Super Advertising Bowl Eve!

It's time.  It's the moment.  It's the culmination of a year's anticipation.  That's right.  It's Super Advertising Bowl Eve!

Football?  Oh, yeah, there's gonna be football.  There's been football for the last five months (regular & post-season only, folks... pre-season doesn't count).  And, here in the Land of Cheddarheads there is a lot of excitement building for the actual game to be played tomorrow.  The... The... What do they call it?  That's right! Super Bowl XLV.

For me, though, the game is mere filler between the real content of concern:  the ads.  Recall any of them from last year?  If not, try refreshing your memories with this past g-thought - "30 Days Later:  Remember the Super Bowl Ads?"

You can also build up your personal pre-game ad buzz by reviewing spots from 13 prior Super Bowls at superbowl-ads.com.  Who could forget the Budweiser frogs (1998) or e*trade's chimpanzees (2001)?

Regardless whether you're tuning in tomorrow for the game or the ads, enjoy it all...  I will.  I actually keep notes on every ad, though I only watch the game.  How else can I assess whether the spots deliver on the five critical tasks of advertising (engage the viewer, communicate the proposition, link it to the brand, in a memorable way, that is persuasive)?  I better sharpen a few extra pencils!

Blizzaster 2011! The Branding of a Storm

Sitting in Chicago, watching the snow continue to fall, it's struck me that there's a hot competition underway to brand this storm.  Why?  It's a whopper, that's why!

Through midnight last night, records were being set for snowfall, including a one-day total of 13.6 inches at O'Hare (airport for anyone not familiar with Chicago... and yes, a few flights were cancelled).  The accumulation for the storm overall was approaching 2 feet as of 9:30 this morning, and it's still coming down.  That's right... It's still coming down!

Here are some of the branding options I've found:

• The Great Groundhog Day Blizzard
• Blizzaster 2011
• Snowzilla 2011
• Snow-Mageddon
• Snowpocalypse
• Snowmageddon v. Snowpocalypse: The Great Snowdown of 2011
• Snowmega (same link as Great Snowdown... extra props to Maize n Brew Dave)
• Here are a few options I haven't found associated with Chicagoland yet:  Snowsaster, Blizzanation, Winter's Fury 2011, the Snowverdose (although this one is on a blog about Connecticut)

With another 5 inches projected to fall today, truly polar temperatures, and more snow in the long-range forecast, the fun may just be getting underway... So, if you're stuck inside nearby or sitting someplace warmer and mocking us, the unfortunate souls of the Upper Midwest, share your thoughts on the branding options above or contribute a few of your own.  I'll be wondering how long my food provisions will hold out before I need to venture into the mounds of freezing white doom!