Super Bowl XLIV Time!

As many of you know, today is the Super Bowl, when America (as well as many other countries) comes together to watch two of the season's best NFL teams battle for the coveted title and prestige of Super Bowl champion. Halftime is put in the hands of The Who, and I'm praying they don't have any wardrobe malfunctions! For those of us without the right connections or who opt not to pay $1000+ for tickets (I checked!) we get to watch the game from our living rooms, neighborhood sports bars, or friends' homes and see a plethora of TV commercials.

Whether you're giving your full attention to The Big Game or despise football, it's hard to ignore the commercials that air during it. At a reported $2.8 million for a 30 second spot, there's no doubt that the advertisers want to make the most of their money. (I used to work for an ad agency and it was a huge deal when our biggest client decided to jump on the Super Bowl commercial boat.) These ads not only reach a HUGE audience at once (95 million? Whoa!); it's one of the most diverse audiences ever--with all ages, both sexes, and a variety of occupations from housewives to doctors to teachers to celebs. Plus, let's face it, lots of us don't even watch commercials nowadays thanks to Tivo and DVR technology, but since we love to watch the Super Bowl live and the ads are almost always entertaining, we make an exception today and happily sit through the commercials. Another pro of advertising during the Super Bowl is the ads get play-time before and after the Super Bowl airing, either on TV or on the internet, and the best ones show up on all sorts of lists, whether in magazines, newspapers (like The USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter) on the local news, or on nationally syndicated shows for added punch.

Pop Secret, GoDaddy, Dodge, Doritos, movies Ironman 2 and The Last Airbender, Anheuser-Busch, and Mars Candies are among those we'll be seeing again this year, while we won't be seeing Pepsi, FedEx, GM, or Ford.

Many of these ads push the envelope, but some have to be reworked or are turned down. Here is the ad by KGB that was banned this year because it didn't adhere to CBS's standards. There were some others that were turned away or modified because of controversial content or questionable language.

My favorite ads are usually the really funny ones, like the ones for beer, but I also like the ones for new cars and ones made by everyday people (instead of professional advertising agencies), like Doritos. What are your favorites, and why?