By Arthur Solomon
It's almost time for the United States most hyped patriotic marketing spectacular to be held with the New York Giants and New England Patriots providing the creative platform.
The Big Show experience last year in the Big D left much to be desired, even though it was a doozy of a game. As with all Super Bowl marketing extravaganzas, we have endured weeks of Big Hype for the Ultimate Football Game gets played Sunday in Indianapolis.
Hype has always been a crucial tool of the traditional show biz world, long before it became an integral part of the sports scene, and it will always remain so.
Sports marketers, revved by their advertising and PR agencies, have been salivating at having the best, most interesting, most talked about, most viewed, and also the most expensive commercials for this year’s ultimate marketing extravaganza in Indianapolis since, well, last year's ballyhooed ultimate marketing extravaganza in Dallas.
So here are some Lesson's Learned from last year’s Super Bowl, followed by several hopes for this years game.
-Having seats in place before selling tickets may not be a bad idea.
-Having those, oh, so clever advertising creative genius, consider the sensitivities of the viewers when crafting a commercial (remember Groupon and HomeAway?) may not be a bad idea.
-Having uberpatriotic callers to talk radio, many of whom probably did everything to avoid the draft when there was one, and who didn't voluntarily join the armed services when the draft ended, show some compassion, instead of vitriolically trashing a singer who makes a mistake during the National Anthem, may not be a bad idea.
-During the singing of the National Anthem, having TV commentators not saying that tears are welling up in the athlete's eyes, when the cameras show nervous football players chewing gum and fidgeting may not be a bad idea.
-The NFL admitting that the Super Bowl is a football game and not a patriotic event, may not be a bad idea.
-Having marketers and the NFL propagandists be realistic about the number of viewers at Super Bowl parties who actually pay continuous attention to the game and commercials, instead of using the occasion as a social gathering, may not be a bad idea.
-Not relegating the Super Bowl to a commercial hyping new TV shows may not be a bad idea.
-Eliminating militaristic terminology from football's lexicon to show respect to America's real warriors, the ones who fight to protect our country,
may not be a bad idea.
-Having the Pentagon stop letting the Super Bowl (and other sporting events) use our soldiers as props for their events may not be a bad idea.
-Not charging season ticket holders $200 to watch the Big Game on a TV screen outside the stadium may not be a bad idea.
-Helping homeless people, instead of removing them to areas where visitors to the Super Bowl would not see them, may not be a bad idea.
-Having sports journalists and P.R. people remember how lucky they are to have a job that doesn’t require heavy lifting, and then take an oath to never again complain about ill-mannered athletes, bad weather and traffic conditions at Super Bowls may not be a bad idea.
Now a few thoughts about this year’s football marketing bonanza:
-If the Big Game becomes lopsided, expanding Madonna’s half-time show in an effort to keep viewers from tuning out may not be a bad idea.
-Having President Obama break the ridiculous tradition of honoring the winners of sporting events at the White House by not extending an invitation to the Super Bowl victor (he recently invited the NBA champions Dallas Mavericks) may not be a bad idea.
-Not force-feeding political or religious themed commercials on viewers who just want to have fun watching a football game - like the Christian evangelical Focus on the Family’s John 3:16 TV spot on the January 14 telecast of the New England-Denver game (remember last year’s Tebow ad and the ensuing controversy?) may not be a bad idea.
-Since there will be 70 different commercials on the telecast,
according the January 19 New York Times, having the NFL award a trophy for the least controversial commercial may not be a bad idea.
-Having fanatics understand that human life is more important than the outcome of an annual football game and not engage in rowdy behavior may not be a bad idea.
-Considering all the drinking problems among high school and college students, football players and Americans in general, a Super Bowl devoid of TV commercials that have football coaches encouraging beer drinking would not be a bad idea.
-But most importantly, having parents not guzzle down bottles of beer and booze, or use foul language in front of their impressionable children when the game doesn’t go their way at Super Bowl parties, may not be a bad idea. In fact, that would be a good idea.
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Arthur Solomon is a former senior VP at Burson-Marsteller, where handled national and international accounts. He is available at [email protected]. |