by Denis Campbell

Got $3 million dollars? Have a ‘unique’ product to sell in :30 seconds? Want to reach a 100 million plus people audience in the USA? Then the American football Super Bowl is the place for you to blow the entire wad that quickly!

Since Apple Computer launched the Macintosh computer with a 1-minute tribute to George Orwell’s 1984 and before that the Pittsburgh Steeler’s Mean Joe Greene threw his sweaty jersey to a young fan in exchange for a Coke, Super Bowl Adverts have gotten bigger, louder and… more political.

In a recent media survey, 51% of respondents said they watched the Super Bowl just for the adverts vs the game or its opponents. This year is no exception. Alas here in the UK all foreign adverts are banned from the live feed. So we get to watch the dry Sky Sports commentary crew b/w 11:30 pm and 3:30 am Monday morning. Those classic US adverts will only run tomorrow on YouTube but we will at least see The Who perform at halftime!

And this year there is the added spectre of an advertising controversy (gasp!). Two ads have created a moral dilemma pre-game buzz. Were we not in recession, CBS would have sent both packing but $3 million dollars is $3 million dollars.

One was banned completely thus ensuring FREE promotional media and advertising success for its sponsor. The other was only allowed after heavy script editing before shooting it. It helped that both focused on ‘white hot’ controversial topics: a top pro quarterback prospect and his Mom talk anti-abortion and the banned advert was for the ManCrunch gay dating service (I kid you not).

First the ‘Banned in Boston and Boise’ advert. ManCrunch has created a hysterical advert showing two gaymen reaching for popcorn then each other. It has been viewed 557,000 times on YouTube and discussed ad nauseum on every major news show in the USA. Indeed it seems every business and political pundits has debated its use across the board and each time aired it for free(!). Clearly these producers very shrewdly were enrolled as master students in the Donald Trump School of Publicity which says: say whatever you want about me, just make sure you spell the name right.

Gay Advert

Then we had the “super secret build the buzz by not even showing it in advance thus build the anticipation” sanctimonious head of the militantly anti-abortion Focus on the Family Group insist on telly his advert was “wonderful, pure and wholesome.” Of course he was on the news programmes debating the head of the National Organisation for Women as both sides were again whipped into a feeding frenzy. The truly sad portion of this spectacle is this ad will air just days after the murderer of abortion Doctor Tiller was convicted in just 37 minutes of 1st degree murder.

Their ploy? Use the Heisman Trophy winning University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and his Mom, who was advised to terminate her pregnancy because of health risks to herself and her baby and refused, to argue their pro-life case.

So the question for the US network CBS (broadcasting the Super Bowl) today is: why is one side of the so-called “values” spectrum allowed on air but the other side is not? Hmmm?

Never mind, you still can pocket $3 million and get a big audience looking for it.