Shift on What Worked in Super Bowl Game

For years many have watched the "biggest game" of the year for the commercials. Budwiser, Geico, and Frito Lay have always been knocking themselves out to make bigger, better, and more entertaining advertisements. However, this year, I don't think most of the conversations today will be about the 30 second spots, but about the quality of the game itself.

It seemed that the games had become anti climatic. One team would go in there and simply blow the other one away. Sure, there were the occasional "close ones," but most of them seem more like coronations, rather than competitions.

The last couple of these games, however, have been among the most interesting I have seen in years. It seemed that most plays were game changers and that the final results were completely up in the air. This was particularly true after the second half when St. Louis Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner came out to win. Typically calm, cool, and collected, Warner racked up more points in five minutes than he did through the rest of the game. It was an impressive performance, but not enough to compensate for the tough calls by officials and amazing feats by the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the end. the Cardinals came up short. We will be slow to forget many of these plays.

The commercials, on the hand, were not memorable at all and may be among the least interesting lot we have seen in years. The funniest one, in my opinion, was the Doritos spot (of the "crystal ball") which was developed by participants in a $1 million dollar contest and cost around $20,000 to produce. This shouldn't surprise us in our YouTube era. In fact, that may be part of the problem, we are surrounded by so much spontaneous and web driven humor, it may take so much more to make us enjoy a good commercial. I have read that NBC was barely able to fill its commercial spots. I guess the new media has even spread to the NFL.

Kevin Price is a syndicated columnist whose articles frequently appear at ChicagoSunTimes.com, Reuters.com, USAToday.com, and other national media. Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at PriceofBusiness.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Firebrand...What I'm Watching and Why

For months I have been wanting to watch Firebrand on TV. Tonight I finally got to watch it and it is absolutely fascinating. Essentially it is little more than a series of commercials. Hilarious, clever, and memorable commercials. My wife walked in around half way through and we had to turn the TV to her favorite show (Two and a Half Men).

Any way, I got to see enough of it to heighten my curiosity. Here are a few observations:

* The show is introduced by an attractive young lady that reminds me a "VJ" in the VH1 or MTV tradition. I guess this makes her a "CJ".

* This young lady says very little and doesn't separate each commercial with commentary, but instead merely tells the audience what is coming up next.

* In addition to commercials, logos of the brands are lined up on the top and the bottom of the screen.

* They generally choose outstanding ones that are worth watching because of their entertainment or visual value.

* I looked at the website while watching the TV show and the two really mirrored each other. It was excellent.

This show has raised some questions....

* Does every company that has a commercial, pay to be on? If so, it would be cheap since the show is nothing but commercials. Talk about product placement.

* If they have actual commercials that are not part of the program, it is news to me. I would love to hear from others who know what this show is all about.

* The show is on ION Television, which is noted for being wall to wall infomercials. Is that all this program actually is?

It is an interesting program, but it reminds me of the old saying that there is a thing line between genius and stupid. I haven't quite figured out what side of the line this show lands.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Sprint's Creepy Commercial

I typically like Sprint's commercials. Yes, they are low key and they don't stick with you for a long time, but they are fun and get to the point. The most memorable one to date for me is the "Crime Deterrent" one where the phone user throws his phone to show that fighting crime is one of its functions (see video).

The latest one has individuals being able to do so much more, it is like having many "mini mes." I'm sorry, I found the ad a little creepy. I'm usually spending most of my time simply looking at it, rather than hearing the message.

On the other hand, I did hear enough to know what it was. It is also one of those ads that people will write and talk about (like here). So who knows, maybe it is a little effective. However, it isn't the type of ad for me. I would love to get the thoughts of others.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.