2008 Woodie Awards
MBA group 'ads' it up during Super Bowl
Clara Hogan - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 2/4/08 Section: Metro
Twenty of the estimated 90 million Americans watching Sunday night's Super Bowl game gathered not to cheer on a team but to rate and analyze the commercials the football game is famous for.
A group of UI graduate students working on M.B.A.s huddled in a downtown apartment living room to hold their annual Super Bowl party. The students chose the funniest, best, worst, and commercial with the most impact.
For best commercial, they selected the ad for Audi's newest model, the R8, which was also awarded the commercial with the biggest impact.
The Audi commercial mocked the movie The Godfather, setting the scene in a Mafia boss' bedroom. When the don wakes up, instead of finding a severed horse head in his bed, he uncovers the front fender and grill of a classic Rolls Royce. Audi's new slogan, "Old luxury just got put on notice," appeared as the Audi R8 sped away.
Audi's website, which typically attracts 26,000 to 30,000 hits a day, may get 750,000 to 1.2 million hits in the two days after the Super Bowl, an Audi official told Bloomberg.com.
"It had entertainment and information," she said. "It was fun to watch, and it made people remember their name."
The commercial voted as the funniest commercial went to Doritos and the worst of the night went to Career Builder.
"It's surprising when you see bad commercials," said UI Graduate Marketing Association President Megan O'Rourke, who attended the party. "You think, 'They paid millions for that?' "
In fact, for each 30 seconds of Super Bowl airtime, companies paid Fox nearly $3 million.
Paying for a Super Bowl commercial is arguably well worth the price, said James Alberts, an M.B.A. student and president of UI Business for a Better World. Reaching that many people in one night is a chance many advertisers can't pass up.
Another plus to advertising during the game is that people will watch it live - so there's no fast-forwarding through commercials, Alberts said. With the rise of digital video recorders, advertisers have been forced to find other ways to get their product name out, mainly by turning to the Internet.
"This is one of the few programs that uses old television advertising methods," he said. "People are not only just watching the ads, but some are watching specifically for them."
O'Rourke noted that there are always a fair number of car and beer company ads, but as Super Tuesday approaches, some have taken advantage of the Super Bowl's mass advertising. The biggest spender is Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., who will advertise in most of the 22 states holding Democratic primaries or caucuses on Tuesday.
O'Rourke had never seen a political ad during the Super Bowl, but she thought it could be effective.
"You reach millions, but I'm sure some are wondering if the cash could have been better elsewhere," she said.
E-mail DI reporter Clara Hogan at:
clara-hogan@uiowa.edu
Check out the Super Bowl commercial voted to have the biggest impact on viewers and to be the best overall by a group of UI business students. The commercial, which features Audi's new model, the Audi R8, mocks the movie, The Godfather.
Click here to watch the commercial and others from Sunday's Super Bowl.
A group of UI graduate students working on M.B.A.s huddled in a downtown apartment living room to hold their annual Super Bowl party. The students chose the funniest, best, worst, and commercial with the most impact.
For best commercial, they selected the ad for Audi's newest model, the R8, which was also awarded the commercial with the biggest impact.
The Audi commercial mocked the movie The Godfather, setting the scene in a Mafia boss' bedroom. When the don wakes up, instead of finding a severed horse head in his bed, he uncovers the front fender and grill of a classic Rolls Royce. Audi's new slogan, "Old luxury just got put on notice," appeared as the Audi R8 sped away.
Audi's website, which typically attracts 26,000 to 30,000 hits a day, may get 750,000 to 1.2 million hits in the two days after the Super Bowl, an Audi official told Bloomberg.com.
"It had entertainment and information," she said. "It was fun to watch, and it made people remember their name."
The commercial voted as the funniest commercial went to Doritos and the worst of the night went to Career Builder.
"It's surprising when you see bad commercials," said UI Graduate Marketing Association President Megan O'Rourke, who attended the party. "You think, 'They paid millions for that?' "
In fact, for each 30 seconds of Super Bowl airtime, companies paid Fox nearly $3 million.
Paying for a Super Bowl commercial is arguably well worth the price, said James Alberts, an M.B.A. student and president of UI Business for a Better World. Reaching that many people in one night is a chance many advertisers can't pass up.
Another plus to advertising during the game is that people will watch it live - so there's no fast-forwarding through commercials, Alberts said. With the rise of digital video recorders, advertisers have been forced to find other ways to get their product name out, mainly by turning to the Internet.
"This is one of the few programs that uses old television advertising methods," he said. "People are not only just watching the ads, but some are watching specifically for them."
O'Rourke noted that there are always a fair number of car and beer company ads, but as Super Tuesday approaches, some have taken advantage of the Super Bowl's mass advertising. The biggest spender is Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., who will advertise in most of the 22 states holding Democratic primaries or caucuses on Tuesday.
O'Rourke had never seen a political ad during the Super Bowl, but she thought it could be effective.
"You reach millions, but I'm sure some are wondering if the cash could have been better elsewhere," she said.
E-mail DI reporter Clara Hogan at:
clara-hogan@uiowa.edu
Check out the Super Bowl commercial voted to have the biggest impact on viewers and to be the best overall by a group of UI business students. The commercial, which features Audi's new model, the Audi R8, mocks the movie, The Godfather.
Click here to watch the commercial and others from Sunday's Super Bowl.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Megan O
posted 2/05/08 @ 12:21 AM CST
The Audi commercial was voted as best AND most impact? You have got to be kidding me. Dancing lizards, screaming squirrels, and financial planning babies, and they pick a car ad? What a bunch of tools!
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