Superbowl Ads offer an amazing window into the public consciousness, or at least what advertisers and advertising agencies believe that the public should care about.
My favorite commercial, by far, was Eminem for the new Chrysler 200. I have never understood why US automakers don’t make more of a big deal about buying American, and I thought this spot struck just the right balance between U-S-A! nationalism and serious-mindedness.
It’s not trying to beat European (or Japanese) automakers at their own game, it says “we stand for something singularly American”- and I think that something that resonates with everyone from Tea Party-ers to inner city minorites. I thought the choice of Eminem was inspired, although adding the Black choir seemed a little heavy-handed.
Eminem is sort of the reverse Obama for hip-hop. Ironically, he makes it safe for Middle America to enjoy rap. Maybe a decade after the NBA, hip hop has come to the Superbowl- but in the sanitized version of a white rapper and The Black Eyed Peas. It’s no coincidence that Eminem was featured twice in the Super Bowl ad line-ups, first as himself for Chrysler and then as a Claymation version for Brisk Ice Tea.
I’m not sure what to make of the fact that user-generated ads held three of the top-five ratings in the USA Today ad meter. I am always amazed the “winners” are (a) humorous (b) sophomoric (c) always star animals. But I guess when it comes to light entertainment and foot-in-the-crotch jokes, amateurs are as good as (or better than) the professionals. I think there is also a disconnect between what ads consumers enjoy, and which ones will get them to break out their wallets. There is still a place for sophisticated emotionally-driven advertising, but I guess for the broadest demographic, the Super Bowl is not the place for it. I just know that I am part of a class that is highly coveted by advertisers, and that I rewound the Tivo and watched the (2 minute!) Eminem/Chrysler twice. I’m not worried about people’s jobs in the agency world, at least not the amazing folks at Wieden + Kennedy.
