Nuveen Investments wins. If there was an Academy Awards for Superbowl commercials, Nuveen's commercial would have won hands-down with its genius mix of humor, celebrity and understanding of how to subtly play the heartstrings of an American audience. The Nuveen ad, for those who missed this year's Commercialbowl, er, Superbowl, featured Christopher Reeve and a computer generated body, as he stands to accept an award and walk across the stage. Asking people to "Invest well," the ad was near-perfection.
As for the rest of the Superbowl, media across the country have been talking non-stop about this year's advertisements. The reason Sunday's ads have created such a stir is that they were marketing different products to very different audiences from past Superbowls. Dot-coms and women ruled the $2.2 million spots this year, as advertisers finally realized that middle-aged, middle-class white men aren't the only ones who watch the Superbowl. Seventeen of this year's ads were for Internet sites or companies, and more than a few spots were aimed at and/or featured women. Advertisers finally realized that if they are going to spend millions on 30 seconds of airtime, they had better market to more than just a tiny section of American consumers.
Some of the best dot-commercials were relatively simple. Lifeminders.com simply featured a yellow screen. "This is the worst commercial in the Superbowl," they state positively. Maybe not, it was one of the most memorable slots featured. Other great Internet ads included WebMD's commercial with Muhammad Ali, sparring with the camera and hoping to get some advice from their site which already has a good reputation. Using Muhammad Ali in any ad could work wonders for a company. The funniest commercial of the night belonged to E-trade as we watched a monkey and two idiots dancing to "La Cucharacha." "We just wasted $2 million," they chide, "What are you doing with yours?"
The worst Internet commercial goes to Pets.com, for the single most annoying puppet ever to be featured on an adult advertisement. Dogs made a good showing this year, as more than one Anheuser-Busch ad featured our loyal friends. Busch had five of the coveted Superbowl slots this year, and they made them count. Their first ad was by far the best, parodying dog food commercials, as a seasoned Golden Retriever feeds his owner Budweiser because it's the one he likes best. Also of note was their anti-drunken driving commercial, featuring Wayne Gretzky driving a buddy from the bar home on a Zamboni.
Women made a strong showing in the Superbowl, despite the overwhelming number of ads pointed at men in years past. Oxygen.com had baby girls throwing their pink knit hats from bassinet to bassinet, telling women to check them out and log on. Ourbeginning.com (also aimed at women) featured brides involved in a heavy cat fight. Tropicana did a wonderful job advertising its juice, fortified with calcium as a old lady runs down the streets of the city, flipping and doing chin ups as she goes. Visa's ads also featured women athletes, specifically Olympic caliber.
Superbowl ads have become so popular that they have their own website: www.superbowl-ads.com features all the news on this year's Adbowl, and even allows you to watch and vote on your faves in various chat rooms. While there were no standouts in the commercials from Superbowl XXXIV, this year's trend was definitely encouraging. Let's hope its more than a fad.
