Bowled over by the ads?

I always like seeing what advertisers come up with for the cherished (and uber expensive) Superbowl adverts – although apparently thousands of American’s in the know (and with the means to do it) tuned in to the BBC’s coverage of the match to avoid the ads.

This year, post Superbowl talk has centred around the battle of the automotive firms, VW and Chrysler, who went head to head.

VW’s effort was fun, light-hearted and appealed to a family audience. It also appears to have been made to have strong ‘viral’ appeal – something VW are always good at. It appears to have worked as well. At the time of writing it has had over 23 million views. Crazy figures.

Chrysler meanwhile went down the emotional, perhaps even nationalistic, route playing on the heritage of Detroit and how that city’s qualities rub off on the cars it makes. The theme of American rebirth is evident, perhaps trying to draw attention away from the fact that the company is now owned by Fiat. It’s had over 4 million views on You Tube.

Both ads are well made, but what I really love is that in America a sporting occasion ends up being something of a sideshow to the gossip about adverts and forgetful pop stars. It’ll never happen to the FA Cup…will it?