Yes, the football actually managed to capture my interest. But as usual, I watched primarily for the commercials and halftime show. And given our divided national climate, it was not surprising that we couldn't escape politics for a few hours.
It was a bit frustrating that ads that I viewed more as storytelling (Budweiser) became so politicized that people called for boycotts. As people have pointed out, most Super Bowl commercials are conceived of months before they air. While it's natural for advertisers to want to engage with social issues, they are not necessarily making overt political statements by emphasizing diversity, a nation built by immigrants, or any other human issue that has become hot-buttoned.
Even an ad whose full version was banned for being too political was really focused on telling a poignant and symbolic human story:
The full 84 Lumber commercial,
featuring a border wall with a door
featuring a border wall with a door
I won't lie, one of the most overtly political ads, the It's a Ten Haircare commercial that braced Americans for "at least 4 years of awful hair," made me chuckle.
I must have been taking a bathroom break, because I totally missed Audi's ad addressing equal pay for women. Thank God for Youtube!
Most of the vehicle ads took a similarly inspirational, if less political, tone, often throwing humor and/or celebrity cameos into the mix. There were a good crop here, including the always-funny Melissa McCarthy in a Kia Nira ad, Buick's spot with Cam Newton, and, probably my favorite, Honda's ad featuring yearbook photos of celebrities ranging from Steve Carrell to Viola Davis.
I missed the Clydesdales, but at least Super Bowl 51 had a kangaroo and the ghost of bull terrier Spuds McKenzie. The Yellow Tail ad featuring said kangaroo was bizarre and not very well received, but I'll admit I found it refreshing to see an ad for a wine brand in the huge sea of Anheuser-Busch.
No comments:
Post a Comment