In a classic take on a Snickers slogan, “You’re not you when you’re hungry,” the scene opens with actress Betty White, aka “Shawn,” playing football with young men. White gets tackled and criticized for moving like ”Betty White.” White then eats a Snickers bar, turning back into Shawn and going back to playing the game. 

Although this advertisement aired in 2010, I still remember seeing it for the first time. This ad, and many others like it, belong to the long-running tradition of Super Bowl commercials. 

Whether a Super Bowl commercial makes you laugh, cry, get upset or feel indifferent, they are all talked about and referenced to this day. 

I remember being a kid and wondering why my mom, a woman who is the furthest thing from a football fan, would even consider watching the Super Bowl. Now, I know that she watches just for the entertaining commercials 

I was interested in why this tradition started and just how much it takes to create a popular ad. According to USA Today Sports, the Super Bowl brings in such a large amount of viewership, including about 103 million viewers in 2019, that companies will pay literally anything to advertise there. 

The article states that this year, a 30-second advertisement went for about $15.2 million. This amount is ridiculously expensive, a much larger sum than in the early years. At the first televised Super Bowl in 1967, an advertisement went for about $37,500. 

Companies not only spend a lot of money; they are also tasked with deciding on an interesting concept for the advertisement. Since the commercials are a big part of Super Bowl Sunday, they need to be entertaining for the people watching them. 

It is no secret that many commercials receive major backlash for their messages or content. People seem to always have something negative to say about a 30-second advertisement. 

I think since these companies are putting up so much money to create an advertisement, they should have the power to say or show whatever they want without getting hate for it. However, even with negative feedback, any commentary is good commentary because at least the company, brand or product is being talked about, and that seems to be the goal. 

I don’t think it’s necessary to nitpick the negative aspects of every commercial. I think just because an ad doesn’t line up with majority opinion or simply isn’t that funny, it doesn’t need to be overanalyzed or overly dwelled upon. At the end of the day, even though it costs a lot of money, it is simply a commercial played during a football game. 
 Shelby Bordes is a 21-year-old mass communication junior from Rayne, Louisiana.