Hope you all had a fantastic Super Bowl Sunday! A day many think is even more American than Independence Day. Each year we come together the first Sunday in February to watch to American football teams duke it out for the biggest title in the sport. Some of us may hate to admit it but we also stay glued to the tube as some advertising’s best commercials grace the screen, making us laugh, cry or just get weirded out. Giant Brands including Dorito, Hyundai, Volkswagen, Pepsi, Coke and M&M use the high-priced ads to reach millions of people throughout the US.
But happens when those outside the US participate in the American tradition of Super Bowl Sunday?
Last night I went to a bar in Shortditch, London, England and was so excited to be surrounded by other Americans and football fans to watch the big game. I had a feeling I was going to get to see any American ads but was hoping that there would be at least a few British ads. NOPE! Not a single ad ran during the BBC Sport’s presentation of the game. Instead we had to listen to British commentators and slow motion replay footage.
For an international audience, like the UK, I learned that in-stadium promotion and sponorship is key. When ads are not an option, brands much seek out other ways to participate in the broadcast. Brands like Gatorade, provider of beverages and such, could be seen throughout the game when players would stand near the large chugs to take a gulp in between plays. Brands like Hyundai, Mercedes Benz and Pepsi were able to find airtime when their names were included in the broadcast as sponsors of the pre-game show, the superdome, and the halftime show. Other then those 3 brands, this superbowl experience is rather bland and unAmerican.
Today, the Super Bowl as an experience is as much about the ads as it is about the game itself. BBC and other international tv stations should play the American ads just so an international crowd can get the entire American Super Bowl experience.
Marissa Osowsky 