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Clash of the CommercialsSeth Stevenson holds court with readers eager for this year's Super Bowl ads.


Posted Thursday, Jan. 31, 2008, at 5:09 PM ET

Seth Stevenson was online at Washingtonpost.com to look forward to this year's crop of Super Bowl ads. An unedited transcript of the chat follows.

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Bethesda, Md.: Is there any way to track which ads from yesteryear have generated a second life on the Internet? My buddies and I occasionally will reference Office Linebacker Terry Tate, and that particular ad seems to have a cult following on the Web.

washingtonpost.com: Terry Tate: Office Linebacker (YouTube)

Seth Stevenson: Terry Tate does still crop up in the occasional pop-culture reference. But he's getting a bit musty, no? Most ads—save for the truly groundbreaking and iconic ones—have a pretty short shelf-life. But to answer your question: I think checking out YouTube stats might be the best way to figure out which ads are still drawing significant viewership.

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Lahore, Pakistan: Is any Super Bowl ad time donated to pro-bono causes?

Seth Stevenson: The Office of National Drug Control Policy is doing a spot, aimed at teens, about the dangers of prescription drug abuse. I'm pretty certain that airtime came at some sort of discount (though it's possible I'm wrong about that, in which case, dang, that's a whole lot of my tax dollars flashing by in those 30 seconds). But this may not be the sort of cause you had in mind.

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Washington: I can't even remember what product the commercials were about after seeing them. Am I alone here?

Seth Stevenson: Not at all. In my opinion, this is the number one mistake advertisers make. It doesn't matter how funny/clever/moving your spot is if no one remembers what the product or service was. The phrase marketers use is "getting credit." (And sometimes viewers will give credit, but to the wrong company—for instance, remember a Miller spot as a Bud spot.)

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Washington: I've always assumed the cost of a Super Bowl spot encouraged advertisers to spend more on the message as well as the delivery. It also excludes the low-budget advertisers.

Seth Stevenson: I think this is generally true, but there are notable exceptions. We've seen some pretty budgety-looking ads over the years. And just recently, Under Armour stock fell when it was revealed the company would be spending a massive percentage of its marketing budget on a Super Bowl ad. There's a certain allure to showing up at the big dance, and some marketing departments can't resist (even if they might be better served spreading that advertising money around in a more diversified manner).

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Re: Bud Dry: I think Bud Dry has gone into hiding with Crystal Pepsi. Occasionally they wear disguises and go under assumed names (e.g. Pepsi Blue), but at heart they're still the same as they were years ago.

Seth Stevenson: Does anyone know if there's a retirement community catering to the needs of discontinued beverages? I picture them somewhere outside Santa Fe. Hey Bud Dry, wanna go antiquing with me, Pepsi Clear, and Pepsi Free?

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Buffalo, N.Y.: FedEx has come out of nowhere and had some quality Super Bowl ads in the past couple years (the cavemen one in particular). Can we expect another gen from Brown, or just that dude with his white board?

Seth Stevenson: I think we have a "getting credit" problem here. That dude with the whiteboard is shilling for UPS, not FedEx. But yes, FedEx will have another spot this year and from what I've read it sounds entertaining.

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Queens, N.Y.: Do you think it's possible to start an Internet campaign that collects donations in order to raise money to show one of my own ads during the Super Bowl? Can a non-advertising agency buy time? Also, would you be willing to donate?

Seth Stevenson: No, probably, and no. But just last Super Bowl Doritos had a contest for consumer-generated ads, and then at the Academy Awards there was another for Dove. These things seem to pop up pretty frequently. So next time you see a call for submissions, have at it.

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Arlington, Va. --where are the monkeys: Careerbuilder.com had the funniest ads with their monkey series. For some reason they replaced it with some horrible jungle commercials that were seen once and then I never saw them again. At all. Please tell me they are bringing back the monkeys!

Seth Stevenson: That advertiser will be back this year, but I'm sorry to tell you there will be no monkeys. The monkeys are gone. Let them go.

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Washington: Please tell me that the almond company with the terrible ads has decided to save their money or simply are flushing it down the toilet, rather than paying Robert Goulet.

Seth Stevenson: What, Robert Goulet doesn't need to eat? I do think the use of second- and third-tier celebrities has gotten way out of hand, and serves little purpose. This year we'll be seeing a few more C-minus-list celebs in the ads during the game.

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Seth Stevenson: Okay, that's it. Thanks very much for your questions. Enjoy the game. May your snacks be salty and your couch super-comfy. And, of course, Go Pats!

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Seth Stevenson writes Ad Report Card and is a frequent contributor to Slate.
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