The Super Bowl is this Sunday and as always there is just as much hype about the ads surrounding the games as their is around Peyton Manning and Drew Brees! As in past years some ads are garnering more pre-game hype than others and one company who has advertised on the Super Bowl for 23 consecutive years is not going to be there this Sunday. 
This year Super Bowl ad spots are going for $2.5-$3 million each. That is a lot of money to shell out in hopes that your ad stands out in the minds of viewers enough to get them to buy your product. Absent this year is Pepsi. Pepsi is skipping out on Super Bowl advertising and instead are putting their money into a social-media campaign to promote its Pepsi Refresh program. Pepsi plans to give away $20 million in grant money to fund projects in six categories: health, arts & culture, food & shelter, the planet, neighborhoods and education. Social media marketing is the wave of the future and Pepsi is hoping to ride the wave and help local communities at the same time.
Last year Universal Studios Orlando ran a very successful Super Bowl ad campaign that gave away tickets to the theme park.
This Sunday, Universal Orlando Resort will launch a brand-new, national commercial for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter during Super Bowl XLIV. The ad, created by Universal Orlando and Rosso Media Ltd in the UK, offers guests a look into the magic that awaits them at the highly anticipated theme park experience set to open Spring 2010. And, for fans who can’t wait until Super Bowl Sunday, the national commercial is currently viewable through UniversalOrlando.com.
Set to air during the first half of the Super Bowl, the ad features all-new footage and pulls viewers directly into the new area – from Hogsmeade, to the immensity of Hogwarts castle. The commercial also features Harry Potter and two children who get a glimpse of the excitement guests can expect to experience when they visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Also launching today is a brand-new microsite for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Accessible through UniversalOrlando.com, the site currently features:
- A first-person perspective, photo-realistic video of Hogsmeade and Hogwarts castle
- The Wizarding World News, which will provide guests with information about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
- Visuals and details about the various shops, attractions and the eating establishment in the land
- Owl Post e-cards for friends and family
And, over the next couple of months, the microsite will also continue to be updated with ground-breaking interactive elements.
So far the most controversial ad set to air during the 2010 Super Bowl is the Focus on the Family/Tim Tebow Celebrate Life ad. I am thankful that CBS has not backed down amid pressure from the National Organization for Women and other radical feminist groups. I am pro-life and I won’t deny that. I would like to say it is about time there is a pro-life ad on an NFL football game. Those opponents of the ad that say the abortion debate has no place in a football game should take a step back and see that every NFL football game on television has a pro-abortion undercurrent. The NFL is a partner with the United Way and many local United Way branches financially support Planned Parenthood which provides abortion services to their clients. So, the abortion issue is evident at every NFL game this Sunday, both sides will be there.
What is your favorite Super Bowl ad of all time? Which ad are you most looking forward to seeing? Leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts.
I really liked the eTrade ads with the kids chatting. Especially the one where the little girl suspects the boy has another women over. Funny stuff.