The Marketer's Holiday

The anticipation has been swelling since probably this time last year. We were a little disappointed, except for seeing Betty White, so we've been waiting for a bit of a come back.

Then around July we heard that all the inventory had been gobbled up, including some perennial favorites who had previously dropped out. At $3 million a clip, it was music to our ears. YouTube and Twitter and Facebook have already been lighting up like a Christmas tree with sneak peeks.

I mean c'mon, The Super Bowl has become a huge cultural phenomenon. Some say it's the biggest day of the year for alcohol consumption, and it is certainly the biggest day of the year for advertising. Not just the sheer audience size watching the commercials, but also all the hype and analysis that comes along with it.

The Super Bowl is the marketer's holiday!

I can't wait. There are a quite a few newcomers this year like Best Buy (featuring the unlikely pairing of Justin Bieber and Ozzy Ozborne), Pizza Hut (can't believe they've never been on the Super Bowl), and Groupon (a tiny little phenomenon of its own). Doritos ran a contest to have fans create their own Super Bowl ads. I already saw one of them and it was hysterical. They've also created two gay-themed ads which has caused a lot of conversation already. Will they be gay friendly or homophobic? Since they were created to air during a football game I'm not sure how it will play out. We will also see Kim Kardashian strutting around in her new Sketchers.

One of my early favorites is the VW "The Force" - you have to be on the lookout for that one!

I know there will be plenty to talk about at the office the next morning.

Fox has been pretty strict about screening these ads ahead of time. No nipple gate this year, my friends. Ashley Madison's (let's just call it a dating service) spots were banned, getting plenty of attention and buzz in the making. And GoDaddy has had more than a few board reviews that they have quite publicly shared. We might only be able to see those spots online.

What will I be doing? I am in New Orleans for the AAD (American Academy of Dermatologists) but I am certainly stepping out for my holiday. I will be tweeting my comments live (probably from Pat O'Brien's) as part of #bzbowl (on Twitter) along with some other marketers. I will also post my comments on Facebook. Please follow along and share your thoughts.

I believe that this year will be the return of the great creative idea - so be sure to share what you think!

What's your experience? Jim.