Not Just for Show

Before my current writing life, there was The Hilltop, Howard University’s and the Nation’s Oldest Black Collegiate Newspaper, where many of the questions and themes I still explore first found their voice. What follows are my early published works, preserved in their original form.

From The Hilltop Archives

Originally published in The Hilltop, Howard University — January 24th, 2003

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Not Just for Show

Since when has the super bowl been about the actual game? Rarely, with the exception of a few, does the game actually live up to its hype. The game is pumped up so much by the commentators and analysts that it tends to come up short. 

 

Nine times out of ten, the game will already be decided by the start of the fourth quarter, leaving viewers and their interest tuned out. 

 

However, unlike the game itself, the commercials are the only show that never disappoints. They provide a means for entertainment. Advertising agencies prepare all year for one or two, if they're lucky, 30-second spots. 

 

This year, the $2.3 million dollar price tag given to these time slots is down from last years fee of $3 million. It's about the money. Big names like Cadillac, Hanes, and Gatorade will be putting up dough for those top spots.

 

Where are All the Big Names?

 

Nike, Coca-Cola, and McDonald's will not be advertising during Super Bowl XXXVII. This is the fifth consecutive year that these companies have been out of the Super Bowl contention. 

 

The reason: "These companies don't have one new creative product to spotlight. Instead, they participate in the pre- and post-game event," said Jack Irving, Media Consultant and Howard University Professor. 

 

Along with teaching Introduction to Advertising Media, Irving is well versed in the field of advertising. For 32-years he worked with Saatchi & Saatchi as Executive Vice President and took part in buying Super Bowl ads for his clients. 

 

Nike, Coca-Cola and McDonald's tend to be viewer favorites. They'd rather make several commercials at a fraction of the price and sacrifice viewer satisfaction for costs. Super Bowl XXXVII is an all day event, the climax being the game, and companies who opt to run their commercials before or after primetime pay $500,000 to $800,000; these companies can purchase as many slots as available without the fear of losing them to competition. 

 

"The network [ABC] can give package deals and discounts to those clients with the most clout. The agency that spends the most with the network usually gets the first spot. They have the final say in when and where commercials will run," Irving said.

 

Viewers Response

 

The game is not the only competition on Super Bowl Sunday. Advertising agencies compete for bragging rights the following Monday. The New York Times and USA Today feed on this publicity by picking the top ten commercials that received the greatest viewer response. 

 

"The Super Bowl allows companies to gain added exposure. It's one of the few events that reaches a large number of viewers at one time," Irving said. 

 

Connie Frazier, an advertising professor, agreed with Irving and said, "The Super Bowl commercials are a competition for creativity. They are almost as big as the game itself." 

 

Last year, the viewers picked Budweiser, Bud Lite, and Pepsi as the three best commercials of Super Bowl XXXVI. 

 

Previous Ads 

 

Nike

 

The last commercial that Nike ran was during Super Bowl XXVI in 1992. Nike aired, pun intended, the first animated-reality commercial featuring his Airness, Michael Jordan and Looney Toons' Bugs Bunny. The commercial was so popular that Warner Brothers had no choice but to make in into a movie, "Space Jam." 

 

Nike's absence from Super Bowl XXXVII has allowed rival company Reebok to promote its newest line of products since 1994.

 

Coca-Cola 

 

In Super Bowl XIV, Coca-Cola tasted success with the most popular ad of the year featuring Pittsburgh Steelers 'Mean' Joe Green.

Despite their continued success with Wyclef Jean and Jaguar Wright, Coca-Cola will leave the Super Bowl stage to Pepsi. Their impressive campaign with Brittany Spears last year will be hard to follow.