Spring Break
Super Bowl XLIII features entertaining commercials
Paresh Jha
Issue date: 2/2/09 Section: Focus
More often than not, Super Bowl commercials are far more interesting than the actual game. Now while Super Bowl XLIII turned out to be rather entertaining, the advertisements still got their moments of glory. Over the past several years, commercials by Budweiser, Doritos, GoDaddy.com, Pepsi and Coca-Cola have all benefited from the added viewership of the Super Bowl. In some cases, commercials have even increased ratings of the main event, because some individuals simply care for the commercials, and not the game.
Many of the commercials dealt with NBC's regularly scheduled programs such as "Heroes," "Chuck" and "The Office." Since NBC's viewership was waning this year in nearly every demographic, this was a perfect opportunity for them to increase viewership using the powerful platform of the Super Bowl. "Heroes," in particular, was advertised frequently. A highlight of the "Heroes" commercials came when the cast of the show participated in a football game against football legends including Jerry Rice and John Elway; the heroes utilized their powers in amusing and creative ways to score touchdowns.
Many film studios also decided this was the best time to showcase their upcoming productions. "Fast and Furious," featuring the reunion of Paul Walker and Vin Diesel, seemed to incite excitement from the bar crowd. The trailer for "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" was another highlight, but left many male viewers disappointed due to the limited presence of starlet Megan Fox. However, one of the biggest developments was the long awaited reveal of the "G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra." Say what you will about the movie, but it may still turn out to be as anticipated as the original "Transformers" was over a year ago.
Bridgestone, the sponsor of the halftime show, had one of the most entertaining commercials of the night, set to House of Pain's "Jump Around." In the commercial, two astronauts are driving a space car around the surface of the moon, having a good time. They leave the car for a moment to retrieve a space rock, and find the car's tires stolen and replaced with cinderblocks when they return.
Many of the commercials dealt with NBC's regularly scheduled programs such as "Heroes," "Chuck" and "The Office." Since NBC's viewership was waning this year in nearly every demographic, this was a perfect opportunity for them to increase viewership using the powerful platform of the Super Bowl. "Heroes," in particular, was advertised frequently. A highlight of the "Heroes" commercials came when the cast of the show participated in a football game against football legends including Jerry Rice and John Elway; the heroes utilized their powers in amusing and creative ways to score touchdowns.
Many film studios also decided this was the best time to showcase their upcoming productions. "Fast and Furious," featuring the reunion of Paul Walker and Vin Diesel, seemed to incite excitement from the bar crowd. The trailer for "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" was another highlight, but left many male viewers disappointed due to the limited presence of starlet Megan Fox. However, one of the biggest developments was the long awaited reveal of the "G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra." Say what you will about the movie, but it may still turn out to be as anticipated as the original "Transformers" was over a year ago.
Bridgestone, the sponsor of the halftime show, had one of the most entertaining commercials of the night, set to House of Pain's "Jump Around." In the commercial, two astronauts are driving a space car around the surface of the moon, having a good time. They leave the car for a moment to retrieve a space rock, and find the car's tires stolen and replaced with cinderblocks when they return.
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