To many people tuning in for the Super Bowl, the real action takes place when there's time out on the field.

Ever since Apple Computers launched the Macintosh with a George Orwell-style intro in 1984, advertising during the NFL's championship game has become a competition in and of itself. this year, companies are paying up to $2.6 million for 30 seconds of brand recognition.

In this cacophonous communications age, one commercial -- even a pricey series of spots during the most watched TV event of the year -- seems a bit like a Hail Mary pass into a crowd.

With the rise of Web-based interactivity, the proliferation of cable TV and PDAs, why take the expensive risk when we're all hooked in all the time? Is there value in the big sell any more?

To make sense of the other game going on Sunday asap recruited three experts -- one media, one sales/marketing and one advertising -- to riff on the Super Bowl's commercials for this roundtable discussion, carried forth over instant message in real time as the game unfolds.

___

OUR EXPERTS

STEVE HALL

Steve Hall, the publisher of Adrants (http://www.adrants.com ), has worked for many well-known advertising agencies where he managed marketing budgets for both consumer and business-to-business clients including Reebok, Sperry Topsider and Monster.com. Steve also co-founded MarketingVOX, an online marketing publication and is co-founder and publisher of the AD:TECH industry trade show weblog.

ROBERT THOMPSON

Robert Thompson is the founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University, where he is also a professor in the Newhouse Scool of Communications. He has written or edited six books about American television.

BOB CIRCOSTA

Bob Circosta was the original host of what became the Home Shopping Network. "The Billion Dollar Man" (a reference to his claim of more than $1 billion in sales) is also the founder of Bob Circosta Communications, Inc. (http://www.bobcircosta.com ). This year he named the 30 top Super Bowl commercials of all time.

___

After First Quarter:

asap: So the game got off to quite a start. What about the commercials?

Hall: Best so far is the Blockbuster ad with the poor mouse standing in as a ... well ... mouse.

asap: what do you think about the Doritos ad? It's one of the finalists from the fan competition

Hall: Oops ... yea ... forgot about that one. I think that was tremendous. Funny. Got the point across.

Circosta: None of the commercials really stood out. The Doritos ad was cute, but nothing too inspiring. Automobile commercials have a notoriously difficult time activating Super Bowl viewers. It's difficult to recall any memorable auto commercials that aired on Super Sunday.

Thompson: Amusing enough, but any good minutes of THE SIMPSONS or CONAN has more laughs.

Circosta: For the Jessica Simpson Pizza Hut ad, was I the only one expecting either Kermit or Miss Piggy to make a cameo?

Thompson: But when all is said and done, are these worth the attention we've been convinced to give them?

Hall: The Sierra Mist ad with the combover guy made me laugh. Especially when he stood up and was wearing shirts from the 70's.

Hall: Snickers ad is gross.

Thompson: This is my 26th Super Bowl, watching with a clipboard and stone cold sober. Maybe that's my problem.

Thompson: I'll never at Snickers again.

asap: Are these commercials worth $2.6 million?

Thompson: When you take away the trailers and promos, it's interesting how few real "Super Bowl" ads there are.

Circosta: A smart, clever, eye-catching ad is definitely worth the money; it can propel a brand to the next level. But an unimaginative ad, or one that we've already seen countless times prior to the Super Bowl, probably isn't worth the expense.

Thompson: If we saw that Bud Light scene on a bad sitcom, would we think it was funny?

Circosta: Bud's "English" ad with Carlos Mencia will score well with viewers, I'll bet. Simple to understand, but still fun, memorable, and humorous.

asap: The first quarter is nearly over and the game is very exciting. How are the ads holding up so far?

Hall: So far, it's that Snickers ad that's going to be the most talked about.

Hall: gross factor works quite well.

Thompson: Overall, about as funny as an episode of ACCORDING TO JIM. Competent-funny, nothing to postpone a trip to the bathroom for.

Circosta: Good but not great so far. Bud, as usual, is delivering its share of entertainment. And the Fed Ex ad really stands out for being the perfect blend of special effects, humor, and targeted messaging. But a handful of duds, too.

Thompson: I am, however, thinking of growing a beard and trying that combover thing. Rogaine didn't work for me.

Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register.