I’m not a football fan—in the least. However, every year I settle in with my husband to “watch” the Super Bowl. I don’t actually pay attention to the game, though. I watch the commercials and enjoy the reasons why they are effective. I also enjoy soaking in all the reasons I believe so many people enjoy the Super Bowl—reasons that have nothing to do with the actual game.
What I Love About Super Bowl Commercials
As an online marketer, a magazine journalist who had to learn about advertising in college, and an author who must spend a huge amount of time promoting myself and my work, I love the Super Bowl commercials. Advertisers spend a fortune to air commercials during this event, and they try to put their most artistic ads in front of more than 100 million viewers. I look for the ones that resonate with me and bring up emotion. I can count on the Budweiser Clydesdales to get me every time. This year the Budweiser commercial even stressed adopting a pet. Animal commercials tend to be a big favorite of mine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQB7QRyF4p4&gclid=CPGb-KnAr7wCFeV_QgodrAoATQ
I also was quite taken by the 2014 GoDaddy commercials. As a blogger who encourages people to build businesses around their blogs, I loved the fact that their commercials encouraged people to follow their dreams to create their own careers—and got a real kick out of the fact that one of them had a woman supposedly tell her boss she quit on national television.
I enjoyed the Jeep commercial, which talked about restlessness “that started with an itch and ended with progress.” I liked the language of it and the sense that you could go and do…and dare. The Pepsi commercials as well, was very well done.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHg9XSyd8Fo
Here’s the thing about commercials, or selling anything: You not only have to get someone’s attention, you have to appeal to their emotions more than their mind or even their needs or wants. That’s why I pay attention to the commercials that make me laugh, cry, or give me hope. I know the commercial is well done if it elicits a strong response in me. Plus, I enjoy them.
What I Enjoy About Super Bowl Sunday
Whether or not the game itself is a good one, and whether or not you care about it, there are lots of reasons to enjoy Super Bowl Sunday. It’s a lot of fun to rally around a team and cheer them on (although this is not something I do). In our hearts, we all want to be champions. We enjoy living vicariously through a team and the players on that team. And we want to share in their victory—if our team actual wins. This is why we like to watch the Olympics as well.
Now, I don’t have a favorite team—ever. But I enjoy sharing in a team’s journey, and I think that also is something many others do as well. Many people also enjoy the journey of individual players, relating to their struggles and the overcoming of challenges.
I also like the half-time show, especially if a band or artist I particularly like performs. Additionally, I enjoy hearing the national anthem sung by wonderful artists; there’s a patriotism about that moment that is quite touching.
What We Can Learn from Team Sports
In general, team sports and events like the Super Bowl, have much to offer even to those who watch from the comfort of their homes. For instance, we learn important lessons such as:
- Hard work pays off. The teams and players get to the Super Bowl because of their hard work and tenacity.
- You can achieve a goal if you set your sights upon it. Not every team makes it to the Super Bowl, and only one wins, but many have this as their goal—and at least two of them make it onto the field. In the end, one does, indeed, win despite the odds.
- Get up when you fall down. Football players fall down a lot, but they get up, shake off their pain, and keep playing. Even those who get injured, for the most part, make a come back. This is a great lesson: Set backs, or challenges, can be overcome.
- Teamwork is important. We see how important it is for the teams to communicate well with their teammates and to work together to succeed. It’s obvious that those who can’t “play well together” make it difficult for a team to achieve success.
- Be a good loser. The losing team often expresses their regret with clear emotion, but at these large, public events, you rarely see bad sportsmanship in the losers.
If you are a football fan, whether your team wins or loses, the Super Bowl also gives you the chance to connect with friends and family. It’s a wonderful feeling to know you’ve joined with others for a “cause”—to root for your team’s success. And their success gives you a sense of hopefulness that you, too, can succeed.
What do you learn from the Super Bowl? Or what do you find inspiring about it?
Image credit: yobro10 / 123RF Stock Photo
