Super Bowl Sunday: What Will You Buy?

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By Anthony “Zute” George

The Super Bowl does not only decide the NFL champion. It is an advertising extravaganza. There are not too many grander spots for the man to sell their products to, well, the man. With so many eyeballs fixated on the television set at the same time, the pressure is on the man to make a significant impact on consumer wallets. Over the years, those who have done the best with their commercial real estate include E*Trade, Doritos, Budweiser, Wendy’s, Noxzema, Old Spice, McDonalds, Coca-Cola and Apple. These companies are not given a lot of time to get their message across, as a thirty second spot for a Super Bowl commercial costs more than an autographed Trump Steak, and they have indeed made the most out of their allotted time. Bigly.

These commercials could also be used for social commentary. Nike and Colin Kaepernick made a big splash during a Super Bowl commercial, causing some people to choke on their Trump Steaks while watching. But for the most part, the pricey Super Bowl real estate has been utilized to get people to spend. In 2020, the Super Bowl commercials are more important than ever. We live now in the DVR age, and so many potential consumers fast forward the commercials that are so important to advertisers. With the Super Bowl, conservatives, liberals, and moderates are paying attention to the same thing. At the same time. Very Rare.

For these reasons, when watching the big game, I concentrated on the commercials even more than I did the crucial play calling of the coaches. What companies stepped up and made the most of their time?
After watching the game, here is what stood out for me:

Early on we saw a statement on inequality with women surprising a crowd playing football. By the way, it was a Secret commercial.

Walmart had a clever spot using some classic, and not so classic, science fiction movies. Walmart is still a bad company, but they made a great commercial.

Jason Momoa is not the pumped-up Adonis we thought he was. And he also introduced me to something called Rocket Mortgage.

While I would never try Mountain Dew Zero, I loved their ad that was a spoof on Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.

MC Hammer still has the moves. I do not know why he wasted his talent on Cheetos Pop Corn. Just a horrible product.

We saw how Google could help with memory loss. When you get a commercial that inspires you indeed have gone above and beyond your duties.

Anquan Boldin reminded us that things are not so great and could get better. Have to get better. I do not know if a commercial can Inspire Change, but I will bet the house that it caught the ire of my conservative friends who were watching. Wait I do not have a house. Or conservative friends! Well maybe a couple.

Boxing had an ad for the Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury rematch. When was the last time you saw a boxing commercial during the Super Bowl? Encouraging for the sport.

Disney Plus revealed three new Marvel TV shows, making me ecstatic that I have the app.

Bill Murray has given me great joy over the years. There is nothing that he does I do not like. Even if it is just a little bit. When he came out with a rendition of the classic Groundhog Day for a Jeep commercial, I was happy before I became sad. Then I became happy, before I became sad again…

Facebook Groups showed us how much they can rock. I prefer Chris over the fictional heavyweight.

The ongoing commercial about when to do laundry with Tide Pods was a big bust for me. A bit sloppy. But later for that.

Overall, the Super Bowl had way too many ads about cars, beer, fast food and junk food. Oh wait, that is what makes America great. Right? What also makes America great is we have the right to voice our opinion with such things. Then again, there is nothing silly about wanting more of an emphasis on healthier food, clean air, and social justice. Even during the ultimate leisure activity such as the Super Bowl, a little cultural awareness and nutritional responsibility would be great for the country. Heck, the planet. Because we only get Earth, and if we do not start changing our gluttonous and carefree ways, there will be no platform for me to complain, or for you to complain about Anquan Boldin.

And congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs. I am happy for Andy Reid. But extremely happy for Patrick Mahomes. A bi-racial kid who reached the pinnacle in a country that at one time said his parents could not love each other. Bravo kid.

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