Off the wire: Super Bowl ads fumble this year

By LEAH BARKSDALE

(U-WIRE) NORMAN, Okla. —

The 2004 Super Bowl: one game and one extremely expensive… (U-WIRE) NORMAN, Okla. —

The 2004 Super Bowl: one game and one extremely expensive advertisement.

But was it all really worth it in the end?

“The Super Bowl is advertising’s national holiday,” said Jim Avery, advertising professor.

According to SuperBowl-ads.com, the cost of a 30-second commercial spot averaged approximately $2.25 million.

“Buying a commercial during the Super Bowl is not a sufficient reach,” Avery said, “Advertisers can reach just as many people by buying one during the nightly news throughout the week.”

With every Super Bowl, people wonder what the new commercials will be like: Will they be better than last year? Which celebrities will endorse each of the products?

Even though some commercials featured original ideas like football players singing about “Tomorrow” or senior citizens getting ugly over a bag of potato chips, many agree this year’s commercials lacked something.

“This year’s commercials were definitely subpar,” said Steven Thomas, elementary education junior, “But you know there’s only so many funny ideas you can have in 30 seconds.”

Despite some downfalls, many students agreed the commercial featuring women playing snow volleyball was a great idea.

“I really liked the volleyball-in-the-snow one,” said Amanda La Fon, music education sophomore, “I can’t wait for summer sports. A lot [of the commercials] I’ve seen before, and they aren’t as funny as in the past.”

The most popular ads included a donkey’s dream to become a Budweiser Clydesdale and a dog that liked to fetch a little more than just a beer for his owner, according to a survey on Ifilm.com.

Just because the game is over and the stadium is cleared doesn’t mean you can’t watch the commercials. Ifilm.com features a menu where you can watch all your favorites and the commercials you love to hate.

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