The 43rd Superbowl: Info, Blogs, Banned Commercials and More
Today is the longstanding, forty-three years to be exact, tradition of watching two US football teams battle it out in the Superbowl. A tradition that has become almost more about the tv commercials, marketing and now, micro sites and sneak peeks, than about the game itself.
The event:
This year, the event takes place in Tampa, Florida and features the Pittsburgh Steelers playing against the Arizona Cardinals. The Steelers could potentially take home their 6th Vince Lombardi trophy and the Cardinals, their first. Okay, enough about the sport. LOL.
The entertainment: Once upon a time people sat riveted to the halftime show, then competing tv channels started putting on their own halftime shows; the Bud bowl, the Victoria Secret Lingerie shows, even the Simpsons shows. This year, there are countless options on the internet featuring clever and co-op shows of their own.
The actual NFL halftime show will feature Bruce Springsteen and The E Street band. But, if you're not a big Bruce fan, you've got some fun alternative ways to spend that time (and for those who hate sports, and prefer sci-fi, chick flicks or reality tv, there's a list of counter programming for you at the end of this post).
Pepsi (a major sponsor of this year's game) has its own youtube channel with a series of hilarious videos that are incredibly entertaining-- featuring Will Arnett -- and you even have the option to upload your own.
Above: Will Arnett hosts his own hilarious Superbowl Party, courtesy of Pepsi and TBWA Chiat Day.
This year, due to the explosion of social media and online promotions, most of the eagerly anticipated tv commercials have been 'leaked'. So much so that Adweek even has a preview page.
Already enjoyed by tons of fans has been the newest Pedigree commercial from TWBA Chiat Day which will air on today's game, featuring a view of the world if you opted for wild animals as pets in lieu of the good ol' domestic dog.
There are more fun supplemental videos of the Pedigree spot that you can view here.
SB XLIII is bringing back some fan faves including commercials featuring E*Trade's "Talking Baby," Budweiser's Clydesdales (this time joined in the A-B stable by late-night host Conan O'Brien in an ad for Bud Light). And this year, Coke and Pepsi battle it out to prove which can create the happiest, most 'optimistic' ads.
Another spot which leaked and has fast become a favorite is this Career Builder spot:
and a fun spot for GoDaddy.com featuring Danica Patrick:
