Over the years I have had the pleasure to be interviewed on Super Bowl ads in publications like USA TODAY and the Wall Street Journal . Although trends and technology have changed, the one constant I see is that having a positively reviewed ad in the Super Bowl will always be a gamble. Even top brands like Budweiser and Apple, who have been ranked as some of the best Super Bowl ads in history, have also had some of the worst ranked ads. 
The $2.7 million gamble for the success of one :30 second ad has helped the arm chair quarterbacking for the ads become a past-time greater than the game itself. There is no guarantee that an ad will be successful once aired during the Super Bowl. However, if done well, I believe the hype leading up to game day can offset the negative word-of-mouth and fall-out if an ad bombs. What happens when the hype leads to
backlash?
The big story last year surrounding Super Bowl ads were interactive contests with consumer-created content . Consumers vote online for the user-generated idea or entry submitted. The winning entry is then aired during the Super Bowl along with all of the professionally created spots. I believe the user-generated ads also suffered their creative hits and misses. The Doritos Super Bowl ad creative was a hit while The Chevy Super Bowl Commercial making light of homeless people forced to wash car windows for change, was a miss. 
However, both Chevy and Doritos received positive press and word-of-mouth related to their contests.
Trends to watch
This year we will see much more hype surrounding contests, user-generated ads, and ads directing consumers to online interactions as brands try to harness social media, engage consumers, and extend the shelf life surrounding their Super Bowl investment.
At the same time I believe Super Bowl advertisers will receive much harsher criticism from fans and critics alike as they grow tired of brands that try to get consumers to create content and engage online just because the technology allows them to. Will consumers grow tired in 2008 of creating content and positive word-of-mouth for brands for free?
This years innovative concept to watch is the Doritos Super Bowl song contest with the winning entry being aired in an ad during the game. The individual or group winner will also receive a record deal with Interscope Gffen A&M Records. Doritos and music fans have been listening and voting online for months before the winning song airs on Super Bowl Sunday. This interaction and surrounding hype will help offset the risk of the ad and song flopping on game day.
The stakes for Super Bowl advertising are high. The payoff with the big audience is worth the risk for the marketers willing to take the gamble.
I look 4WARD to your feedback.
Keep digging for worms.
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