Super Political Ads Don't Stake Up to Super Bowl Ads
February 4, 2008— -- As the noise concerning the Giants improbable Super Bowl victory over the near perfect Patriots dies down, Americans from coast to coast head to the polls to vote in the political equivalent of the Super Bowl: Super Tuesday.
With 24 states voting in the closest thing to a national primary in the U.S., the Republican and Democratic parties have managed to channel some of the excitement of the Super Bowl into a single, season-changing event.
There are many things the Super Bowl and Super Tuesday have in common. There is the fierce battle for victory. The star players and the celebrity hangers-on.
But there's one thing the Super Bowl has over Super Tuesday: advertising magic.
Because as any fan knows, half the fun of watching the Super Bowl is the ads.
After all, who can forget a bunch of lame men (and surprise celebrities) bobbing their heads to Haddaway's "What is Love", or the heartwarming Coca-Cola ad with the blimp floating in Gotham, or Danica Patrick's (almost) strip tease for GoDaddy.com?
By comparison, political ads this season aren't nearly as much fun.
Certainly, the presidential candidates' media firms have had their creative juices flowing during this intense primary season.
In one holiday-themed political ad that aired in key early primary states in December, Sen. Hillary Clinton tried to play up her softer side. She was seen wrapping presents and getting ready for the holidays. The presents, however, were a bunch of social programs she would enact if elected president.
"Where did I put the universal pre-K?," she wonders aloud in the spot.
Other holiday themed ads were more traditional. Sen. Barack Obama's family gathered for his holiday ad. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was seated without his children, with whom he is known to have strained relations, and instead was seen sitting next to Santa Claus.
Millions spent on campaign commercials, nothing memorable
