Why So Mad At Super Bowl Ads?

…Hail from your hometown? This Olympians map is reminiscent of Sporcle, only it doesn’t make you feel ashamed for not remembering every state capital. 

From the creators of Nostalgia, introducing: NEW-stalgia. After a very successful re-launch of its NBA coverage, NBC is hoping to do the same with its baseball coverage. Think Roundball Rock and Michael Jordan, but make it baseball.

Not only is Adidas quietly collecting the coolest names in soccer like Pokémon, they’re also selling those players as personalities. And it’s working. Trinity Rodman, Yamine Lama, Jude Bellingham, and more are showing us all (through scripted IG reels) that athletes can be theater kids, too. 

Is Leah Williamson about to be the next trending audio on TikTok? It’s not not a possibility. She signed with a small agency that reps Olivia Dean and Sam Smith, after all. Someone call FIFA, I have an idea for a halftime show.   

Thom Browne, if you’re reading this, let me into The GQ Bowl Fashion Show. Please, I wasn’t allowed to go to last year’s Bode Bowl, so it’s only fair. Also, please let me bring one million of my closest friends. I’ll share their contact info for tickets, but it’s basically just the mailing list for this newsletter.  

“Go Off” is a special edition of our daily newsletter, featuring my thoughts, takes, and general vibes, presented to OffBall readers every Tuesday. Starting next week, it will be the Wednesday edition. 

As many sports fans do these days, I’m no stranger to scrolling while I’m watching a football game. During the conference championship games this weekend, I noticed a common theme taking shape on social (Twitter and Bluesky both). Everyone was reallllllly mad brands showing teaser ads for their official Super Bowl ads.  

Showing Super Bowl ads early isn’t a new concept, technically, so why is it more grating to some consumers this year? The answer, I think, is that ads aren’t ads anymore. As this article puts it, brands and agencies don’t make ads anymore; they craft campaigns to “own a multiweek cultural moment.” 

The result is, I think, that sports fans feel absolutely pelted with ads over and over again. Add to it the fact that pretty much every brand slaps a celebrity du jour in theirs, and they often come off feeling inauthentic, like they’re doing it all to check a box. “Interstellar” and “How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days” are both two of my favorite movies, but I’m not yearning to see Matthew McConaughey sell me software. Or food delivery services. 

People used to love Super Bowl ads because they were funny, ridiculous, and surprising. But now that it seems creative agencies work off the same playbook, and tease the ad for before the game weeks to maximize and guarantee impressions. The luster may have worn off. 

I contend that’s the real reason everyone’s upset about ads this year. If Pringles or Budweiser, or X brand really want to make a splash, they should do what Dr. Pepper did. This is the best ad I’ve seen in a long time, because a social media user randomly made a video about them, and they capitalized on it. They involved their consumer and made something we wanted to see. And I anticipate we’ll see it during the Super Bowl.

So it’s definitely true that the exhaustion of constantly being advertised to, mixed with the self-aggrandizing ritual of showing an ad for an ad, isn’t sitting well with consumers. And it’s also true that, as Bimma Williams has pointed out, celebrity endorsements might not be the move anymore. If you’re a brand or marketer, maybe take note of consumer fatigue and the general feeling of being disconnected from celebrity. Impressions aren’t always the number one thing. Or don’t, I’m not the brand police! I just play one in a newsletter. 

Sometimes I can’t believe Australia is a place. There is so much going on down there (they have their own economy? Ok… The Tasmanian devil is real? Sure…), but up here, we hear so little about it. That’s why the Australian Open is especially fun, in my opinion. It’s a nice reminder of just how big the world actually is. Let’s see what’s going on at the country’s biggest tennis tourney.

Anyway, even in Australia, American tennis has a bright future. I’m not talking about Ben or Coco. I’m talking about teenager Iva Jovic and 20-year-old Learner Tien. The two of them are  (really) young Americans who made serious waves in Melbs. True ball knowers among you may remember Tien for the scare he gave Novak Djokovic at the US Open last year. They both lost yesterday (facing Sabalenka and Zverev, respectively), but you’re still going to want to remember their names.  

Malika Andrews has added tennis coverage to her already jam-packed portfolio, and allegedly, we all have the same 24 hours in a day as she does. 

Naomi had to bail due to injury this weekend. 

Coco Gauff told a story about how Tyler, the Creator beat her in a race. 

Because of things like over-crowded queues, OG tennis fans are a little annoyed that influencers and casuals are changing what it means to be a fan at the Australian Open. Those influencers are kind of stressed out about how much content brands expect them to make. Seems relatable on all fronts. Australians, they’re just like us! More here. 

Everyone’s got cool tattoos, which has me, for the millionth day in a row, thinking “man, I gotta get my first tattoo.” 

Days later I’m still watching this Alcaraz Crowne Towers ad for days. 

My favorite tennis mag, Racquet, had another bangin’ party, in partnership with Incu and Nike. 

If you’re a Melbourne resident, first of all, sorry about all the Aussie jokes and this entire newsletter, and second of all, stop by the Tuck Shop and buy something fun!