"Meet the Men Under the Helmet"

Each year ad critics rehash the commercials run during the Superbowl just as critically as John Madden analyzes Tom Brady's last touchdown pass.  This year the NFL decided to add a twist of their own to the ad mix and create the "Super Ad."  The "Super Ad: Who Wants it More" spotlights various NFL players' personal stories, giving the viewer a taste of what the man under the helmet is like.

Players were asked to spill on-camera their favorite fan story, untold stories, funny stories, or share an awakening moment they experience upon coming to the NFL.  Some players, like Brady Quinn, explains why he wants to be in the NFL more than any other player.
48 commercials were filmed, and shown online for fans to select their favorite one.  While the winner won't be revealed till game day (February 3rd), all videos are available online.  Set up in a true playoff manner, all videos will have to endure winning their division, clinching a spot in the playoff round, with the winner receiving the Superbowl ad trophy.Now if you're not a football fan, you'll spend these 60 seconds loading up your plate of nachos or refilling your beer, but for the rest of us, these are the kind of ads we live for during the Superbowl.  It's these stories about the NFL that feeds our addiction, teaches us more about our favorite player, and give us an insight to what is means to be a member of the NFL family.I think this is a great idea because while we all love the beer guzzling commercials, Pepsi promotions, and whatever zany ideas the creative departments concoct, this new element will pull in football fans to watch the ads rather than snooze for five minutes.Trust me, an avid football fan isn't going to race into the kitchen during a break if his favorite quarterback is on TV followed by his favorite beer and then a cool new electronic he just has to have.  These ads should keep fans glued to their seat, and open their eyes to the rest of the ads the Superbowl has to offer.  

For more information about the Super Ad - and to watch all 48 videos, please visit the link below.

http://superad.nfl.com/

What's the real message here?

When I first saw this ad I wasn't sure if I was supposed to laugh, or be shocked.  I mean, of course it's funny, but upon realizing that was an actual ad for a German eyeglass company, my opinion changed.  How would we react in the U.S. if we saw an ad like that on our local station?  I think it's safe to assume the public would be outraged.  The shock and awe ads do seem to work though, so why can't we advertise like this in our country?  Is it because we have more taste and decency?  I think the Europeans are more free spirited than the Americans, but we still know how to have our fun - we just do it in a more tasteful manner.  What also struck me about this ad was the question, "Who is the target audience?"  I highly doubt the company was going after the older generation.  But isn't it the older crowd (like my grandmother) who has the most trouble seeing?  I would be terrified if this ad led Grandma into the eye doctor for a sexy pair of new frames.  This ad, in my opinion, was targeting more of my generation.  Apparently guys, you'll get more action if your girl gets new glasses.  The message I take away from this ad is - this company could very well save your sex life.  It's funny, but let's keep these ads over seas.  My little brother doesn't need the idea instilled in this head that his crush needs glasses to lead to a more active sex life.

Born to be creative?

Honestly, I've never thought of myself as a creative person.  I mean, I give myself credit for the stories I write in the Daily Campus - but that's just reporting sports.  Maybe it's a creative way of telling what happened in the last SMU women's basketball game... but maybe it's just a basic recap.  However, looking back though, I think I USED TO be creative - back when I was a child.

I loved coloring, painting pottery, making spaghetti necklaces, even painting designs on my nails with every color of the rainbow.  As a child with a wild imagination, everything was MY idea, MY creation... a reflection of MY creativity. But what happened to my creativity as I grew up?

In school, we're taught to color inside the lines, walk instead of run, follow the rules, and grow up to get a good job that makes Mom and Dad happy. I blame my stifled creativity on this.  As I grew up, I was expected to be nothing short of perfect.  The problem came when I didn't know how to "be perfect" while still living a creative lifestyle.  I could take the easy road and blame my parents, but now I realize it is no one else's fault but my own.  Being in college, I've learned that people appreciate your work for what it is.  Not what it should be. You're rewarded for your own ideas rather than someone you read about online.  Having this world re-opened to me has allowed me reach a new chapter in my life that allows me to invent new ideas, draw a new picture, and finally let my creative gear kick back into action.

Now hopefully with my new mind set I can handle all the new creative ideas I let emerge :)

Friend or Foe?

If you're like me, you check Facebook religiously.  While most won't admit to it, it's the first thing they do in the morning... even before brushing their teeth or turning on a light.  It's a pathetic addiction most of us have resorted to as a way to stay in touch with friends from home, people we met at a bar the previous night, or even someone we may never encounter in our day-to-day life.  While people claim to know all 1,329 of their friends, chances are they know, say, maybe 50.  We now have these social networks to keep up connected to every person we cross paths with in our life as a way to keep us in the know of not only our friends, but also complete strangers we begin to live vicariously through.

Courtesy of the "News Feed" we can monitor anyone's actions from who the hung out with whom over the weekend, who had the latest breakup, to who wrote on who's "wall" about the dramatic events of SMU's last football loss.  For those of us who desire to be on the track team, we can find the track star, look at their pictures from a recent meet, see their friends, interests, even quotes that inspire them, and shape our lives to mimic theirs.  If this isn't pathetic, then I don't know what it.

In terms of relationships, I personally have discovered Facebook ruins them.  Everyone can track the length, depth, and intensity of a relationship from the cute little gifts couples exchange, nauseating comments sent back and forth every other minute, and an extreme over-share of photographs depicting close-ups of kisses, skanky dance moves, and intimate moments that should not be shared outside a securely locked bedroom.  It's even worse when a breakup occurs - for the whole campus knows about it even before the other half of the relationship knows.  That little broken heart picture that appears next to either name signifies social destruction, and only leads to a string of apologies and supportive messages that often bring the breakee to tears.

Now while I have rambled on about how Facebook can be a life ruiner, let's switch gears to the positive part of Facebook.  First, it's a great way to kill time when say, you have a 10 page paper looming over your head.  I mean what better way to spend your free time than browsing through countless pictures of people you don't know, and writing flirtatious messages to that cute boy or girl you'll never get the courage to confront in reality.  I mean, Facebook is a great way to mask your true identity, and live through a secret, more confident persona you only think about in your dreams.

Finally, Facebook gives students the opportunity to brag about their extravagant social lives, accomplishments, and prove they have more friends than than Britney Spears has fans.  Showing off pictures of you and your family on a sandy white beach in beautiful Bermuda are fun, cute, and make your friends jealous, and it's a great way to catch that guy's attention while flaunting your new $200 bikini.

So next time you're logging on to Facebook for the 10th time within the next hour, think about everyone who sees your work, pictures, interests, relationship status, even current emotional state.  That sketchy guy down the hall from you could be living vicariously through your lifestyle.