Pass the Popcorn

Ahh, the Super Bowl. The one day a year where the commercials are actually entertaining and the noshes keep coming. And there’s some game, football I think, going on in the background. But the main thing everyone talks up every year is the eye-opening price tag for the commercials. Advertisers are paying as much as 4 million dollars for an ad to run during this year’s game – a 29 percent increase from last year. But, then again, brand awareness from a Super Bowl ad could be 275 percent greater than an ad played during a regularly scheduled program. And this year, companies are getting very creative with who’s in the ads and when they start to run.

That’s right; you don’t have to wait until Super Bowl Sunday to catch these comical commercials featuring celebs like Matthew Broderick in a spin-off of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off for Honda and the ever-whiney Jerry Seinfeld who’ll do anything for a new Acura. Companies such as Honda, Kia, VW and Acura have been teasing audiences with “pre-ads.” Think of them like trailers for Sunday’s main feature-length event. In fact, Acura isn’t even waiting until Sunday. They’ve already premiered their Super Bowl ad, with even an extended version!

Men in Tights [CONTEST]

Pro football doesn’t do all that much for me. But I just had this nagging feeling that the championship games were worth watching this year. And boy, was I right. After all, the Tom vs. Eli PR machine was in high gear.

So, I sat down with a friend, a bowl of chips and salsa, carrots and dip, turkey sandwiches, a little wine and 60 inches of testosterone HD-style. Big games deserve a big screen.

When the Ravens’ Billy Cundiff hooked his field-goal attempt that would have had them flying to Indy, I was heartsick. Not that I’m necessarily a Baltimore fan, but because I thought no one could feel any crummier at that moment than him. What happened in the locker room after that major miss? Did his teammates slap his pads and say good try or did they just slug him?