The big game

Kelli Rodda

It’s the month when the NFL presents its best (or what’s left) during the billion-dollar, Hollywood-laced, junk food-centric, over-hyped Super Bowl. It may sound like I’m not a fan, but that’s not the case. I love this game. And I am the only true football fan in my household. But with my Broncos out of it (cue the hate mail from Cleveland fans), I’m not terribly excited about this year’s game.

However, some 110 million or so fans will be watching, not just to see if the Seahawks can pull off a repeat, but also for the commercials. And controversy over the so-called “Deflate-Gate” hasn’t taken away the usual buildup of the Super Bowl ads. Those insanely expensive (about $4 million, give or take a few hundred thousand dollars), 30- to 60-second spots are sometimes creative gold while others fall flat.

Some recent best, in my opinion, are Snickers starring Betty White (“You’re not you when you’re hungry”); Volkswagen and little Darth Vader (The Force and the car’s auto-start feature); and pretty much any Budweiser Clydesdale spot. Some classic spots that are still talked about are Coca-Cola’s Mean Joe Green (gift exchange with a young fan) and Wendy’s Where’s the Beef? (no explanation needed, unless you’ve never owned a TV, I suppose).

In recent years, many companies squeeze all they can out of the commercials by previewing them before the game – after all, not everyone in the world is watching the Super Bowl. It’s no wonder – they may as well get every penny’s worth out of their pricey ad.

But one group has chosen not to preview its ad. There’s been no hint of a theme or even the name of the ad’s creative team. And guess what? It’s an agriculture product. Yep, Avocados from Mexico purchased a 30-second spot near the end of the first quarter. I’m pretty stoked about this! I’m betting it’s not going to make me all warm and fuzzy inside like the Clydesdales do, but I’m proud of AFM for stepping out and taking a risk. It remains to be seen what kind of impact the commercial will have on audiences. Clearly most products enjoy a heightened brand awareness for a few months after a Super Bowl ad.

Is horticulture ready for such as leap of faith? Yeah, there are plenty of questions like how to pay for it, what’s the ROI, how do we create something that gets replayed on YouTube 10,000 times, etc. Before I get the big eye roll from you, consider this. We don’t have to pay for a $4 million ad during the game. We can put people in the stands with signs about trees and plants; we can help beautify the city and the grounds of the next Super Bowl (it’s in Santa Clara, Calif.); we can get the attention of the throngs of media that will be there. I think we can cash in on some of the Super Bowl hype. It just takes some creative thinking and advanced planning. Who’s with me?