Super Bowl XLV advertisements have received mixed reviews. Bud and Brisk have faltered, while These days, football has been relegated to the space between commercials. Teams attempt to showcase their talent on each drive, afraid they might be forgotten during the ad breaks. The amount of uninterrupted football directly correlates to how far the season has progressed. In late September, you might be spared from a constant barrage of high-budget commercials, but in the postseason it’s easy to forget what you’re watching.
This ad salvo puts a lot pressure on advertisers; in order to justify the amount of time spent away from the game, they need to entertain us. Not many of them were successful this year. Budweiser began their assault early, by airing teasers of their Super Bowl add spot. While this unconventional idea created a lot of speculation, it also set us up for disappointment. The teasers showed a rugged western scene, spurs treading across a wooden floor, a stagecoach in a desperate rush, and the promise of a confrontation.
The conclusion felt forced. Tiny dancer didn’t fit into the scene. I’m not saying that inserting a modern tune into an rustic scene can’t work; It just takes more finesse. It worked in A Knight’s Tale, when We Will Rock You played over a medieval backdrop. But in this case, the juxtaposition held no resonance. It seems strange that Budweiser continues to link itself to the core of American identity, considering that it is no longer an American company. In 2008 InBev, a Brazilian-Belgian brewing company, acquired Anheuser-Busch. Maybe they should start calling it the great Brazilian-Belgian-American lager.
Budweiser shouldn’t have settled for this cheap joke. Only something original could have merited all the hype.
Brisk also blundered with their add. What could be more ironic than using Eminem as the centerpiece for your commercial? The advertisers for Brisk never answered this question. Throwing a counterculture icon into a corporate wash doesn’t change its colors. Brisk, attempted to harness the “I don’t give a f*uck” attitude of slim shady, but ended up looking like a fraud. This commercial also shows that Eminem has forced his way into the inner chamber of the American mainstream. Years ago, people constructed picket signs for his wicked rhymes. Now he graces America’s favorite spectacle with his presence.
Samuel Bryant
Samuel Bryant a native of Martha’s Vineyard (He worked on the mansions, but never lived in them) left home to attend Sarah Lawrence College where he studied fiction writing and literature. After graduation he moved to Brooklyn. He spends his time honing his writing, and ...
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