FEBRUARY | #Superbowl

The Super Bowl was unsurprisingly 2018’s most tweeted single sporting even in the US. But it was the highly awaited wave of accompanying commercials that took social media users by storm. Just like every year, there were clear-cut winners and less fortunate losers. Pepsico won over viewers (and the Internet) in its two-in-one Doritos Blaze vs. Mountain Dew Ice ad, featuring Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage and acclaimed actor Morgan Freeman. Dubbed ‘the rap battle of the 21st century’ by the media, the action starts on the Doritos side with Dinklage spitting out flames to Busta Rhymes’ iconic verse from Chris Brown’s ‘Look at Me Now’ and suddenly shifts into Mountain Dew territory as Freeman skillfully lip-synchs to Missy Eliott’s ‘Get Ur Freak On’. The original rappers also made a cameo appearance as moving portraits behind the respective actors, adding an unexpected twist to the final product. On the other end of the Super Bowl spectrum was Dodge’s controversial Ram Truck ad, slammed by the public for sampling a 1968 Martin Luther King Jr. sermon in the voice-over, in a way that many people felt to be ‘commercializing’ and misrepresenting King’s words for marketing purposes. In response to the criticism, the company clarified it had worked closely with Martin Luther King Jr. estate representatives to ensure necessary approvals and was honored to celebrate his iconic words during the year’s largest TV viewing event. On the other hand, The King Center [a living memorial founded by King’s wife] specified in a tweet that it does not approve the use of MLK’S words or imagery in merchandise, entertainment or advertisement.