Death of the Super Bowl
This Sunday marked the end of the 2018 NFL season. I like many others wished the Rams won, but that wasn’t the only change to the game I would have had. Of course, I would have preferred the game itself to be far more entertaining as well too. Not knocking the efforts from both defenses, but it was the lowest scoring Super Bowl and was played like it as well. Beyond the actual game was the halftime performance, which definitely left us all feeling like there was more to be desired. As a fan of all performing parties, it just felt like it was a last minute medley rather than the normal highly detailed and particularly crafted spectacle we normally get. Ironically these weren’t the only things that made this year’s Super Bowl experience lackluster.
The Super Bowl has pretty much become an American Holiday. People plan and anticipate it’s arrival like few other days throughout the year. We all tend to know where we will be, what we will be doing, and who we will be doing it with. We invest, make arrangements, and even set aside time away from work just for this single Sunday sports event. This doesn’t just apply to the diehard fans either. Casual fans tend to navigate the festivities the same way. However, the experience is very different for the casual fan and those that bleed their organization’s colors. Many people are just into the fanfare and the experience itself, it’s not about the football. Some people just treat the game as a social event, looking to be entertained by the gatherings, the halftime performance, and another major component; the commercials. This was the other significant area where the Super Bowl fell short this. It’s actually something I began to notice last year though. As materialistic as it may seem, the advertising is a crucial part to the Super Bowl experience. It was actually the only thing that could have saved the circumstances related to the actual game this year. The fact that the advertising wasn’t as memorable and impactful as in years past make’s this the worst Super Bowl in memory for many.
Super Bowl commercials are far more than just ads surrounding the game. In the past they were the most highly coveted marketing opportunities of the year for many companies. Bidding wars for specific time slots with the highest viewers were common, timing was everything, and your commercial could make or break the success of whatever the campaign was. Timing was so important we would see competing brands looking to acquire slots before their competitors just to let the steam out of a rollout. Beyond the “Ad Wars” was the impact said commercials had on people. Many Super Bowl commercials have become a part of everyday and pop culture. Coke’s Mean Joe Green commercial, the Budweiser frogs, Wendy’s Where’s the Beef, Budweiser’s Whassup ads, Apple’s 1984 ad, Cindy Crawford’s Pepsi ad, all played a huge part in pop culture. This just didn’t happen this year. This isn’t to say we did not get some great ads though. Both Microsoft and the NFL put out highly memorable ads. Microsoft with a heartwarming campaign showcasing their new gaming controls to support users with special needs. The ad looks to tackle making sure gaming is still an inclusive experience for all, and did a phenomenal job doing so. The NFL celebrated their 100th year anniversary with the most entertaining ad of the night, showing legends and stars of today in an impromptu football game at a banquet dinner sparked by Marshawn Lynch. While these were great, it just seems that a lot of the juggernauts of the past aren’t looking to make those historic Super Bowl ads anymore.
This type of topic would normally lead to a why discussion. However, the why is pretty obvious in this case. The first part is that as expected the viewership for this year’s game was the lowest in over a decade. This can be attributed to a couple of things. One part may be due to the lack of engagement into the two teams involved, another may be due to the world changing. Frankly people are tired of seeing Tom Brady and the Patriots in the Super Bowl. There has been so much that has gone on around their organization that anyone who isn’t a New England fan is indifferent about them at best. On the Ram’s side, a cloud of “They shouldn’t be here” also loomed over them due to a now infamous blown Pass Interference call in their game against the Saints. This just caused a lot people to be less invested in both parties involved. On top of all of that there are many people out there still not supporting the NFL due to it’s chosen stance on many social issues. This is something that is definitely taken into consideration by many companies. It’s easy for them to say why make the investment into such expensive advertising spots if viewership and general engagement is down. Stack that on top of media being consumed far differently now, and you have the full explanation for what we see, or don’t see actually from a commercial standpoint when it comes to the Super Bowl.
