Forgotten scores, remembered commercials

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On a normal day, commercials are an excuse to grab something to eat, run to the bathroom or attempt to do the homework problem you’ve been working on for the past hour. Superbowl Sunday, however, is not a normal day.

As one of America’s most iconic sporting events, the Super Bowl isn’t just about football. The game, which only happens once a year, serves as a time to hang out with friends and family with all eyes on the screen. But instead of muting the TV during the commercials, viewers anticipate ads that will become classics for years to come.

Photo illustration by Chris Bunker

Max Schramm, a senior from Mesa, Ariz. studying business finance, is looking forward to the commercials more than the game itself because he isn’t excited about either team that will be playing.

“The Superbowl is just an excuse to eat junk food and relax with friends,” Schramm said.

For viewers, the commercials that leave the most impact are ones that are funny or sentimental. Standouts from last year include the Chrysler commercial that featured rapper Eminem and Volkswagen’s Darth Vader commercial.

“There’s nothing worse than a game with boring commercials and you think ‘I just wasted all this time watching the Super Bowl and I didn’t get any laughs out of it,’ ” Schramm said.

For those who want to see all the Super Bowl commercials without having to watch the game, they are available online. With YouTube and Facebook, it’s easy to stay up to date with commercials because they are accessible and allow the ads to be run repeatedly. To stay ahead of the pack, some companies release their commercials weeks prior to the game to get momentum for their product.

Some viewers who don’t normally keep up with football during the season tune in on Super Bowl Sunday for the commercials just as much as for the sport. The parties and hype that surround the day make it a social event, not just a ball game.

Victoria Hext, a freshman from Snowflake, Ariz., admits to not knowing who is playing this year but will tune into the game for the commercials. Hext said she enjoys watching the ads online in her spare time and will use this Sunday as an opportunity to expand her repertoire.

“I just like watching funny commercials, the best ones are usually on the Super Bowl,” Hext said.

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Super Bowl commercials cost an average of $3.5 million for 30 seconds. Brad Davis, a sophomore studying advertising, believes it is beneficial for companies to pay this much because of the return they will get.

“I think the money they pay is worth it because it is an event to watch Super Bowl commercials,” Davis said. “It’s a cultural thing.”

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