She had me at ‘Field Rig.’ (Prepare for parody. Regular post to follow after the clip.)

Have I really been doing this since 2015? I guess so. Every year, I watch the Super Bowl ads. I don’t watch the game because I haven’t watched a professional or college (which is also professional, in my opinion) game since about 1984. (Long story short, I prefer to participate than to spectate, to go hiking or bicycling or skiing rather than watching a bunch of millionaires play for a bunch of billionaires who then claim that the city must build them a stadium even as they profit from exorbitant ticket sales.) The ads, however, are valuable.

Ads, particularly Super Bowl ads, are snapshots of what industries are actively trying to make money from various markets. Industries change. Technologies change. Even politics and tone change. I watch the ads to see what the more mainstream American is being convinced to care about. (That’s right, my life is unconventional enough that I have to be reminded that people care about thin beer and cheap chips. Hey, I’m a minimalist. I don’t shop much.) Ads help me identify trends that are good to know for my various businesses, and for stock investments. Which companies look to be properly and positively disruptive? I’m old enough to remember watching the 1984 Apple ad for the Macintosh. I bought one, invested in Apple, – and that leads into a longer tale that involves naivete, fandom that fades, and a gig helping run a museum.

That Instagram post made me laugh because it is funny, but also because it is an example of how I see many of the ads. Cars show off how they can break the law, or display conspicuous consumption. Perfumes, cosmetics, and clothes portray fantasy realms that probably exist in someone’s life, maybe everyone’s life, but I still remember one first date that started with, “Oh. You’re tall. Good. You can help me hang these storm windows.” No lingerie, exotic aromas, or strategic lighting involved.

Usually, I write this post after the game. I don’t want to miss ads that everyone else says are ads not to miss. Now, Super Bowl ads are released days in advance. Some even get teaser trailers like movies. That’s not a surprise, considering that some ads cost tens of millions, which is more than most movies cost before the Marvel Universe era.

For a better view of industry trends, I include this link to The Conversation’s article: Super Bowl ads: It’s getting harder for commercials to score with consumers

This year, I’m going to watch for a few subjects, and hope I find surprises.

AI? Duh. Gotta check the advances and the claims.

Politics? Do they avoid it, indulge in it, or make fun of it?

Health care: Not health insurance, and not health scares, but actual health care advances. And no, that does not include Medicare Advantage plans. I may fast forward through most of them to keep my anxieties constrained.

Electric vehicles: Are they claiming performance, novelty, sustainability, etc.? The most compelling argument I’ve seen is that charging at home means delivery versus wire compared to having to drive to a place where a tanker has driven to a place, and having to do that every few days.

As usual, I’ll skip the movie reviews. No spoilers, please. I’ll laugh and cringe at the ridiculous images of super-models (regardless of DNA) in impractical clothes in exotic locations. Cars that advertise the interiors are an example of how far removed people are from what is happening around them. Stop watching the movie and drive the car! Snack ads are processed food, and yet they’ll entice me to grab a bag of chips.

The world has a wealth of problems. Are we going to continue emphasizing an economy that relies on luxuries, or are solar companies going to get some exposure? Are any companies going to launch a product directed at people working from home? How about some AI that is more than glitchy gee-whiz?

OK. Enough philosophizing. I’ve written so far on a sunny Friday morning. Watching hours of ads works best by devoting time to them. Maybe Friday evening. Maybe Saturday evening. Maybe – gasp – on Super Bowl Sunday. Nah. I’ve got better things to do; but I will do this to find investments, some of which may end up on my YouTube channel’s playlist One Company One Video.

Thanks to AdBlitz for compiling the list I’ll draw from.

• Booking.com – Be someone else? Have multiple personalities? Ah. Price was no object.
• Snapchat – It’s not social media? More? Ah, less. More human. Like. But look less real? Love is good.
• Google Pixel – Photos for poor eyesight. Interesting. Ah. AI. But if the person has bad vision, who is the photo for?
• State Farm – Arnold. Does State Farm cover all of those disasters? I should check my coverage, but I’m pretty sure my agent said no.
• Prime? – Non-stop action – from the service that now pushes even more ads, even for the paid service.
• T-Mobile – Stars advertising as if they’d set up their own wi-fi.
• Michelob – soccer – I’m guessing he’s a star. But what about the beer?
• Netflix – spoilers
• ABC – spoilers
• Paramount – no spoilers, at least showing more than one show/star
• NBC – more unreal reality shows, up to $200M? Unreal. Ah, greed.
• Nissan – drive distractions
• T-Mobile – stars, treated like a VIP, At least they offered something
• Apple Music – stars, but good ad for Vegas
• Sleep Number – smart bed
• Grand Canyon University – creator, American Dream, virtuous action, buzzword bingo, God
• Budweiser – snow, horses as ATV, deliver that beer!, and maybe more *
• Burger King – $1M, getting customers to invent new offerings? Why not? But nothing about what they already have.
• Crowdstrike – cyber defense in a scifi western town, but why them?
• Uber Eats – stars, forget something else, Huh? Learning something new is hard?
• Truly Seltzer – What’s he doing on that bull?
• BMW – Stars? Christopher Walken! Electric. But what about the car?
• Peleton – Not everyone is training for a gold medal, but show off those pects. Run your own race = personal motto.
• Flowers.com – love stories – Could’ve partnered with eHarmony. At least they had their product in their ad.
• Twisted Tea – Actually talked about their tea. Not interested, but real.
• PlutoTV – Couch potatoes – Sad, actually.
• ESPN – whatever
• Starry – That’s new. Ah. Soda. Weird. At least they mention flavor.
• BIC – Stars. Straightforward.
• Hellmans – Kinda fun, and I don’t know why. No stars (that I recognize?)
• Experian – Cool? Debt.
• Skechers – Slip in. An actual feature.
• Bud Light – Genie. I like the dog. Don’t care about the beer.
• BetMGM – Gambling. Tom Brady? Don’t care.
• Opendoor – That’s not houses are legally sold.
• NYX Cosmetics – Stars. Weird.
• Lindt – Love.
• Oreo – Trojan Horse. Nothing about taste.
• Pizza Hut – Pizza.
• Pringles – Approachable, until focusing on the stars.
• Liquid IV – First impression = water. Sugar-free. Electrolytes.
• Mountain Dew – America’s sweetheart? I am old. Having a blast?
• Doritos – Old lady revenge. Taste?
• Squarespace – Flying saucers with recent footage. ?
• Paramount – spoilers
• E*Trade – Pickleball! Save. Cute.
• Dove – Fails.
• SToK – Anthony Hopkins. ?
• Drumstick – Ice cream? Sweet creamy. More convincing than most.
• Reeses – Change. Add more sugar.
• Oikos Yogurt – Golfing. Golf cart. Strong.
• Silk milk – Hawkeye.
• Draft Kings – Gambling, as if there wasn’t enough money in sports.
• Kia – Ice skating. Driving on snow (a little fast). Who has a rink like that?
• Expedia – Cute scruffy dog. Chat GPT
• YouTube – Sports. Appropriate, but not for me.
• Paramount – spoilers
• Coors – A train?
• Pfizer – Instant impression, negative. But Here’s to Science is something I encourage. But I suspect it won’t do much.
• and more, too much more.

That may be a first, nothing interesting to invest in. I mean, really; I watched that many ads and found nothing enticing? At least there were fewer fantasy ads. So much of what I see is outside my world. But, I am not mainstream anything, so it is enlightening to see that this is what hundreds of millions (billions?) of dollars were spent on with the hope of generating that much more revenue.

The ads were generally well produced. Nice quality. But the message still skews to stars are more important than non-stars. Who has a new service or product that will improve a customer’s life appreciably? But, that’s not the goal. Economies are driven by luxuries, not necessities.

I am fascinated by the disconnect between what people need and what is advertised. The Super Bowl has become even more removed from a middle-income life. Yes. Many items are at low price points, but they are distractions more than benefits. Diversions reflecting the circus part of a bread-and-circuses way of life.

Oops. Typed ‘lie’ instead of ‘life’, and wonder whether that wasn’t more appropriate.

Previous Super Bowl ad years had their weirdness, too. But at least there were more heart-felt moments. Are we missing those as well for fear of upsetting someone?

Maybe that parody video at the start of this post caught something that pulled advertisers back from the extremes of fantasy. I wonder if an advertiser would stand out by resonating with the other half of that ad. Trucks, real trucks, get dirty, haul stuff that scratches paint, end up with dents, and do real work. Ironically, even Mercedes makes such vehicles.

The stars are fun to watch. They are attractive and advertisers want to attract attention. But every ad that has a star makes me discount the advertiser as soon as I see the celebrity.

Trendy happens in real life. Show me trucks that have been used, and haven’t quit. Show me tiny houses and innovative manufactured homes; because I’ve seen them and know they are far better than old mobile homes. Show me cheap cell phones and better connectivity, but show me settings that aren’t populated by millionaires. Show me food that isn’t dominated by sugar, salt, and fat – or chemicals made to mimic them. Remember these things called grapes, avocados, peanuts, steaks, eggs, tea, coffee?

My rant is nearly done, and if anyone is still reading I am impressed. As I wrote above, I watch these ads for my benefit, and of course, I hope you find my impressions useful or entertaining. Today’s viewing marathon has been valuable by showing me so little. That’s a message, too.

I am sure I missed some ads, and some ads I saw and missed the point. But I know that I will look elsewhere for new investments. Someone out there is building a business which will significantly, positively, and objectively improve our world. We’re due for another ad like for the original Mac. Where are you?