Prep For Sunday With the Adrants Super Bowl Primer
We're expecting a good show this year, partly because of all the buzz-building teasers. Other factors: agencies depended less on UGC than in Super Bowl '07, :30 spots cost more on average, and you'll see interaction from audience members (mobile voting/ranking, secret online spots).
Expect more woman-oriented ads because of Feb 3's proximity to Valentine's Day, and a bunch of trailers for upcoming films, signaling confidence from studios post-writers strike.
Breakdown of Expectations for Super Bowl Ad Orgy 2008 (Feeling geeky? Keep track of the ads with our Adrants Pre-Game Notes):
You probably noticed all the teasers out this year. Notably, Budweiser leaked five teasers out of 10 total Super Bowl spots. Other teasers -- like this one for Sobe or that GoDaddy thing -- are more like prologues for the real thing. Some brands were so lazy they didn't even bother to tease; they just tossed the ads out there or -- yikes! -- repurposed old ads.
We blame the plethora of teasers on the Nielsen/K-Fed effect. Because Nationwide released its K-Fed ad early last year, and because Nielsen is using it as a yardstick to quantify the success of all Super Bowl spots ever in the fabric of time, everybody's trying to cash in on hype juice.
Expect some somber joy-slicing. The Partnership for a Drug-Free America's got a spot that will either make you cringe with awkward or check your medicine cabinet. And Bridgestone's are meant to scare you into retiring your balding tires (for Richard Simmons' sake. Seriously).
Celebrities and athletes abound! Not that they haven't always, but expect some pop culture overdrive. Not only will men and women get an eyeful of Adriana Lima for Victoria's Secret, but Under Armour's ad will feature no less than 27 athletes, and Sunsilk is using a triage of electric icons: Madonna, Shakira and Marilyn Monroe. Vitamin Water's got Shaq, Icebreakers scored Carmen Electra, Bridgestone's got Alice Cooper and Richard Simmons ... oh, and Audi is doing some kind of Godfather-esque thing.
Notable noobs: Coke embarks on Pepsi turf with an aggressive three ads (so we hear), Bridgestone has two ads on deck and is sponsoring the halftime show; and Under Armour -- like we said -- is planning to come on 27 athletes strong.
We remember feeling disappointed at all the crazed UGC action going down last year, flanked by weak online integration. All the ads for Super Bowl 2007 seemed to end with a lame promotional URL.
This year the brands are savvier about user participation. Budweiser will kick ass with BudBowl.com, where registered users can rate ads via mobile as they appear on TV. Voters get the coveted secret 11th spot at the end of the game.
GoDaddy's "Exposure," which will be discussed in its Super Bowl ad but not aired, will appear on its site on game day. It may also release another ad called "White Light," for which a director's cut is available online.
Finally, the NFL put together an ad composed of football players' homemade videos, which fans can also vote on.
Oh yeah. And the Patriots are going to win.
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