Showing posts with label $3 million Super Bowl ad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label $3 million Super Bowl ad. Show all posts

Saturday, February 19, 2011

#4: Doritos Rise From The Ashes

Capturing the #4 spot in the USA Today Super Bowl poll is Doritos "Grandpa Rises from the Ashes" spot.

The commercial opens with a man giving last minute details to his buddy as he backs out the door, "Hey dude, feed the fish, water the plant. I'll see you next Thursday."

Of course, his housesitter is immersed in a TV show while munching away at his Doritos, barely registering the instructions he just received.

But at some point, his buddy's words float into his brain and a look of anguish descends upon him. Oh-oh.  He runs to the fish bowl only to see the dead fish laying on the bottom of the bowl. He crunches up Doritos and desperately feeds them to the fish. What? Is this possible? The fish has come back to life!

This is followed in rapid succession by feeding the dead plant Doritos and then rapidly cleaning up the remnants of Doritos that are scattered around the apartment. Just when he is looking smug and happy with himself, his elbow hits an urn on the mantle. It comes crashing down and deposits ashes - well, grandpa's ashes to be exact - all over the floor. Oh-oh.

Flash forward. His buddy comes home, opens the door, and with a shocked look on his face, utters, "Grandpa?" The spot ends with him hugging his grandpa, to a tearful commentary of, "Grandpa, I missed you." 

Sue's Grade: B-
Like all the Doritos spots, this one has its witty and charming moments. But, the enormity of the message is somewhat lost on me. Eating a handful of Doritos brings you back from the dead? I know, I know, I shouldn't be so literal. Okay, Doritos adds a little life to your life. I guess I buy that. 

But, rarely buy Doritos.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Is A $3 Million Super Bowl Ad Irresponsible?

The final numbers are in ... the cost of one 30-second television commercial during this year's Super Bowl XLV is $3 million. (Reuters)

$3 million is quite a bit of money during the best of times; but in today's beleaguered economy, when the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics gauges the current rate of unemployment at 9.6%, it may feel irresponsible to some.

The Super Bowl is not just a football game … it is a cultural phenomenon that reaches far and wide within the United States. Last year’s game was watched by over 106 million people (Huffington Post) and 20 million attended a Super Bowl party where they consumed 28 million pounds of potato chips, 1 billion chicken wings, 53.5 million pounds of avocadoes and 325.5 million gallons of beer (Despardes).

Clearly, the Super Bowl is big money; money that many advertisers believe is well spent. But, the value of investing $3 million on Super Bowl advertising this year may be considered irresponsible when one considers the health of our current economy.

One might ask: How could we use that $3 million in a more humanitarian way? Below are a few ways that advertisers could redirect those ad dollars to extend a helping hand to our neighbors.

• Feed 21,000,000 men, women and children facing hunger (Feeding America)
• Collect and care for 5,000 marine birds after an oil spill (Discovery News)
• Screen 30,000 women for breast cancer (Cost Helper)
• Introduce the joy of reading to 1,500,000 children (First Book)
• Provide 3,000,000 people clean water for one year (Charity Water)
• Support 20,000 young men in Boy Scouts for one year (Boy Scouts)
• Offer food and shelter to 60,000 people for one day (Red Cross)
• Train 150 guide dogs to assist blind individuals (Service Dog Central)
• Save 52,930 acres of Amazon Rainforest (Ecology Fund)
• Grant 600 students a $5,000 scholarship

With 14.8 million U.S. citizens out of work, is an advertiser being irresponsible when they buy ad time during the most expensive time slot of the year? 

Many might argue yes.

Check out the Super Bowl infographic at: goo.gl/vbdoA
Sue Northey - Find me on Bloggers.com