Besides the excitement of watching the two top NFL teams go against each other, many viewers also anticipate the entertaining commercials shown during the Super Bowl each year.
Super Bowl commercials are so important that they even have their own section on the NFL website. However, this year’s commercials overall did not live up to commercials from previous years and failed to maintain the upbeat momentum viewers had from watching the intense game.
The Paramount commercials promoting the company’s upcoming streaming service were the most entertaining overall because they maintained the upbeat, humorous aura that matched the excitement of the game.
Some of the Super Bowl commercials had a deeper context relating to COVID-19 or the concept of “unity.” For example, the YouTube commercial about their upcoming film based on the compilation of people’s quarantine experience around the world was kind of depressing. NFL commercials that aired maintained that same slow, somber mood with their messages about equality.
I’m sorry, but I just do not want to watch those types of gloomy commercials in the middle of an exciting Super Bowl game. As a viewer, how do they expect me to go from cheering on my team to watching commercials about COVID-19?
Television should be my escape from what is going on in the real world. I am tired of seeing ads and commercials related to the same topics. The pandemic certainly changed the way we live our lives, but it should not change the way we watch TV.
Since the summer of 2020, commercials have been infused with themes of racial equality. It’s tiring. Racism has been a problem since Christopher Columbus stepped foot in North America, but now it’s suddenly the hot topic of conversation.
These corporations should have cared about equality before — the façade they’ve been portraying in the media as caring allies lately is ridiculous.
The NFL’s ironic commercial about fighting racism was just a slap in the face, considering they allegedly blackballed Colin Kaepernick after he protested against racism in 2016. Kaepernick has not played in the NFL since the 2016 season.
The irony does not stop there. Robinhood also had a commercial about ordinary people becoming investors. It is almost inappropriate for Robinhood to be advertising themselves when they closed purchases on GameStop stocks to ‘ordinary people’ in January. I know Super Bowl commercials are planned months in advance, but they should have pulled this commercial.
Some of the commercials maintained the same upbeat, funny content as in previous years, but most companies need to rethink their advertising strategies for next year.
Super Bowl commercials should be funny and light-hearted, not cliche or gloomy. Hopefully, next year’s commercials will be higher quality, and less depressing.
Tamia Southall is a 20-year-old mass communication junior from New Orleans.
