Students tune in to the Super Bowl for ads

Sunday evening was a night full of laughs, confusion and ups and downs. No, it was not just a night of football; it was also a night of commercials.\nHailed as the biggest advertising day of the year with one of the largest audiences in television history, Super Bowl Sunday attracts a variety of advertisers. The average cost for a 30-second spot during this year’s game was $2.7 million, an increase from $2.6 million last year, according to The Associated Press. Some students thought it was money well spent and thought the ads were creative, while others were less than pleased.\n“I think it is worth it (to pay that much) because this is the one event a year where people actually tune in to see commercials,” said freshman Mary Deneen.\nWhile the commercials were hyped up and sold out almost immediately, some students said the game is the most important part.\n“When I tune in, it is to watch the game,” said sophomore Max Jacobs. “It doesn’t even matter who is playing. Anyone who wants to see just the commercials might as well just TiVo it.”\nAnd not everyone was happy with the commercials that were presented this year.\n“The commercials were not up to par as they were last year;” Deneen said. “They weren’t as creative and some were really stupid.”\nPerennially popular advertiser Budweiser had a total of six commercials, while Coca Cola and PepsiCo both had three. Some of the commercials proved to be more popular than others.\n“My favorite was the (E-trade) commercial with the talking baby on the Webcam,” said junior Tanise Avington.\nA recurring theme this year was the use of celebrities in advertisements. Stars such as Justin Timberlake, Carmen Electra, Will Ferrell and Danica Patrick were all featured in separate commercials.\n“Using celebrities is better because people can relate more to someone that they like,” Avington said.