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Show Sunday, February 5, 2006 DAILY HERALD SUPER BOWL XL | TODAY, 4:25 P.M., ABC Ads goingfor emotional ii mpact,| Few innovations on ‘ortneyStringer DETROIT FREE PRESS DETROIT — Football teams aren't the only ones trying to score at Super Bowl XL — this year the stakes are particularly figh for advertisers. At a time when consumers increasingly zap past TV commercials, che Super Bowl may be the onlytelevision show of the year where wenot only tolerate, but also actually look forwardto, the ads. Of course, viewers expect those ads to be highly entertaining. We want to be cracked up or choked up and have something to yak merrily about on Monday morning. “The challenge for the advertisers is the expectations are so high,” said Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.This year,he said, “we're going to see more humor and more unexpected twists.” Expectations are one reason whyadvertisers often debut their most creative ads during the game. Thefact thatit’s the biggest television audienceof the year has something to do withit,too. But it’s also a night we wantto laugh andyes, even shed a tear or two. So be prepared for everything from a comical Emerald Nuts ad with a druid conducting business undera stairway and a star-studded Cadillac commercial with the glitz of a Paris fastiion show to a Dove heart-string tugger with young girls talking aboutself-esteem. This year's Super Bowl ads will shock,inspire, awe and amaze — orat least that’s what their creators hope they'll do. ~ Super Bowladvertising is a big deal. Afterall, more than 133 million Americans watched the gamelast year. Only about 20 million American households typically tune in to a Sunday night episode of “Desperate Housewives.” Asa result, advertising to that XL crowd can carry an XLprice tag: an estimated $2.5 million for 30 seconds this year. What marketers do with these precious timeslots are Dove oon ni wid feature the voices of young girls talking Sees ie * tap for Super Bowl | coverage on ABC — Neil Best to ESPN but is widely believed to be achingtojoin analyst John Madden,director Drew Esocoff and Gaudelli in migrating to NBC’s new Sundaynight package. Michaels will not confirm or denyit, but the circumstantial evidenceis mounting.“I can’t do anythingaboutthe swirling rumors,” he said Monday, When Sam Flood, the pro- AP PHOTO/Emerald Nuts Four actors from a Super Bowl ad for Emerald Nuts pose for a camera. This year, advertisers are pulling out a number of tricks to catch the eye of the Super Bowlaudience. ¥ as important as the opcsire itself. After all, maki hum adthat no onetalksTaba the next day can be almost as bad as. not advertisingat all. Conversely, creating a spot like Coke's “Mean Joe Green”in 1980 or Master Lock’s “Marksman” in 1974 can have people talking years later. Super Bow]ads can make or break a company’s image in the minds of consumers, sothis year advertisers are pulling out a numberoftricks. Unlike the days before the Janet Jackson “wardrobe malfunction” debacle, advertisers for the most part will keep commercials clean and family-friendly. Completely goneare ads for erectile-dysfunction drugs. And some top Super Bowl advertisers of past years, such as McDonald's and Visa, won't have an adpresence as they've opted to advertise during the Winter Olympics, which starts five days after the big game. Someperennial Super Bowl advertisers knownfortheir blockbuster ads — Anheuser Buschand Pepsi— will be back this year: In one of Anheuser Busch’s spots, two slacker guystry to escape from a grizzly bear and BudLight saves the day; Cedric the Entertainer walks down the aisle to get a pack of Bud Lightin another. The company Camry andtells him how the car switches between gas and electric power. The son compares that to the way his father switches between English and Spanish. Detroit's autorhakers will have ads using different approaches: General Motors’ Cadillac will use a life-size runway,celebrities and paparazzi in its 60-second “Chrome Couture” spot for the 2007 Escaladesport utility vehicle. Kermit the Frog will be in a 30-secondad for the Ford Escape, drawing a connection is ore to bring backits popular Cly¢ , too. Pepsi, meanwhile, will use Sean “Diddy” Combs and between the green puppet and Jackie Chan to hawkDiet Pepsi the “greener” hybrid SUV. by showing howthe drink can Spectacular theatrical promake them moresuccessful ductions andstuntswill be at their craft. And Pepsiis expopular: pected to have a commercial With rival Visa advertising for Sierra Mist. in the Olympics, MasterCard Several advertisers that _ Will extendits “Priceless” scored big withtheir first Suign in a 30-second ad per Bowlads last year are back featuring actor Richard Dean — or almost back: Anderson,the star of the '80s Careerbuilder.com, which TV series “MacGyver,” ina was praised for ads that used simulated hostage situation. chimps to spoofthe dailygrind McDonald's’ absence leaves in corporate America, wi an opening for a Burger King bring them backthis year. Broadway musical-style ad with After seeing a 56 percent “Whopperettes” dressed as increase in sales following its burgers,pickles,lettuce and tofirst Super Bowlspot last year, matoes,singing newlyrics for Emerald Nutswill be back with the “Have It Your Way”song. a 30-second spot during the Unilever's Degree for Men fourth quarter featuring a druid deodorantadwill showstunts, including a manfalling from a and machete enthusiasts doing window unusual thingsto play off the letters in the brand’s name. Andofcourse,celebrities GoDaddy.com stirred conwill abound: _troversy with provocative ads Pizza Hutwill showcase pop last year featuring a big-busted singer Jessica Simpson and the modelstruggling to keep her Muppet Miss Piggy wearing matching outfits and singing spaghetti straps up during somesort of committee hear“These bites were made for ings. Reportedly the company Popping.” is trying to get networkclearNationwide MutualInsurance for another racy ad in ance Co,’s ad will feature longwhichthe scantily clad woman haired heartthrob Fabio. is washing windowsthis time. Leonard Nimoyof “Star Trek”will hawk Bayer's Aleve Someadvertiserswill attempttoelicit strong emotional pain reliever. ducer of NBC's new hockey coverage, was askedabout pro- duction gimmickslast month, he promised “no glowing pucks or glowing helmets or glowing goalposts.” It was a joke, butit turned out he was onto something. Coming to a TV screennear ' youthis evening: glowing goalposts. insisting he did not wantto be a distraction to Super Bow! preparations. If Michaels bolts, ESPNlikely would have MikeTirico join Sort of ABCs funkiest technicalinanalyst Joe Theismann. Tony novation for Super Bowl XLis a Kornheiser, co-host of the ESPN virtual extensionof the uprights that would enable viewers to show“Pardonthe Interruption” is being consideredfora role in judge whether akick thatsails just over the post was good. the booth, which has the makings of a fascinating disaster. The technology is similar to the much-heralded virtual yel- Before anyof that can happen,thereis a gametoplay low line that extends thefirst- And beforeit can be played, to useit only for a replayof a controversial field goal, not in corporatesiblings ESPN and ABCwill test whether 9 hours of combined pregame showsis downmarkers, but ABC plans the live shot Blessedly. that’s aboutit for useful orjust plain silly. Oops, sorry. Host Chris Berman took issue with the word silly tronic toys, “Alot of e just kindof mucked han anythingelse,” ‘I don’t think fun equalssilly,” he said. “I wouldn't say one nec- essarily has to bringthe other.” red Gaudelli said “On this day. you wantto pro- Anyway, ESPN's show runs from 1] a.m. to p.m. (E! ABC goes from2:30 to 6 Williamson said during the videclarity ne ABC team is to be be- ed, the network's final Super i the prize. eeable future ve VP Norby Wilnotlose sight of The prize is the game. helm of a joint Patriots CoachBill Belichick have to drift in and out during the day,” Berman said. “They do have a life. Speakfor yourself! ubplot ymunant team f er of an anthe following mpant inter: he industry een, though, with is under conMonday 2en it moves, wardX’s andO's fora serious will offer insights on ABC, presumably in his usual monotone. We understand people do to the day's nouncing toa broader audience while ESPNwill “take a hard turn” tofootball audience That can be difficult when you are at the I SPN! ABC overlap, ABCwill try to appeal Kickoff is set for 6:23. The Rolling Stones will play at half- time. You know thedrill. After XL yearsof this, the formula mostlyis just that, a formula. Theonly variablethat really matters is the quality of the game. The Beauty of All Wheel Drive susaru FINAL CLEARANCE‘05 MODELS PAAA@rS A WARRANTY Cea NO DEDUCTIBLE + FULL © Loaded with Equipment ¢ America’s #1 Warranty & More standard features than Corolla & Civic oven ix COUPON lege] U) Ek SEASON SKI PASS FREE TOSUNDANCE WITH PURCHASE” *Net reedemable with other offers + Must bring in ad at time of sale Maem ele erieRee | — ot TeaLG 492-0100 DOUG DOUG Wayof Life! AUTOPLE x q : 492-0100 a Se Habia Espanol |