Refresh

Now that the Superbowl has passed and everyone has rated their favorite commercials that appeared during the game, it is time to reflect on exactly what we all saw during those expensive commercials. Some of the top advertisements included:

• House of Bud
• Snickers Game
• Focus on the Family, "Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life"

As is usually the case, there were a host of commercials from what I like to call the usuals, which included Budweiser, Doritos, and Coca-Cola. There were also a multitude of of Internet companies that advertised during the night that included the likes of Monster.com, E*Trade, and even Google. Yes Google.

One interesting company that is usually a participant in the Superbowl festivities was notably absent. Pepsi did not advertise. Instead they took a different approach and decided to promote what they call the Pepsi Refresh Project, which gives away millions of dollars of grants to various social causes. Basically, a person submits an idea on the website, the idea is reviewed, and a grant is given. I actually found this idea "refreshing" as it serves as a new approach to generating awareness and involvement for bigger causes.

But before we throw our hands up in praise and laud Pepsi for this tactical approach, we must remember that Pepsi and Doritos are actually owned by the same company. So, maybe Pepsi wasn't completely detached from the Superbowl advertising mania. It will be interesting, however, to see if more companies follow Pepsi's lead and do something similar next year.

Tyan Muckensturm

Blog Post #4