This year's Super Bowl had the largest audience ever as well as the highest average price for a 30-second commercial ($3.5 million). The question which this post attempts to answer is:
what was this largest audience ever exposed to?
what was this largest audience ever exposed to?
I believe this is an important question. The Super Bowl has become such a social phenomenon that it's now three events in one.
Not only does it attract such interest and fascination that it's broadcast in over 200 countries and over 30 languages around the world, but it's also a showcase for high-production TV commercials, and a rock concert, all in one night.
This confluence of different industries (sports, advertising, music, Hollywood, etc.) combined with a mass audience makes it a highly influential communications medium.
Therefore, it is incumbent upon you to be an active participant. In other words, you must watch and listen closely. You are being imprinted with thousands of sounds, images, symbols, messages, and suggestions that have been carefully crafted. It is up to you to decode them. Only by actively questioning what the messages mean will you avoid becoming a passive recipient of them (and thus open to manipulation). You must decode them as you are watching them.
Let me expand a little on what it means to decode. There is one extremely important thing to realize about advertising: there is nothing, absolutely nothing, not one frame or word or piece of music or prop that hasn't been planned, discussed, poured over, analyzed, and tested before you see it.
That is why it is of the utmost importance to be fully CONSCIOUS whenever you see or hear advertising or watch television or even listen to the radio. Please. I used to earn my living creating this junk until I learned that everything is carefully aimed at your UNCONSCIOUS mind. Then I couldn't do it anymore.
You must stand outside of the message in order to remain disengaged. The more you can ask WHY you were just shown or told something, the easier it is to understand what is really being said.
An example of what I'm talking about would be during a typical prescription drug commercial. Drug companies are mandated to describe side effects but do so over a beautiful montage of all the great things you'll be able to look forward to if you take their drug. So while the voice-over is saying "side effects include heart failure and increased risk of stroke," you subconsciously retain the images and emotions of the the warm vignettes and pleasant music.
The corollary is that whenever you are shown agitating images, it is easier to link negative words and messages to your subconsciousness. Remember this later on in this post.
Another thing to remember is that these messages work by repetition. There was a stunning amount of this. More on this later too. For now, let's move on.
Another thing to remember is that these messages work by repetition. There was a stunning amount of this. More on this later too. For now, let's move on.
I started paying attention and taking notes during the Kickoff Show. I laughed out loud when it was "kicked off" with a rendition of Joan Jett's "Hate Myself For Loving You" which was re-written for the purposes of announcing the show. All I could "hear" was the original riff and wondered how many millions of people were secretly hating themselves for loving their $2,500 flat-screen TVs with their $120 DirectTV bills inside their homes that were worth less than what they financed them for while their $30,000 Chevy trucks sat depreciating in their driveways. Maybe someone on the production staff has a sick sense of humor. It was pretty much the last time I laughed all night.
Then I saw Hyundai's "Rocky Theme" ad and I wrote down DERIVATIVE. It reminded me of this:
Dogs barking "The Imperial March" theme from The Empire Strikes Back. Humans humming the theme from Rocky. Same basic idea. The first of many such instances.
There is an old saying in the ad biz that if you're ever in a jam and need something that both the clients and the focus groups will love no matter what, just use sex, dogs, or babies and they'll love it.
Sex, dogs, and babies were well represented during this year's Super Bowl ads.
Next up was Kelly Clarkson and her bangs, straight out of the 70s. Another blast-from-the-past-style to keep your eye on. She did a great job singing the national anthem and played it straight.
Image Credit: Chris O’Meara/AP
From here on, I'll share my notes taken in real-time during the Game, and then delve into the themes after. A review of Madonna's half-time show will come later in another post. Another thing: I'm not commenting on every single ad, just those with standout social themes.
Then I saw Hyundai's "Rocky Theme" ad and I wrote down DERIVATIVE. It reminded me of this:
Dogs barking "The Imperial March" theme from The Empire Strikes Back. Humans humming the theme from Rocky. Same basic idea. The first of many such instances.
There is an old saying in the ad biz that if you're ever in a jam and need something that both the clients and the focus groups will love no matter what, just use sex, dogs, or babies and they'll love it.
Sex, dogs, and babies were well represented during this year's Super Bowl ads.
Next up was Kelly Clarkson and her bangs, straight out of the 70s. Another blast-from-the-past-style to keep your eye on. She did a great job singing the national anthem and played it straight.
Image Credit: Chris O’Meara/APFrom here on, I'll share my notes taken in real-time during the Game, and then delve into the themes after. A review of Madonna's half-time show will come later in another post. Another thing: I'm not commenting on every single ad, just those with standout social themes.
Many of my notes centered around these terms: Derivative. Reaching. Recycling. Exaggeration. Brand Swapping. Rap. Repetition. Campaigning. Symbolism. They're not compliments. Nor was this a very fun post to write. It actually got me a bit depressed. I make it a habit not to watch or listen to advertising much anymore, and in viewing and studying all these spots, I felt a gloom come over me that was very unusual. So I don't think I'll be doing many more of these posts.
Suzuki. Sled // is this the misogynistic side of RAP music influencing indigenous cultures? guy dumps his sled for a new car without any discussion with his wife. her feelings don't matter. but it's all good because he's satisfied his urge to consume
Bud Light Platinum. // 6% alcohol. using precious metal and cobalt to appear upscale? or as cheap booze?
Audi. Vampire party. // Twilight DERIVATIVE. Echo and the Bunnymen "Killing Moon" ...forget that it's about vampires. a dude kills all his friends then himself all because of some cool headlights. everyone vaporized. just like the MF Global money... even though the cutesy tagline is "so long, vampires" ... the lyrics are saying "Fate, up against your will"
Pepsi. King's court. // Sir Elton in golden, platform shoes (just wrote about platform shoes here). creepy masonic, black and white chequered floor. rampant with SYMBOLISM. "on-trial for your life" theme. "pepsi for all" feels like a nod to Occupy. all this just for water, color, and sweetener
Hyundai. Cheetah Attack // primitive violence for a laugh. "trust us"
Best Buy. Phone innovators // this is an old trick: a brand putting itself along side the great ones, in this case the brilliant minds that made the mobile experience what it is, in order to grant itself equality. it's called REACHING. but all this is really saying is that best buy is a better way to consume. there are two kinds of people: producers and consumers. which one are you?
Coke. Polar bears // this polar bear concept was cute for about 5 minutes ....over 20 years ago. RECYCLING
Chevy. Silverado "2012"// more sad 2012 disinformation.
Bud Light Platinum. // 6% alcohol. using precious metal and cobalt to appear upscale? or as cheap booze?
Audi. Vampire party. // Twilight DERIVATIVE. Echo and the Bunnymen "Killing Moon" ...forget that it's about vampires. a dude kills all his friends then himself all because of some cool headlights. everyone vaporized. just like the MF Global money... even though the cutesy tagline is "so long, vampires" ... the lyrics are saying "Fate, up against your will"
Pepsi. King's court. // Sir Elton in golden, platform shoes (just wrote about platform shoes here). creepy masonic, black and white chequered floor. rampant with SYMBOLISM. "on-trial for your life" theme. "pepsi for all" feels like a nod to Occupy. all this just for water, color, and sweetener
Hyundai. Cheetah Attack // primitive violence for a laugh. "trust us"
Best Buy. Phone innovators // this is an old trick: a brand putting itself along side the great ones, in this case the brilliant minds that made the mobile experience what it is, in order to grant itself equality. it's called REACHING. but all this is really saying is that best buy is a better way to consume. there are two kinds of people: producers and consumers. which one are you?
Coke. Polar bears // this polar bear concept was cute for about 5 minutes ....over 20 years ago. RECYCLING
Chevy. Silverado "2012"// more sad 2012 disinformation.
(by the way, barry manilow is what makes this spot. dialogue is what kills it. never, ever, let account people or clients insert "marketing language" as dialogue. all this spot needed was "where's Dave?" then a glance around and a shrug when they all realize it was their chevy trucks that "saved" them, then one of the guys offers a dusty bag of stay-puft marshmallows and they're PERFECTLY white inside the bag. but no. they dis the only car company that didn't need a bailout, and then eat an indestructible twinkie, also from a freshly destroyed, bankrupt company. too easy to shoot down. i would have told this ad team to keep working until they got it right.)
Go Daddy. Heaven // zzzzzzzzz. same old RECYCLED subject matter for this company.....sex
Celebrity Apprentice. Attack // "when famous people misbehave, we all win." like when jon corzine steals $1.8 billion and walks away? more gratuitous violence (REPETITION), DERIVATIVE of kill bill films
The Dictator. Movie trailer // suddenly the idea of a dictator is not so funny. SYMBOLISM
It wasn't until this Lexus ad that I started to feel the grand theme emerge. It said "change cannot be contained." Suddenly the patterns were getting a lot clearer. "This is just the beginning," it said. It sure was.
Go Daddy. Heaven // zzzzzzzzz. same old RECYCLED subject matter for this company.....sex
Celebrity Apprentice. Attack // "when famous people misbehave, we all win." like when jon corzine steals $1.8 billion and walks away? more gratuitous violence (REPETITION), DERIVATIVE of kill bill films
The Dictator. Movie trailer // suddenly the idea of a dictator is not so funny. SYMBOLISM
It wasn't until this Lexus ad that I started to feel the grand theme emerge. It said "change cannot be contained." Suddenly the patterns were getting a lot clearer. "This is just the beginning," it said. It sure was.
Battleship. Movie trailer // "the battle for earth." "we're looking at an extinction-level event" .....on the heels of chevy's 2012 apocalypse (REPETITION), this spot only serves to turns up the fear level. "no one can get in or out" -- nod to martial law. noticed a huge full-screen reptilian eyeball (SYMBOLISM) to keep the stirring up the david icke crowd. UNDERDOG theme
Budweiser // each one of their commercials felt DERIVATIVE of the other as well as RECYCLED. their "over the decades" was yet another spot that fell back on RAP to seem cool
Doritos. Man's best friend // for the price of a bag of chips a guy keeps quiet about the family cat getting snuffed
It was after this spot that I felt myself shift from trying to analyze each ad to merely finding the root message of each one and how it fit into a larger pattern.
Chevy. Happy grad.// guy thinks he gets a brand new camaro for graduation and his girlfriend wants to marry him IMMEDIATELY. consumer culture gone wild
GE. Turbine // starts off great, then goes horribly wrong: it panders to Bud drinkers. "without you there'd be no Bud? we like you." BRAND SWAPPING. GE takes heat for paying hardly any corporate income taxes. so it appeals to the middle class through beer drinkers. CAMPAIGNING.
Disney. John Carter movie trailer // "our world is dying. you are the only one who can save us." "you will fight for us" notice the RECYCLED Schoolly D RAP take on Led Zeppelin's Kashmir from Bad Lieutenant. heavy duty david vs goliath theme. more UNDERDOG
Tax Act. Feel the free // what does letting it go in a pool have to do with tax software? nothing EXAGGERATION (inflated payoff)
VW. Dog strikes back // love the story and fractured time frame structure (later bar scene) of this spot, but it says absolutely nothing (and neither did the original darth vader spot) substitute any other car and it works the same. it's just cute and funny and features a dog. RECYCLING
H&M. Beckham // this is the 2012 version of marky mark in calvin klein skivvies. DERIVATIVE. RECYCLING
GI Joe. Movie trailer // remember the reptilian eyeball from the Battleship trailer? there are two more in this one, on banners hanging from the White House. REPETITION
Samsung Mobile. Street party // "i don't know what i believe anymore" "i do" .... he believes in phones, which results in a huge street party, which is EXAGGERATION. it's just a phone people. skateboarder skates over another masonic-style chequered floor. REPETITION.
Awake. Trailer // "the reality is you can't tell whether you are asleep or awake" very true for millions. are you CONSCIOUS or UNCONSCIOUS?
Avengers. Movie trailer // "the world has changed." "we are HOPELESSLY outgunned" riddled with REPETITION of SYMBOLISM.....inverted pyramids, pentagram, tony stark's "black sabbath" t-shirt. notice the embedded command -- "assemble" i.e., occupy. UNDERDOG
Skechers. Mr. Quiggly // another cute dog. REPETITION. RAP
Doritos. Sling baby. // another baby, now being fed junk food. and we wonder why the government wants to mandate health insurance. REPETITION
Oikos. Head butt // more gratuitous violence (even if it's against john stamos) for a laugh. REPETITION
Century 21. Smarter // oh yeah, don't forget to buy real estate
Pepsi Max. Cheating heart // DERIVATIVE. RECYCLING
Bud Light. Here we go dog // yet another dog. remember alex from stroh's?? DERIVATIVE. RECYCLING.
Lest you think I don't have anything good to say, several spots just focused on ideas.
Chevy Sonic. First time // not a bad ad at all.
Toyota Camry. Reinvented // not bad at all. great writing. funny.
Toyota Camry. Stories // not bad at all
My favorite commercial? Easy. Fiat. No contest.
Fiat Abarth. Fantasy // this was brilliant and easily my favorite spot. immediately it had an "i wish i wrote that" affect on me. well written, well shot, well cast, great track. taps into how guys REALLY see cars.
Lest you think I only like car commercials, I felt both the Seinfeld Acura spot and the Broderick Honda spot were really bad and felt recycled.
But nothing could help me get over this next one, which is why I've kept it for last. It's the one sparking the most controversy, so much controversy in fact that the actor who performed it and even helped write the script, Clint Eastwood, has had to clarify it publicly. Perhaps because it reminded people of other famous political ads, most notably the one from Ronald Reagan's 1980 Presidential campaign which declared that it was "Morning in America."
I don't engage in politics much on this blog. I prefer to engage in analysis. Yet that so many saw this ad the same way I did -- as a political ad -- concerns me very much.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that two members of the creative team that produced the two-minute minute spot for ad agency Wieden+Kennedy donated their personal time in 2008 to make pro-Obama art.
CNN asked: "Were politics buried inside Eastwood's 'Halftime' commercial? ....Some political watchers think so."
CBS News noted that "Eastwood seems to also be sending a political message in the ad, saying the 'fog, division, discord and blame make it hard to see what lies ahead.'"
If it is true that this ad has political aims, it is deeply unsettling. Consider the following:
"Unhindered by the restraints of traditional liberal values, this elite would not hesitate to achieve its political ends by using the latest modern techniques for influencing public behavior and keeping society under close surveillance and control. Technical and scientific momentum would then feed on the situation it exploits," Brzezinski predicted.
Now let's play back some of what the largest audience ever was exposed to:
"Our world is dying"
"You are the only one who can save us"
"Pepsi for all"
"Trust us"
"CHANGE cannot be contained"
"This is just the beginning"
"Ya, it's halftime in America, and our second half is about to begin"
"You will fight for US"
"I don't know what I believe anymore"
"The reality is you can't tell whether you are asleep or awake"
"The world has changed"
"We are HOPELESSLY outgunned"
"ASSEMBLE!"
Do I for one minute think that all these ad agencies got together and colluded to make these messages intentionally blur together? Not a chance. I think it's nothing more than group think. The collective unconscious. But it kind of makes you wonder. I strongly feel it's a result of continual repetition of symbolism and messages that are so similar to each other that they begin to echo in our psyche. And now it seems these thought merchants have set out to "impress" voters, too. A scary thought.
After all, we have no idea just how far the latest modern techniques for influencing public behavior have evolved since Brzezinski's 1970 "prediction" (or was it a promise?) for a more controlled, directed society.
It feels as though the collective group think is beginning to sense it. In the words of Clint Eastwood's Halftime commercial:
"And we're all scared because this isn't a game."
It was after this spot that I felt myself shift from trying to analyze each ad to merely finding the root message of each one and how it fit into a larger pattern.
Chevy. Happy grad.// guy thinks he gets a brand new camaro for graduation and his girlfriend wants to marry him IMMEDIATELY. consumer culture gone wild
GE. Turbine // starts off great, then goes horribly wrong: it panders to Bud drinkers. "without you there'd be no Bud? we like you." BRAND SWAPPING. GE takes heat for paying hardly any corporate income taxes. so it appeals to the middle class through beer drinkers. CAMPAIGNING.
Disney. John Carter movie trailer // "our world is dying. you are the only one who can save us." "you will fight for us" notice the RECYCLED Schoolly D RAP take on Led Zeppelin's Kashmir from Bad Lieutenant. heavy duty david vs goliath theme. more UNDERDOG
Tax Act. Feel the free // what does letting it go in a pool have to do with tax software? nothing EXAGGERATION (inflated payoff)
VW. Dog strikes back // love the story and fractured time frame structure (later bar scene) of this spot, but it says absolutely nothing (and neither did the original darth vader spot) substitute any other car and it works the same. it's just cute and funny and features a dog. RECYCLING
H&M. Beckham // this is the 2012 version of marky mark in calvin klein skivvies. DERIVATIVE. RECYCLING
GI Joe. Movie trailer // remember the reptilian eyeball from the Battleship trailer? there are two more in this one, on banners hanging from the White House. REPETITION
Samsung Mobile. Street party // "i don't know what i believe anymore" "i do" .... he believes in phones, which results in a huge street party, which is EXAGGERATION. it's just a phone people. skateboarder skates over another masonic-style chequered floor. REPETITION.
Awake. Trailer // "the reality is you can't tell whether you are asleep or awake" very true for millions. are you CONSCIOUS or UNCONSCIOUS?
Avengers. Movie trailer // "the world has changed." "we are HOPELESSLY outgunned" riddled with REPETITION of SYMBOLISM.....inverted pyramids, pentagram, tony stark's "black sabbath" t-shirt. notice the embedded command -- "assemble" i.e., occupy. UNDERDOG
Skechers. Mr. Quiggly // another cute dog. REPETITION. RAP
Doritos. Sling baby. // another baby, now being fed junk food. and we wonder why the government wants to mandate health insurance. REPETITION
Oikos. Head butt // more gratuitous violence (even if it's against john stamos) for a laugh. REPETITION
Century 21. Smarter // oh yeah, don't forget to buy real estate
Pepsi Max. Cheating heart // DERIVATIVE. RECYCLING
Bud Light. Here we go dog // yet another dog. remember alex from stroh's?? DERIVATIVE. RECYCLING.
Lest you think I don't have anything good to say, several spots just focused on ideas.
Chevy Sonic. First time // not a bad ad at all.
Toyota Camry. Reinvented // not bad at all. great writing. funny.
Toyota Camry. Stories // not bad at all
My favorite commercial? Easy. Fiat. No contest.
Fiat Abarth. Fantasy // this was brilliant and easily my favorite spot. immediately it had an "i wish i wrote that" affect on me. well written, well shot, well cast, great track. taps into how guys REALLY see cars.
Lest you think I only like car commercials, I felt both the Seinfeld Acura spot and the Broderick Honda spot were really bad and felt recycled.
But nothing could help me get over this next one, which is why I've kept it for last. It's the one sparking the most controversy, so much controversy in fact that the actor who performed it and even helped write the script, Clint Eastwood, has had to clarify it publicly. Perhaps because it reminded people of other famous political ads, most notably the one from Ronald Reagan's 1980 Presidential campaign which declared that it was "Morning in America."
I don't engage in politics much on this blog. I prefer to engage in analysis. Yet that so many saw this ad the same way I did -- as a political ad -- concerns me very much.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that two members of the creative team that produced the two-minute minute spot for ad agency Wieden+Kennedy donated their personal time in 2008 to make pro-Obama art.
CNN asked: "Were politics buried inside Eastwood's 'Halftime' commercial? ....Some political watchers think so."
CBS News noted that "Eastwood seems to also be sending a political message in the ad, saying the 'fog, division, discord and blame make it hard to see what lies ahead.'"
If it is true that this ad has political aims, it is deeply unsettling. Consider the following:
As early as 1970, Zbigniew Brzezinski predicted the emergence of a "more controlled and directed society." Linked to technology, this society would be dominated by an elite group which would impress voters with its allegedly superior scientific know-how.
"Unhindered by the restraints of traditional liberal values, this elite would not hesitate to achieve its political ends by using the latest modern techniques for influencing public behavior and keeping society under close surveillance and control. Technical and scientific momentum would then feed on the situation it exploits," Brzezinski predicted.
Now let's play back some of what the largest audience ever was exposed to:
"Our world is dying"
"You are the only one who can save us"
"Pepsi for all"
"Trust us"
"CHANGE cannot be contained"
"This is just the beginning"
"Ya, it's halftime in America, and our second half is about to begin"
"The battle for earth"
"We're looking at an extinction-level event"
"When famous people misbehave, we all win""We're looking at an extinction-level event"
"You will fight for US"
"I don't know what I believe anymore"
"The reality is you can't tell whether you are asleep or awake"
"The world has changed"
"We are HOPELESSLY outgunned"
"ASSEMBLE!"
Do I for one minute think that all these ad agencies got together and colluded to make these messages intentionally blur together? Not a chance. I think it's nothing more than group think. The collective unconscious. But it kind of makes you wonder. I strongly feel it's a result of continual repetition of symbolism and messages that are so similar to each other that they begin to echo in our psyche. And now it seems these thought merchants have set out to "impress" voters, too. A scary thought.
After all, we have no idea just how far the latest modern techniques for influencing public behavior have evolved since Brzezinski's 1970 "prediction" (or was it a promise?) for a more controlled, directed society.
It feels as though the collective group think is beginning to sense it. In the words of Clint Eastwood's Halftime commercial:
"And we're all scared because this isn't a game."
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