Representation-Wise, Super Bowl LIII Ads Were All Over the Place

Not that too many of us need a refresher but last year wasnamp8217t great and most if not all of the sociopolitical issues that plagued us then still plague us now amp160And while last yearamp8217s game was as exciting as a Super Bowl showdown gets leaving the hype of the annual advertisements to come in second 2019 was a different story amp160A lackluster game at best left many an eye trained on an onslaught of ads from the usual beer and automotive suspects and while I wanted to come away feeling like advertisers amp8220got itamp8221 so to speak I got a much stronger impression that they were issuedodgingRepresentationwise it was a mess amp160Maybe it didnamp8217t feel like it to some I donamp8217t know but I barely remember a handful of commercials starring people of color and Iamp8217m including the one with the MampampMs they are brown on the inside at least amp160Point being besides Cardi B and Lil Jonamp8217s Pepsi commercial with Steve Carell that 2 Chainz and Adam Scott Expensify commercial and that Doritos commercial starring Chance the Rapper and the Backstreet Boys pictured below what else was there really amp160Craig Robinson amp160Sure that might sound like a lot but remember these are literally the only three or four commercials starring highprofile people of color that I can even remember There were at least fifty amp8220Official Big Game Adsamp8221 this year amp160At leastIn my circles the big conversation surrounding the game this year was the coveted halftime show performance and what it would look like given the tense climate on and off the field amp160Itamp8217s a pretty simple situation to grasp actually amp160Off the field people of color specifically black men and women have been getting unjustly shot and killed during amp8220incidentsamp8221 with police officers across the nation and while some situations are more nuanced than others and some are as cut and dry as straight up murder the resounding reaction by anyone with a brain has been that the killing must stopOn the field American activist and now exNFL player Colin Kaepernick chose not to stand during amp8220The StarSpangled Banneramp8221 as opposed to tradition during a 49ers preseason game in 2016 In a later interview he explained quotI am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color amp160To me this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way amp160There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murderquot amp160Since then Kaepernickamp8217s allegedly been blackballed by the NFL a move many took to mean that the sports behemoth didnamp8217t support Colinamp8217s cause a cause that mainly aims to see less people of color murdered every year by the people their taxes pay to protect themThis brings me to the halftime show and commercials again amp160Travis Scott Maroon 5 Big Boi yes each of these artists are famous in their own right but other than the fact that they all do music ask yourself amp8220Why these threeamp160 Who exactly is this grouping foramp8221 amp160If your answers were amp8220I donamp8217t knowamp8221 and amp8220no oneamp8221 then youamp8217re absolutely right amp160This is what happens when no one wants to touch your event because for those willing to say no to the check itamp8217s an unquestionable moral issue amp160Itamp8217s the reason we got that overtly random Stella Artois commercial featuring Sex and the Cityamp8217s Carrie Bradshaw and The Big Lebowskiamp8217s The Dude and itamp8217s the same reason why the ads that werenamp8217t selling beer and cars were doing a more generalized amp8220Weamp8217re all on the same teamamp8221 type of thing amp160No one wants to touch the real topic and the group thatamp8217s not scared away by the possibility of bad press is a mixed bag amp160So we cover up the elephant in the room with nostalgiafueling wallpaperIamp8217m not saying that thereamp8217s something wrong with Googleamp8217s inclusive amp8220100 Billion Wordsamp8221 ad or that there shouldnamp8217t be a commercial promoting a service that helps veterans find jobs another Google production amp160What I am saying is why not make clearer exactly where you stand amp160An NFLfunded commercial denouncing police brutality or a one minute amp8220In Memoriamamp8221 for the souls lost to these tragic acts even if only those from the past year amp160Not doing this when the spotlight is so obviously on thisamp160issue feels like some amp8220fine people on both sidesamp8221 BS to meAll that said I watched Super Bowl LIII the commercials halftime show and all and maybe thatamp8217s the problemOutside of the issues the only commercials that truly matched or exceeded my expectations belonged to Olay Dietz ampamp Watson and Bud Light amp160Olayamp8217s KillerSkin ad killed it with a horror moviethemed advert starring Sarah Michelle Gellar Bud Light tricked me with a commercial that switches halfway through from a beer commercial to one for the final season of HBOamp8217s Game of Thrones and Dietz ampamp Watson perfectly placed the very cheeky Craig Robinson The Office as their spokesperson for Dietz Nuts amp160The latter was beautifully set up with titles like amp8220Craig Robinson Likes Dietz Nutsamp8221 and lines like amp8220Hey Chris How do Dietz Nuts tasteamp8221 amp160Thatamp8217s how you write a commercialClick on the social media tiles above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively those of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggersamp160

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT | BECOME A THOUGHT LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTOR

Representation-Wise, Super Bowl LIII Ads Were All Over the Place

Author

Publish date

Channel

Archived in

Ainsley Andrade

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT | BECOME A THOUGHT LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTOR

Representation-Wise, Super Bowl LIII Ads Were All Over the Place

Enjoying This Commentary? There's More to Love

Ainsley Andrade

Cookies