Like most adults in the country, I watched the Super Bowl last night. It was a great game, one of the best and most competitive of all time, and my Pittsburgh Steelers triumphed over the worthy Arizona Cardinals.
And like most regular Super Bowl watchers, I looked forward to the commercials. When advertisers pay three million dollars for a thirty second spot, you know that they want to make it count and really go all out.
Instead of being entertained, though, I was sickened and disturbed. About half of the commercials were very demeaning to both men and women. The men were portrayed as sex crazed animals while the women seemed all but too willing to participate in perverted sexual fantasies.
As my regular readers know, I am not a prude. I think that consenting adults should be allowed to do anything they wish behind closed doors.
But the Super Bowl is our annual festival that projects our image around the world. Is this the kind of depiction of women in America that we want for our daughters to emulate?
So to all those marketers out there using sex to sell, here's a message for you: "I ain't buying it!" Take your sleazy sideshow somewhere else.
And I'll purchase the product with the Clydesdales ... now those are good commercials!
Photo: Lovejoy Middle School football courtesy of RichardWeisser.com.
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I agree I love buds commercials I also loved the cheetos ones because I would be the girl tossing the cheetos under the other girls chair :)
Richard I will admit most of the commericals last night did not do anything for me as the ones in the past have. Budwieser always does a good job. I remember the super bowl when they rolled out the frogs.
I loved the commercial when the horse fetched a limb to out do the retriever!
Richard, I missed many of the commercials because, out of habit, I would forget and get up to get something. A little tidbit on marketing...
This morning our newspaper came in the standard plastic bag. The bag was advertising Cars.com. I turned to my husband and said " don't you remember their cool ad yesterday with the young Super Geek who was afraid of buying a car?" Then we had a whole conversation about the commercial.
I'm not buying a car anytime soon. But their ad worked. :)
Shucks. I don't even watch the commercials any more. Sexism in TV commercials??? HA! That, and making dads look stupid and children look smarter than they are has been the theme for about two decades. The commercials aren't even worth a good laugh any longer. Imagination in TV commericals is long gone.
They are written and produced for sensationalism, drama, on the edge content.
There's enough sensationalism in a good football game, which this one surely was.
The game was sensational, dramatic and kept me on the edge of my seat.
The worthless commercials were ignored, as they have been for several years.
Richard....I was splitting my time between SEO and touchdowns, so I may have missed some of the commericals. I'm not going to say they were demeaning, but they certainly lacked the luster of years past, just like Larry said.
The Cheetos one was good (that would ALSO be me throwing the Cheetos) and the e-Trade ones are cute with the baby talking......and Budwieser does keep it on the up and up!
I'd like to be a "fly-on-the-wall" at some of these Board meetings when these ideas are presented. Who agreed to some of these commericals, or better yet, who created them? Hmmmmm
And just for the record....I wanted Arizona! Give the underdog a chance! They almost did it!
Heather...
I'm switching to Budweiser! lol
Larry...
It's funny how Budweiser has moved to a sentimental kind of Americana to sell their product. I hope it's working, I for one will do my part! ;)
Colleen...
I really liked that one too! THX
Ricahrd - interestingly, I did not watch the game other than in snippets, but don't think I saw any of the commercials, at least I don't remember them. Did you see the PETA commercial that NBC thought was too provacative to air? Women in lingerie with vegetables.......I did see the final two drives, WOW!!
I found that I barely laughed at any of the commercials. My wife and I both sat there wondering where all the creativity has gone. Maybe I am immune to the sexism in the commercials or maybe I wasn't paying that much attention. Isn't there a show on tonight that runs the top commercials from last night? Might have to watch that...
Connie...
I liked that commercial too, and the message WAS enduring! And no woman had to take off her top! Thanks.
Lenn...
But as a marketer, aren't you the least bit curious what you would do for $100,000 a second? Wow!
Thom...
We love the Arizona Cardinals and just hated that they had to play the Steelers. Warner and Fitzgerald are unbelievable! If the Cardinals were playing ANYONE else I would have been pulling for them!
Watching the commercials is 50% of the fun of watching the game. I said to my husband, "What happened to the cool commercials this year?" I didn't laugh out loud once. The horses were great, however. The game was incredible. It was a fine example of what 'can' happen when you refuse to give up.
The commercial that was too sexual for the game was shown over and over on the news which was wrong also. I love the animal ones of the old days.
Mike...
These were women undressing in a prurient manner, it was so blatant. For the record, I love the beauty of women, I adore it. lol But I also have a daughter and I want better for her!
Jared...
The Danika Patrick ones were pretty blatent! Thanks
Ha! I completely forgot about the Danika Patrick commercial! That was very blatant. Thanks Richard...
Mel...
I think that at the price, the advertisers had to force a sixty second message into thirty, and that hurt! I liked the remake of the Mean Joe Greene commercial ... that was amusing!
Treva..
I don't think that they were going for shock value, but who knows! Thanks for the comment.
I liked the commercials. I guess we just expect the sexism. I'm not saying it's right, it just is what it is. I loved the two babies talking in etrade. Very funny, the Doritos "bus" commercial and the Monster commercials. Clydesdales-always a favorite.
My 7 and 10 year old daughters were watching so I did look at the commercials in a different way. We have to watch what we "teach" our children (our future). The girls did love the animal commercials.
Richard maybe we watched 2 different games? I did not see it in the same light. On the other hand maybe you watched it in Arizona where some one threw a porno tape in during the game.
Oops! I had forgotten about that one. It was too cute! Also, there was the commercial regarding pet adoption. I agree, we all need a dog!
AMEN!!!!! The horses were THE only ones worth watching!
I enjoyed the cheeto's probably because "I've been there and done that!"
I also liked the Careerbuilder ad where the asian fellow kept saying "howdy" (something like that)
On the whole, nothing ground breaking or revolutionary.
I wasn't thrilled to have to explain to my daughter that "Go Daddy" was a domain hosting site and there is absolutely no reason for them to be slanting their advertising to men! ewwwwwwwwwwww! They may as well have called their company "Who's your Daddy"!
I don't think that I can think of a time when the Clydesdales were ever used sex to sell their product. Unless it was the love struck one this year, maybe that is a stretch tho.
Richard, it is sad that we live in a society where sex sells products. I agree that the product should be able to stand on it's own, but as long as sex continues to improve the sale of such items, we will have ads like these. I did find the talking/singing baby commercial very funny!
Overall, I thought it was a pretty disappointing night for commercials. I liked the Cheetos one and was interested in a few of the movie trailers. Budweiser and cars.com did a nice job. Beyond that, I didn't think anything was particularly great. GoDaddy's ads are too predictable.
Sad to see that these big advertising agencies can't come up with something better! Some of the greatest ads from past superbowl games did NOT exploit sex!
My husband hates commercials and refuses to watch them.
I was cooking. I would go into the living room and say where are the million dollar commercials.
He would have turned to something else during that time because, "Hey, they are still commercials."
Be carefull Richie,
Buying the too much of the horse product could lead to enjoying the other ads!!
Richard,
They'll keep pushing the envelope as long as we keep buying the products. The ones people remember though, had nothing to do with sexuality. Apple 1984, Mean Joe Green and Coke. Those are the ones people remember, and associate with the product.
Rich
I agree, the game was great! My team won!!
I also agree that in recent years, the caliber of the commercials has deteriorated.
My favorites are always the Budweiser. Go Bud!!
The game really was SUPER.. what a truimph for the Steelers, 6 Super Bowls now.. that is awesome, I felt a bit of disappointment for the Cardinals, to have victory snatched at the last moments it seemed, those 3rd quarter penalties were dreadful. As to the commercials, I'm always in favor of the horses and dogs but I did like the dogfood one, get a dog. that was Cool. AND the flowers telling the girl what a hagatha she was now that was horrible, left a real bad taste in my mouth, what humilation.
Haven't watched a game in years, but needed to relax a bit yesterday and so I said I'd sit down and watch the commercials -- what a disappointment! Or, perhaps it's because my TV was too small. I remember great commercials from years ago at Super Bowl Parties that I attended -- friends had a big screen TV. But the game was exciting!
I was disappointed in the lack of creativity but my favorite was for the animal adoption group "Maybe you should get a dog?" I am still laughing at that one!
Brother Richard - I didn't see the game or the commercials. I caught the highlights on the news and that's about it. I did watch about 12 seconds of Bruce Springsteen - does that count?
Richard: Thank God someone else feels the same way. I tuned in for the last half of the game. First of all, noticed a heck of a lot of job seeking websites. Not a good sign. But the sexism and so forth are absolutely horrible. The Danicka Patrick one was the worst. Why in the world would she, a barrier breaking female in a male dominated sport, agree to do that? Bye-bye Daddy.
Jared....
I think there were two! Thanks again!
Cindy...
The baby commercials were cute, and now "Shankapottumus" will live forever in golfdom!
Wendy...
Yes, the dog adopting commercial was very good!
I gave up after the first half. I figured if there were no good commercials in the first half, the second would not get much better.
GREAT half time show!!
Love the Clydesdales - Really wonder about GoDaddy's judgement!
Football Game? Commercials? Hmmm I must have fallen asleep. One to many clydsdales before the game!
Sex will always sell, so advertisers will always use it to their advantage. The question becomes how far will they take it?
Richard - I was at a party at a bar. When the Doritos commercial came on - one crunch and a woman's clothing disappeared all eyes were on the TV. They certainly got everyone's attention. Sex sells.
I enjoyed the Bud horses more than anything - the continuing story of the dancing horse was cute.
Congrats on your favorite winning!!
Richard - I didn't see that whole game or all of the commercial but the ones I did see did not impress me, and I did notice the same thing as you. Yes, liked the Bud/Horse/Dog commercial. I can't wait to see what they come up for next Super Bowl ads - wait, yes I can. :) ~Rita
I did enjoy the game and when it finished my wife asked me about the commercials and I couldn't remember much about them. Not the best crop of ads.
Go Daddy seemed to be the worst one. That is my domain provider. They really use sex as their way of keeping attention on their name.
Charle...
Maybe I am overly sensitive because I have a daughter that's pretty independent and I want her to have the same opportunities as a man! Are you getting snow yet?
Mel..
Yeah, the one about adopting a dog was great! ;)
Cherimie...
They were good!!!
Richard,
Here in Tucson, we were treated to 30 seconds of porn in the last three minutes of the game. Someone at Comcast hit a switch and interrupted the feed from the local TV station with full frontal male nudity.
Mike in Tucson
Richard... you sound like my mama who we refer to as Ms Daisy. She gets her tender Southern Baptist Christian sensibilities all in a twitter over the least little thing sexual. And now you, Richard? If you're complaining about beer commercials on network TV you may be a prude and not know it. Being the east coast liberal I am I support less censorship and more openness in the media. For those that don't like what's on TV including the great (but insane) moralist preacher from Mississippi, Donald E. Wildmon, there's a button on the remote that allows you to change stations or turn it off. This complaining about morals in America (or the lack thereof) reminds me of the aforementioned preacher and his "Morality in America Campaign." It failed then and it'll fail now. I shouldn't have to be limited to what I watch or hear based on anyone's moral guidelines. Next you'll be complaining about our new adult store at Thomas Crossing (please don't). Now that our genius county commissioners outlawed ribbed condoms last week I'm a little sick of the whole moral highroad. It's starting to get on my last good nerve.
Don Bush
Joanna...
"Who's' you daddy?" Now that is funny! lol
Don...
Well ...there was that "naked" sheep streaking commercial! lol and thanks.
T&D...
I like the talking baby commercials too!
Erik...
Looking back now, I think I liked the "McGrudder" commercial! Thanks.
Joan...
I don't think that the blatantly sexual commercials are very durable, thank goodness!
Brenda...
I have always enjoyed the commercial, but there were TOO many!
Brother Jim...
I just think that some of the ads took away from the AWESOME game, don't you! I liked the remake of the mean Joe green commercial with Troy a lot!
Richard, darling, Couldn't get enough of football. So, I missed the whole thing! But, I have to admit I would have liked seeing the Clydesdales, now those are horses I could get into. Especially being 5'1"! Sorry it was exactly what I thought it would be. Hope your comments are heard by the advertisers.
Dang, you sound like my mother. I know it's offensive...I personally didn't watch that much of it...I was hanging out on the back porch with my mom & some friends catching up! KM
Sex sells. The fact that you are writing about it and all of us are commenting about it is a true testimate to exactly what the advertisers want. NBC actully did censor some ads. If you haven't seen the youtube video of the PETA ad you will see what going over the line means. For the record the best ad campaign by far was the "1-second" Miller High Life Ad.
Rich...
I mentioned durability in a previous comment. Ads that survive the test of time live on and on, well after the advertising dollar is spent! THX
Tony...
The game really took center stage, didn't it? Thanks.
Gail...
It was an awesome game, and now the Steelers are the most accomplished Super Bowl Champions! THX
Ann...
Here's a secret ... I still have a little TV too, and it works for me! ;)
Russell...
'I like the dog commercial too! Thanks.
Brother Matt...
I didn't think that the Boss was on top of his game, but apparently I'm one of the few!
Don't be negative it could have been much worse. No Janet Jackson OR her brother the pervert.
Richard,
I agree with you...sometimes you cannot even tell what the heck they are trying to sell....
Ann
I agree, Richard. You are what you allow yourself to see and think. It's too bad that you can't watch primetime TV anymore without being barraged by sex-related commercials.
I thought the Coke commercial with the insects banning together to steal the bottle was pretty ingenious.
I truly hate sports. And announcers irritate me to no end. So obviously I didn't (and never have) watch the Super Bowl. However, the half-time antics have become legendary, and last year I know there was a lot of mud-slinging between Victoria's Secret and GoDaddy. And GoDaddy's ad was considered so controversial that it was completely rejected by the committee that determines which ads get to be aired during the Super Bowl. I figured it had to be really bad! I posted a video to YouTube last year, regarding the insults by VS and GoDaddy. VS issued a really stupid quote for the press.
Hi Richard:
I'm a huge sports fan. I'm with you, I like the adorable Budweiser commercials. I liked the new Coke one with Troy Polamalu...
I think careerbuilder & doritos had the best 2 commercials by far!
Richard...my thoughts exactly! I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed! I was very surprised to see the countless commercials and their themes. :( I feel that way with most of the music these days also. We cant seem to escape from it!
Hey Richard, I down with a cold, so I'm missing everyone. Just popping in with my two cents. There was one commercial, and I can't remember which one, but there was a lot of boobs showing and I was a little embarrassed to be in the room with the kids. I agree about the Clydesdale's though. Always well done.
Richard,
I watched in amusement at commercial after commercial went down in $3 million flames. :)
Steve
Richard,
As I worked during the Superbowl, I got to miss all of this offensive advertising....the main reason I don't watch tv.....
The Doritos commercial, as you probably already heard, was done by two unemployed autoworkers that won a contest. It wasn't even a professsional ad agency.
TV today, is the reason I do not watch it. It is such a waste of time.
It's amazing. The shows on tv are bad, the commercials are horrible. They don't rate the commercials they just show them anytime, anyhow, anywhere.
Thanks for the post.
Didn't watch the game, didn't watch the commercials. Super Bowl Sunday is the day which has the highest level of domestic violence (against women and children) of any day in the US. Hmmm could those commercials -- and the beer - have something to do with that! Not to mention that there is throughout most if not all institutions and public discouse a pervasive, and not so subtle, permission to denigrate women as a group.
I really did not like 97% of the commercials this year. The Clydesdales, Cheetos and Coke were the only ones I liked.