Super Bowl 50

The Kickoff Show begins with the introduction of 49 Super Bowl MVPs. A rich way to walk through NFL history, or at least the last fifty years.

Observation: I couldn't help but notice that a number of the quarterbacks were limping as they walked to their places.

After a couple commercials, the teams themselves are lauded onto the field. First, the Carolina Panthers with the fanfare and wonder of flames and rockets. Next, the Denver Bronco led by a white bronc and more flames and rockets. The energy is exploding as the story unfolds.

In the pre-pre-game we were taken to the White House to meet with President Barack Obama and Michelle. America showcases it's president and its national pasttime. Just before the national anthem we're treated to a Captain America movie trailer... soon followed by the "America" presented by our joint armed forces choir, signed by Marlee Matlin and surrounded by the flags of many nations. The Joint Service Color Guard came forth to stand by Lady Gaga as she sang our National Anthem. The choreography of stars and glory and Navy flyover indeed achieved the emotional effect aimed for. Like, yeah.

Observation: In keeping with expectations, the commercials so far have been stellar.

This year's coin toss is by Joe Montana. Carolina wins the toss, choosing to kick so Peyton Manning will be first QB to take the field.

First commercial after the coin toss: Hyundai. "A dad's gotta do what a dad's gotta do." Funny. Carfinder.

First play, easy completion for 18 yards. Peyton on the move. And after a great run, they stall in the Red Zone. Field goal. First to score: Broncos.

Commercials after the score. Very good. Avocados from Mexico makes its first move. Kickoff. Fifteen seconds. More commercials. Hyundai funny one with bears... Followed by Jeff Goldblum playing a piano being lifted by crane. Mmmm, more celebs. apartments.com.  What next?

Cam throws a bit high in his first pass to a wide open receiver. Too much enthusiasm or energy to burn. Second pass caught a foot shy of a first down, so they will kick on fourth. Denver gets it back again.

More commercials. Mobile Strike. Then a hilarious Doritos spot. New Money and Old Money spot. Hmmm. PayPal is back.

Panthers show some D (3 and out) and we're backto the commercials. The Jungle Book trailer. And then that fabulous Audi spot, The Commander. Yeah. Never tired of this one. "Choosing the moon brings out the best in us." Nice tagline.

First play is a long pass, which is ruled an incomplete. Carolina challenges the ruling on the field, so we have still more commercials. In the end, the "ruling on the field stands." Hmmmm. The talking heads disagree with the verdict.

Wow... next two plays make it look tough. Running back stomped and limping off field. Then Cam hit in backfield, fumbling to produce a Denver touchdown. Here come the commercials.

Etc.

More game, more commercials. More scoring, this time by Panthers. More commercias.

Etc.

You get the picture.

Here is my favorite spot so far....

Enjoy the rest of the Big Show.

Get Ready To Watch "Brand Bowl 50"

In case you haven't noticed, today's wide world of sports is all about marketing. Marketing is at the center of commerce, and commerce is at the center of our way of life, at least here in the Western world of capitalist democracy.

One feature of modern marketing is brand building, establishing top-of-mind awareness or zeal for a specific brand. Hence we see an abundance of company logos on race cars, at sporting events and in television commercials.

Atop the endcap at a local grocery store.

The logo is the company's "mark" much like the iron brand used by cattlemen to mark their livestock in the Old West. It needed to be distinctive and definitive. So it is that companies strive to establish a "mark" that sums up who they are, or at least brings to mind everything they represent.

In tomorrow's game, you'll notice that the Denver Bronco and Carolina Panthers wear their logos on their helmets. It's their "mark." They also each wear their distinctive colors, another feature of a well-defined brand. Companies have logos and specific colors associated with them. They may not be as flamboyant as today's sports teams, but they're not random either.

So what has the Super Bowl become at age 50? It's not just about a game. We can't deny that it's a big deal for the teams who are playing, and their fans. A Super Bowl title is a major achievement for any franchise, and those rings are worth more emotionally than the bonuses paid to the game winners. For a lot of people it's the commercials that entice us to stay to the end. And for quite a few it's that over-the-top extravaganza known as the Halftime Show. And what is the Halftime Show? It's something akin to the Bowl itself, as various stars and performers vie for contention to have their "brand" selected as the feature billing on the world's largest stage. Isn't that what celebs are these days? They're brands. When you say Springsteen, Madonna, Dylan, you're no longer talking about persons. These are franchises. This year's winners were Bruno and Beyonce.

The price tag on this year's Super Bowl spots is five million for each thirty seconds. That's just air time and doesn't include production costs. For a 55 billion dollar dollar company like Audi a Super Bowl spot is chump change, but their presence in the Big Game sends a clear message that they are a player. Their 90-second spot is worthy of getting listed as a contender for any top ten list of Super Bowl commercials. My opinion. Titled "The Commander" it carries added emotional punch by use of the recently deceased David Bowie's "Starman" as soundtrack followed this past week by Apollo astronaut Ed Mitchell's passing Thursday.

How do brands measure success for a campaign like this? To some extent it's measured in buzz. Their aim is to move the needle with regard to sales, but is that the only measure? One key measure in our internet age is brand engagement.

Here's a cool website that is measuring how many times people post something about a brand on social media, measured by hashtags. It's a dynamic infographic in the shape of a football field, a real-time hashtag tracker for the Super Bowl ads. They're calling it the #BrandBowl. According to the microsite's developers, "Hashtags have become the defacto call-to-action over website urls so we decided to track the hashtags to see which ads resonated with TV watchers the most. For marketers who are more interested in the commercials than the game itself, the BrandBowl is a great way to follow the social action throughout the game."

If you've got your laptop with you while watching the game Sunday, The Brand Bowl will help you keep in touch with all the action.