Sex, Food, and Beer: The definition of a SuperBowl commercial

As per usual, millions of home viewers were glued to their TVs this evening to watch the “big game”. In addition to the sensational game play that we expect from the SuperBowl each year, viewers anticipate the airing of the year’s most shocking, hilarious, and over-the-top commercials. This year was no exception.

From half-naked men gloating about their lack of pants, to a whale in a truck, to a talking baby couple, this year’s commercials covered just about everything imaginable… except technology. Just short of sixty over-the-top commercials were broadcasted this year, and only seven – yes, just seven – of them had anything to do with technology! Over 70% of the commercials were centered around just three things: girls, beer, and food. The content of these commercials wields a pretty strong message regarding the minds of Americans. Rather than focusing on more traditional and moral values such as family, the population has undoubtedly gone “the other way”. Commercial makers are very much aware of this fact, and as with most previous SuperBowl commercials, sex, beer, and food took center stage. In this day and age, however, with technology dominating more and more of our lives, wouldn’t you expect at least a decent portion of those important commercials to be tech-centric? Apparently not.

This year’s tech commercials:

Intel:
Intel put out a comedic commercial featuring their new COREi line of processors. As an Intel worker touts their new chips as “The greatest thing we’ve ever made. Absolutely nothing surpasses it!” a company robot eavesdrops. Insulted, it lowers its head and mopes away. Have a look: [Youtube]

TV.com:
TV.com advertised their service with a measly 10-second spot in the form of a video montage featuring some popular primetime shows. Their slogan: “There’s one TV that never turns off”. Have a look: [Youtube]

KGB Answers:
Faced with being pounded by an enormous sumo wrestler, two featherweights are tasked with translating “I surrender” into Japanese. One man texts his question to KGB’s ‘text-to-answer’ service, while the other man queries an unknown search engine. The KGB-searcher receives his answer and runs away. The other man is provided with a translation of “Bring it on fat man,” and just before he’s slammed by the sumo, the commercial ends. Have a look: [Youtube]

E-Trade Baby:
Online e-commerce website E-Trade promoted themselves with a comical talking baby, using his portfolio building at E-Trade as an excuse for missing a date with his girlfriend. Have a look: [Youtube]

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Forge Vizio:
Robots collect the hottest music artists, websites, TV shows, and movie characters, dropping them into an out-cropping in the floor. When everything has been added to the mix, a television screen flips out of the floor, revealing Vizio Forge, a remarkable new internet experience on the TV. Have a look: [Youtube]

Go Daddy:
On a corny news production, Danica Patrick sits with an egotistic interviewer who seems quite perturbed at the fact that Danica’s last commercial for Go Daddy was dubbed “too hot for TV”. When asked why it was deemed “too hot,” Danica was perplexed: “How hot is too hot?” In showing Danica just how hot is too hot, the interviewer rips off her jacket, revealing a white Go Daddy tanktop. Have a look: [Youtube]

In a second spot, Danica is getting a poolside massage. When the masseuse takes a closer look, she realizes Danica to be the “Go Daddy girl”. Squeamish, the masseuse sucks up: “I love godaddy.com.. I mean, domain names, websites, hosting!” (the girl in question is not a geek, let me remind you). After inquiring about whether she’d make the cut as a Go Daddy girl, the masseuse decides to let Danica see for herself, shedding her shirt in much the same way as the news reporter. Have a look: [Youtube]

Google – Parisian Love:
Starting off in the corner of a giant search box, Google takes us through a guy’s quest to learn French, to impress a French girl, to make wedding plans, presumably in preparation for a hopeful trip to France. The commercial makes use of Google’s traditional search pages, Google Translate, and Google Maps throughout the spot. The commercial ends with Apple-like simplicity: a white screen with a light grey slogan: “Search on.” Have a look: [Youtube]

No gadgets?

There’s no doubt that there could – and probably should – have been way more technology-oriented ads this season. However, I think what’s even more disappointing was the lack of gadgets in the ads. Only two phones were featured in an ad (the KGB commercial); things such as the iPhone 3Gs and Google’s Nexus One (which could have benefitted from the publicity, given its slow adoption) were simply ignored. What about all the hype surrounding the iPad? Apple couldn’t fork over a couple million to keep it going?

I’m no stranger to seeing a lack of tech ads on TV, or to the fact that sex and beer dominate the market, but with an audience in the millions watching the show, I just can’t see how some of the hottest tech companies in the world could pass up such a chance!