I feel like the Super Bowl's prominence grows larger year after year. After all, it's getting to be the last "shared American moment" left. In the older, simpler days, we all watched Walter Cronkite for news every night, we all tuned in to Ed Sullivan every Sunday night, etc. But as the years passed, and the amount of options grew, American eyeballs scattered. Today, the Super Bowl stands as that last great, shared moment. Not even the Oscars, the Grammys or major sports championships of other sports comes close to it.

What a bonanza for advertisers. What a great way for an otherwise irrelevant brand to leap into the consideration set so fast. To become an instant "big dog." Think of Dennys' this year. "Time For A Serious Breakfast." The "free breakfast for everyone in America" promotion. It's estimated they paid a total of $5 million to mount that promotion - and that includes the $3 million Super Bowl price tag. The next day, so many people came to Dennys and, as they waited for a table, ordered so many drinks that Dennys believe they may have broken even on the giveaway - and thanks to the Super Bowl reach and buzz - earned over $50 million worth of free media. Wow!

What about GoDaddy. Say what you will about their taste level, they were nobody a few years ago. Now they are the #1 domain name register company.

And then, what about the big boys. The Pepsicos and Budweisers. We've been putting out Bud ads for years and it never gets old. Ya know what often goes through my mind as a spot of ours is airing? All the famous people who are watching and being entertained by our work. Obama, Jack Nicholson, Michael Jordan, George Clooney...they're all watching, and hopefully they're all digging it. That's the power of Super Bowl advertising.

DDB Super Bowl 2009 Creative

Barry Burdiak, SVP, Group Creative Director, DDB Chicago

Posted on February 9, 2009 3:55 PM | Permalink