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GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY
MARY PINCKNEY WATERS
Advertisers join the Super Bowl
in the battle to debut the crowd
winning commercial — and pay
the price for on-air time
BY HILARY
SCHRAMM
THE GAMECOCK
Super Bowl Sunday:
You're surrounded by
l||dk friends and unhealthy
nBfy food; everyone is laugh
| ing and having a great
Ip time. Why? It's the com
: • mereial break.
While many hard
}p. ■ K core football fans tune
Bp in to the Super Bowl ev
ery year for the game.
P‘ it's estimated that half
the viewers pay more at
tention to the ads than
And that's what compa
nies are counting on.
Bp According to SuperBowl
W Ads.com, the average cost for
B a 30-second spot was $2.25 m il
lion this year. The Super Bowl
has become the television event
in which companies premiere
their best commercials, spending
millions every year in advertising
wars.
"As to why companies place
their best ads in the Super Bowl
and not another event, I really
don't know," said Bonnie
Drewniany, associate professor of
advertising and public relations
who teaches a class on Super Bowl
commercials. "It's probably be
cause media coverage has in
creased for both the Super Bowl
and the commercials.”
While it's hard to know why the
Super Bowl has become the mar
keting event it is today, it's not
hard to pinpoint the commercial
that started it all. The first Super
Bowl commercial that was differ
ent from any normal commercial
was Apple's "1984" spot in, not sur
prisingly, 1984.
The commercial, directed by
Ridley Scott, featured no dialogue
or everyday scenes. Instead, it
showed a monochromatic scene of
people blindly following a leader.
The scene is interrupted by a fe
male runner who throws a ham
mer into a screen featuring Big
Brother. A voiceover then ex
plains Apple's new computer will
prevent 1984 from being “1984.”
After that groundbreaking com
mercial, Super Bowl advertising
continued to evolve throughout
the late '80s, and the early '90s saw
an increase in competition be
tween companies to have the
“best” spot.
While beer companies domi
nate the field today, the ‘90s were
host to the “Cola Wars” with strict
competition between Coca-Cola
and Pepsi.
While football fans and enter
tainment addicts watch Super
Bowl commercials for the ones
that will make them laugh the
hardest, advertising experts often
look for something more.
“A good Super Bowl commer
cial is defined two ways,”
Drewniany said. “Some people say
a good Super Bowl commercial
makes you laugh, but as an adver
tising person, I know that a quick
reaction doesn't always result in
sales. A commercial could have a
really high likability rating in
USA Today on Super Bowl
Monday, but in five minutes the
fans could forget what the com
mercial was even for.”
After the Cola Wars of the '90s
and the dot-com year 2000, it's not
surprising that this year will play
host to another shootout. Critics
have named Super Bowl XXXVIII
the “Erectile Dysfunction Drug
Shootout,” with ads from Viagra,
Cialis and Levitra all airing dur
ing the game.
Ads to watch for include a Lay's
potato chip spot and a Proctor &
Gamble commercial.
“I'm intrigued that Proctor &
Gamble invited all its brands to
compete for a spot,” said
Drewniany. “While only one will
be shown during the Super Bowl,
lots of’good commercials will be
shown throughout the year now.”
But no matter which commer
cial is most remembered or ranks
highest in USA Today, fans will
tune in for the ads to decide for
themselves.
“I think it's just the whole en
ergy and excitement,” said
Drewniany. “I think very few peo
ple watch the game alone.”
Comments on this story?E-mail
gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu
rigging out with the pigskin
BY LINDSEY JEFFERSON
THE GAMECOCK
It's that time of year again.
Football fanatics live for the Super
Bowl, and most people would
agree it's not just any ordinary
football game; it steps everything
up a notch. From the celebrity
sung national anthem to the star
studded halftime show, fans know
that Super Bowl Sunday is the
»to go all-out. Even the com
ials evidence that over-the
top enthusiasm.
It makes sense, then, that the
parties for the "big game" would
be more impressive than the ordi
nary Sunday afternoon get-to
gether. And what makes watching
any game seem more festive?
Food, of course.
When deciding what types of
dishes to serve, most football fans
opt for finger foods. They allow
for grab-and-go snacking and
quick clean up so as not to inter
fere with the actual game watch
ing.
First-year nursing student
Anna White prefers simple dish
es like chips and salsa and pop
corn to keep her Super Bowl ap
petite suppressed.
While some might favor such
simple snacks, others tend to grav
itate towards more satisfying
choices like pizza. Ivy Ladd, a first
year public relations student, en
joys being able to grab a slice dur
ing the game, preferring to munch
on pizza with mushrooms and pep
peroni.
Ladd agreed that chips and sal
sa are also essential to the football
watching experience.
Hot wings have long been asso
ciated with the "big game," and the
fan favorite is the food of choice
for first-year nursing student Tish
Hickson.
"I like having the wings in as
sorted flavors with ranch dressing
on the side,” said Hickson, who
said she likes to wash it all down
with soda.
Once halftime is done, some
might decide to curb their eating
and enjoy the rest of the game
without making trips back to the
buffet table. But in reality , the re
maining quarters are a perfect
time for chowing down on
dessert.
First-year accounting student
Corey Phillips prefers to eat ice
cream while watching the second
half of the game. "You have to
serve that towards the end of the
game," he said.
Whether you decide to cele
brate this year’s Super Bowl at a
small gathering with a few friends
or at a large, packed party, it's al
most a guarantee you will be
snacking your way through the ac
tion. Whatever you prefer to
munch on, the typical football
watching mix of foods is sure to
make your viewing experience
more savory.
Comments on this story?E-mail
gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu
TV options beyond the gridiron
BY DONNA PETROZZELLO
KHTCAMITS
Sick of football? Think Tom
Brady was one of "The Brady
Bunch"? No sweat.
When millions tune in to
CBS' coverage of the Patriots
and the Panthers in the Super
Bowl on Sunday, there will be
plenty of places for the non-foot
ball fan to turn. Realizing that
most of the football audience is
male, programmers have put to
gether marathons of movies and
series geared toward women.
These offerings range from
a collection of chick flicks to
back-to-back-to-back episodes
of the fixer-up show "Trading
Spaces.” Here’s a sample of
Sunday's alternatives:
♦ TBS offers a day's worth of
female-friendly movies, includ
ing "Beaches" with Bette Midler
_ at 11 a.m. and Whoopi
Goldberg's "Sister Act" at 4 p.m.
♦ Sci-Fi starts 12 hours of
"Wishmaster" movies at noon.
♦ WGN has a marathon of
"The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"
starting at 11 a.m.
♦ WE: Women's
Entertainment has Meryl
Streep in "Sophie's Choice" at
noon, Cher in "Mask" at 5:30
p.m. and Katharine Hepburn
in "On Golden Pond" at 8.
♦ On TNT, episodes of
"Charmed" will run from 2 p.m.
through midnight.
♦ AMC presents a trio of
thrillers ur/ler the "Amityville
Horror" banner starting at 5:30
p.m.
♦ VH1 features Barbra
Streisand in "Yentl" at 6 p.m.
and Nicole Kidman in "Moulin
Rouge" at 9 p.m.
♦ At 6 p.m., MSNBC launch
es a mini-marathon of "National
Geographic Explorer."
♦ MTV has a marathon of the
inside-celebrity-homes show
"Cribs" beginning at 6:30 p.m.
♦ At 8 p.m., ABC airs
"Notting Hill," starring Julia
Roberts and Hugh Grant. ,
♦ Fox will show Will Smith’s
action drama "Independence
Day" at 7 p.m.
♦ On UPN, Denis Leary's
comedy "Two If By Sea" starts
at 7 p.m.
♦ FX has the movie
"M*A*S*H," starring Donald
Sutherland and Elliott Gould,
at 7:30 p.m.
♦ There's a marathon of the
home-remodeling show
"Trading Spaces" on TLC start
ing at 7 p.m.
♦ Starting at 7 p.m., the WB
airs three episodes of the
celebrity reality show "The
Surreal Life."
♦ At 8 p.m., NBC offers a
three-hour marathon of "Queer
Eye for the Straight Guy."
Bravo will run several episodes
of "Gay Weddings" beginning
at$ p.m.
♦ The Travel Channel has
back-to-back episodes of its
"World Poker Tour" at 8 p.m.
♦ Court TV has episodes of
"Forensic Files" at 8 p.m.
PHOTO BY MORGAN FORD/THE GAMECOCK
With Super Bowi Sunday approaching, parties are stocking up
on junk food for game-night snacking.
SURFYOURSELF
Vote for your favorite ads during the game at
www.usatoday.com and www.adbowl.com
Keep your eyes peeled for...
♦ Anheuser-Busch's spots featuring a donkey that wants to be a
Clydesdale.
♦ A new H&R Block commercial featuring Willie Nelson.
♦ MasterCard's latest installment in the "Priceless" campaign.
♦ Two spots featuring Ford's new GT.
♦ "Grandparents," a Frito-Lay ad that features Gramps and Grapiny
fighting over potato chips.
♦ Rve anticipated ads from Pepsi/Sierra Mist, one of which involves
ayoungJimi Hendrix.
♦ Pizza Hut ads featuring Jessica Simpson and the Muppets.
And check out a live countdown of the best Super Bowl
commercials of all time Saturday night at 9 p.m. on CBS.
Musical. Review
‘Les Miser ables’
does novel justice
“LES MISERABLES"
★★★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆
BY ALEXIS STRATTON
TIIROA.WECOCK..
More than 25 years after "Les
Miserables" first opened on
Broadway, Cameron
Mackintosh's musical master
piece filled USC's Roger Center
Wednesday with soaring har
monies and unforgettable per
formances, delighting the audi
ence with its unique staging and
incredible talent.
Based on the Victor Hugo
novel of the same name, this pre
sentation was filled with stirring
emotion as each dynamic cast
member connected with the au
dience, portraying the story of
"Les Miserables" with passion
and energy.
"Les Miserables," which
opened in Columbia on Tuesday
and continues through Sunday,
tells the story of an escaped con
vict, Jean Valjean, who turns
from his life of crime as the re
sult of a bishop's inspirational
kindness. Valjean breaks parole,
determined to lead a righteous
life, and the musical follows his
struggle to evade the law —
which is personified by
Inspector Javert — and create a
life for himself.
Set on the eve of a revolution
ary uprising in 19th-century
France, "Les Miserables" incor
porates the volatile nature of the
period with the tribulations of
Valjean's life. Such conflicts are
merged with the love plot that
evolves between Valjean's adopt
ed daughter, Cosette, and a stu
dent revolutionary, Marius, who
must deal with the thwarted af
fections street girl Eponine has
for him.
Most notable of the cast was
Randal Keith as Jean Valjean.
Keith, who also played Valjean
on Broadway during the show's
closing run, gave a strong per
formance on Wednesday, por
traying the intense emotions of
his character by showcasing his
vocal skills. He expertly con
trasted the powerful tenor strains
of songs such as "Who Am I?"
with the gentler, more melodic
tones of the supplicating solo
"Bring Him Home,” after which
Keith received an energetic and
elongated round of applause.
Keith, however, was not the
only cast member to deliver an
impassioned performance.
Robert Hunt, who played Javert
in the place of Stephen
Tewksbury, was convincing as
Valjean's adversary. Hunt's
warm, expressive tone brought
empathy to his hard-nosed char
acter. Ma-Anne Dionisio, who
played Eponine, presented a ro
bust rendition of the heart
breaking "On My Own," accen
tuating her dynamic character.
Also, Cindy Benson and Michael
Kostroff played the perfect inn
keeping, petty-thieving duo as
the comedic, if morally
♦ MUSICAL, SEE PAGE 6