Antil said it will be interesting to see how far advertisers will push the envelope of good taste this year, given that last year singer Janet Jackson's breast was uncovered during the halftime extravaganza, sparking howls of criticism and a fine for broadcaster CBS.
Fox Sports will broadcast this year's Super Bowl, which will be played Sunday, Feb. 6, at ALLTEL Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.
Antil said Fox has been selling Super Bowl commercial time for a record $2.4 million per 30-second spot, which is $100,000 more than last year, and the time is moving quickly with more than 90 percent of the slots having been sold as of mid-January.
There will be several advertisements from "perennial favorites" Budweiser and Pepsi, which normally dominate the list of the most-liked commercials during the Super Bowl, Antil said.
Those advertisers will be joined by "a bumper crop of newcomers to this year's big ad event," he said, "and these will include Volvo, Lincoln-Mercury, CareerBuilder.com and MBNA. Another first may also appear, with one or more five-second ads from Cadillac that focus on the speed and performance of the new V-series cars."
Antil predicted that Super Bowl XXXIX "could well turn out to be a ratings success for Fox."
He said that "not only are more people watching NFL games this year but the good ratings from last year's close contest, an unusual occurrence for Super Bowls, which all too often tend to be blowouts, could provide a boost in viewers."
In addition, a potentially larger than usual viewing audience could tune in not just for the game but for the halftime show, which last year featured the highly publicized and now infamous incident involving Jackson.
"A major question for this year's ads will be how daring will the sponsors and their ad agencies be in their creative efforts to attract viewer attention," Antil said. "Not only did Jackson's 'wardrobe malfunction' cause considerable controversy and a $500,000 fine levied against CBS, but there was also a streaker and several commercial spots that many claimed were inappropriate for prime time American television."
He cited three commercials by Anheuser Busch that received considerable criticism. Those featured a crotch-biting dog, a flatulent horse and a bikini wax applied to the comedian Cedric the Entertainer. Some viewers were offended by the disclaimer for the erectile dysfunction drug Cialis and others by fighting among the elderly featured in a Lay's potato chips commercial and a child cursing in a Chevrolet spot.
Antil said advertisers must walk a fine line because they "know that having their commercials stand out during the Super Bowl is becoming increasingly difficult."
Furthermore, he said, "many of the products advertised are targeted toward young males so, in combination, it is not surprising that locker room humor has found its way onto the airwaves."
Criticism aside, Antil said six of the top 10 commercials that drew fire as being inappropriate to some degree also scored well in USA Today's highly publicized Super Bowl commercial ratings. The biting dog, in fact, was rated tops and the flatulent horse came in fourth.
"It is hard to say for sure if we will we see many more of the off-color ads this year," Antil said, adding, "If you consider that family values was credited with helping George W. Bush win the presidential election and that the NFL has announced zero tolerance for anything remotely similar to last year's halftime show, the answer is likely much closer to no than yes."
One new precaution has already been announced, Antil said, the live broadcast will have a much longer delay so that any unforeseen objectionable material can be deleted before it is broadcast.
Already, Antil said, Fox has rejected one 15-second commercial from the cold tablet company Airborne because it reportedly showed the bare bottom of 84-year-old actor Mickey Rooney.
"Perhaps in a different year that ad would have been shown, but during Super Bowl XXXIX, all commercials will have to live with the Janet Jackson effect," Antil said.
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