Super Bowl LIII. Some random thoughts

  By Gonzalo López Martí    – Creative director, etc / LMMiami.com

• It was a Super Bowl to forget.
• Sports and advertising wise.
• If the annual January NFL extravaganza is a barometer of the national sentiment, we might be going through a collective lethargy of sorts.
• Some conclusions off the top of my head, to wit:
• Celebrity fatigue might be setting in.
• The ominous suspicion that Tom Brady’s every word and gesture is carefully scripted and included in a very long contract with a sponsor.
• Giselle Bundchen is not really that pretty
• Not sure Pepsi is spending its money wisely.
• Maroon 5 is getting worse with age, musically speaking. However, there’s something to be said about their chameleon-like ability to stay shamelessly relevant. Adam Levine is a surprisingly fortunate combination of Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Ricky Martin, Chris Martin and Justin Beaver.
• Beer makers are desperate for women to drink more of the thing.
• Absolutely LOVED the Microsoft spot with the partially paralyzed kid. The boy is a star.
• Car manufacturers are running out of ideas.
• Luxury car manufacturers are shooting themselves in the feet.
• Loved the Bud Light + Game of Thrones collaborative effort.
• Burger King’s campaigns, IMHO, are a mixed bag but the Andy Warhol spot was a winner. I ain’t saying burgers will fly off the shelves thanks to it but they are onto something here. Something long term and daring. Made me look, made me think. From a purely creative standpoint, I really really liked the simplicity and the cool swagger of the spot.
• Kinda liked the barrage of no-frills TMobile spots (as opposed to some of its competitors grandstanding). My guess is the message reached home, loud and clear. Just don’t enter it in to Cannes.
• Stella Artois squandered an opportunity to create a campaign for the ages. The script is lame. The strategy is might powerful though, they will sell overpriced beer by the truckload regardless.
• Jeff Bezos seems to be very fond of the SB as a marketing showcase. All his brands were there: Amazon, Alexa, The Washignton Post.
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