The Super Bowl took place Sunday and while I didn’t have too much vested in either the Baltimore Ravens or the San Francisco 49ers, I was happy to see the Ravens win 34-31 in an exciting game.
While a blackout part way through the game provided something for people to discuss at the work water coolers – the game was delayed for over 34 minutes – it was an anomaly.
What really captures people’s imaginations, besides the game, are the commercials.
While people on the coast reportedly didn’t get to see any of the American ads during the game, we in Grand Forks were able to for some reason – at least those watching on the local CBS affiliate.
We had the chance to see Willem Dafoe as the devil in a Mercedes Benz commercial, B.C. boy Seth Rogen and his Samsung Galaxy smartphone ad and the usual beer, chip and soft drink commercials.
I’m not sure if anyone else in the country was able to see the Super Bowl commercials like we in the area but regardless, it begs the question why don’t Canadian companies take advantage of the Super Bowl?
Tim Hortons and Pittsburgh Penguins’ star Sidney Crosby have long been associated. Why not get together during the offseason and film an ad?
Seth Rogen is Canadian, so why doesn’t a Canadian company hire the comic actor and do something funny to promote a product? It could go viral.
Blackberry spent a lot on a Super Bowl commercial but what about an on-air advertisement for the country where it is based out of?
Beer commercials and CBC’s Don Cherry seem to go hand-in-hand. Why not produce a Canadian beer commercial with sidekick Ron MacLean thrown in for comic effect?
Sidney Crosby isn’t the only NHL hockey star out there. The fact that Henrik and Daniel Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks are twins could lead to some comic, advertising gold.
The Super Bowl is over and by all accounts, most Canadians didn’t see the commercials, unless they watched the news or checked out YouTube.
Rather than showing the same ads why don’t Canadian companies take advantage of a large audience?
– Karl Yu is editor of the Grand Forks Gazette