is always a chance that the commercial will not be positively received or the brand purpose will not come across. Even so, commercials are still one of the top PR tactics for companies.

One commercial that raised a great deal of controversy during the Super Bowl was Nationwide’s ad that focused on a little boy who is listing off all these adventures in life that he will never have, because we later learn he died in an accident. Nationwide released this video to increase the safety and protection that parents take to keep their kids safe. This raised a highly negative response from the audience, especially parents. Parents felt that this commercial was trying to imply that they were unequipped to care for their children.

After Budweiser’s commercial success last Super Bowl, there was much talk about the ad before it even aired Sunday. This commercial features a golden retriever puppy that accidently loses its way back home. The puppy is almost eaten by wolves but is saved by the horses from the farm where he is from. The commercial ends end with the horses, the dog, and the owner all back together. The owner is drinking a Budweiser and the line reads “#bestbuds.” This commercial was meant to convince the audience that Budweiser is the drink to bring everyone together. However, at the end of this commercial most people are thinking, “I want a dog,” or “I want a horse," not “I want a Budweiser.”

-Erica

Erica Douglas, Account Associate | Erica is senior majoring in pubic relations and advertising. Her dream job is to work for Tough Mudder when she graduates. Erica currently works in the Graduate office at Grand Valley and for Flag Football Intramurals. She is involved in Intramurals, GrandPR, and PRSSA.

GrandPRFebruary 5, 2015