The Torch

Although the “Big Game” turned out to be no joke, as the Pittsburgh Steelers edged out the Arizona Cardinals with a Santonio Holmes tip-toe grab in the corner of the end zone, many of this years’ commercials erred on the side of comedy. The question is, amidst all the laughter, did anyone even remember what the commercial was for? It wasn’t until today that I figured out what many of the commercials were promoting while searching YouTube.

Diet Pepsi Max’s commercial is the prime example of a cheap laugh with no lasting memory. Although I did laugh at different scenes of typical guys injuring each other, an American fan favorite, I had no idea what the commercial was advertising less than five seconds after it was over.

On the other hand, Budweiser’s Clydesdale horses left a lasting impression, despite their rather weak commercials in regards to comedic value. This shows the importance of branding and having a consistent association with something everyone is familiar with. Men all over the world may have been wondering how much further Bud Light could possibly go with their “Drinkability” campaign, until they reflected upon the countless number of Bud Light beers consumed by them and their friends during the game. Clearly Anheuser-Busch is doing something right.

At a time when everyone is looking to save a buck, Dennys offered a free breakfast to America. Unemployment is on the rise and Monster.com gave people a place to look for work. And during tax season, H+R Block showed the importance of getting your taxes done right. The key in marketing is relevance, being true to your brand, and taking advantage of the circumstances, not just making people laugh. SoBe should have thought of this before they mixed prancing NFL stars such as Patriots offensive lineman Matt Light with lizards. I also find it hard to believe that Ed McMahon and MC Hammer are using Cash4Gold to make money, even during this recession. Maybe they’ll do more commercials, but let’s hope not.

It’s tough to say that many companies wasted 3 million dollars for a 30 second spot during the game considering the amount of viewers, but it’s the truth. While some companies took what they knew and applied it to our current situations, others just tried to make us laugh. Succeeding in getting a chuckle just isn’t enough; it’s about making people remember. Castrol’s attempt with another American fan favorite, monkeys, certainly made us all smile, but failed miserably in getting its actual message across. Also, didn’t Careerbuilder.com already do this? Here are a few simple keys to the most successful Super Bowl commercials of the night.

Be informative when you can

H+R Block lacks a brand mascot, but if Death is making sure to get back all that he can, then so am I.

If it’s not broke, don’t fix it

E-Trade struck again with their talking babies’ ad and Budweiser used the Clydesdale horses to perfection, again.

Funny doesn’t equal success

Yes, you may have gotten close to a billion people worldwide to laugh, but     they have no idea what you’re offering because you didn’t say anything about it.

Stick to what you know

Michael Bay knows action, and the trailer for Transformers 2 was full of it. The  return of Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox to the set certainly didn’t hurt either.

Although the Super Bowl is many advertisers’ biggest venue, many of them did not get their moneys worth (at their own fault). More time should be spent on creating the right commercial, not just the funniest. If I wanted to laugh I would have turned on NBC right before “The Office”, but instead I tuned in for a great football game and forgot all about those “funny” commercials faster than Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald streaked past the Steelers secondary. Hopefully next year’s Super Bowl features some better commercials… and a New England Patriots team led by Tom Brady.

Here’s a complete list of all Super Bowl XLIII’s commercials

Written by: Rebecca

Rebecca is the Digital Marketing Specialist at the Discovery Communications Group, and focuses on search engine optimization (SEO) and social media marketing strategy. Prior to joining the Discovery Communications Group, Rebecca worked as a Human Resources executive at companies such as Sokolove Law, LLC, Staples, Inc. and Dunkin’ Brand. Her passion for technology and using inbound marketing techniques for talent acquisition and employee engagement was the catalyst for her career change into digital marketing. Rebecca is a Hubspot Inbound Marketing Certified Professional and holds a Bachelor of Arts in literature from Simmons College. You can reach Rebecca at RebeccaS@discoverycomm.com or call her direct at 603-685-2918, and be sure to follow her on Twitter @RebeccaSlosberg.