Relax, folks, this is America
On Seizing the Super Bowl Spotlight for Guerrilla Messaging
The republic has survived more than a few political and social commentaries during the Oscars, Grammys and other widely watched events where celebrities are handed a microphone.
So why should the Super Bowl’s 112 million viewers be shielded from harsh realities outside the venue of controlled violence? On Sunday, they weren’t. Superstar singer Beyoncé got the conservative outrage machine going in high gear with the rendition of her new song “Formation,” an anthem to black power. Its video includes a spray- painted “Stop Shooting Us” and imagery invoking the conflicts between police and the African American community.
The theme was punctuated Sunday with Queen Bey’s “black power” salute, her retro- cool Black Panther fashion statement and her dancers’ holding up a sign “Justice for Mario Woods,” in reference to the highly questionable shooting of a 26- year- old suspect by San Francisco officers.
It was all too much for Fox News, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and an array of law enforcement leaders across the nation.
“I think it was outrageous,” Giuliani said Monday, adding “This is football, not Hollywood, and I thought it was really outrageous that she used it as a platform to attack police officers who are the people who protect her and protect us, and keep us alive.”
Another way to view it: This is only football, Rudy. It’s not a sacred event, and no one is forced to either watch or absorb any of its unrelenting messages about a certain car, beverage or irritable bowel syndrome medication being the key to life’s enchantment.
Coldplay’s decidedly less edgy halftime act drew controversy of its own, from the lead singer’s rainbow shirt to the moment when the audience flipped over placards that turned Levi’s Stadium into a rainbowed bowl with the words, “Believe in Love.” Social media immediately went wild with objections about a perceived promotion of a “gay agenda.”
Carolina Panthers fans and certain conservatives weren’t the only ones feeling a little overrun Sunday: Complaints from the left that the Super Bowl’s extensive pro- military hoopla glorifies war have become as much of an annual ritual as guacamole and chips.
Relax, already. If there is anything more American than the Super Bowl, it’s the expression of free speech. And if there is anything more American than free speech, it’s commercialism.
And, oh yes, product placements found their way in, too.
None was clunkier or more gratuitous than winning Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, interviewed right after the game, proclaiming “I’m going to drink a lot of Budweiser tonight.”
By one advertising expert’s calculation, that timely mention — and the commentary it engendered — was worth almost $ 14 million. NFL players are not allowed to endorse alcoholic beverage brands, and Budweiser said Manning was not paid for the unexpected pitch. He does, however, own a stake in a Budweiser distributorship in Louisiana.
Other product placements were more subtle. Warriors guard Stephen Curry was wearing blue Under Armour shoes when he pounded on a giant drum as his beloved Panthers took the field ( estimate in free exposure: $ 300,000).
Levi Strauss & Co. even enjoyed a return on its $ 220 million investment in stadium naming rights ( estimate in free exposure before and during the game: $ 65 million).
Meanwhile, Red Lobster attributed a 33 percent surge in Sunday sales, in part, to its mention in Beyoncé’s “Formation” as a reward for a fine performance.
It’s hard to imagine that Sunday’s game will reshape the agenda for the November election, or change the nation’s taste in beer, jeans, sneakers or seafood. But it’s a measure of American genius that free advertising can find its way onto a telecast where 30- second spots go for $ 5 million.
Beyoncé gets the Super Bowl 50 MVP in guerrilla marketing.