The Big Game Sunday had more hype than ever with speculation that the NFL was giving a wink and nod to capture the gay dollar by booking Madonna and Kelly Clarkson. Throw in a cadre of sex symbols like Beckham, Brady, and Ferris Bueller and this year's Super Bowl was the gayest ever.
For many in the LGBT community, the Super Bowl has always been a Tale of Two Cities. That being those who love "it" versus those who don't care about "it." But, "it" all depends on what your definition of "it" is. (Hmm, sounds familiar.)
Personally, I watched the game out of fear of not wanting to be left out of the biggest media event of the year. Growing up, Mom always made a special dinner. In college my fraternity brothers often split into routing sections based on geography, but in my professional life I thankfully found that I was not always alone in my laissez-faire attitude about the game -- until 1992.
I was working for Subaru of America in Chicago, and we were launching a new car in 1992 that was supposed to put Toyota and Honda out of business. What better place than the Super Bowl to show America the new Impreza and spend millions of dollars doing it.
The company encouraged us to have Super Bowl viewing parties for the ads. I did. The party was fun, the ads flopped, and I was embarrassed. In fact, the Impreza ads were some of the worst-rated ads of all time in Super Bowl history. No "Just Do It," "Bo Knows," or "Whassup?"
Since 1992 I have watched every year for the ads and some of the game. The parties I have attended, just like this year, have a cross section of America: gay, straight, black, white, and everything in between. Some care about the actual game, but we all watched what I and John Nash, my co-host on our SiriusXM OutQ radio program The Focus Group, call "the Game in the Game," the advertising game that happens to be around a sporting event.
With advertisers spending upwards of $3 million for 30 seconds -- which does not even take into account the cost of talent, residual, and production -- I was left this year feeling a bit like 1992.
Would I spend this money? Is it worth it? There was so much hype that many of the commercials fell flat, in my opinion.
But what do you think?
For the first time in history, LGBT consumers are being asked their opinions about the Super Bowl commercials. The Focus Group on SiriusXM OutQ and research firm Iceology invite you to go to focusgroupradio.com, click on the "Game in the Game" icon, and cast your vote. If you participate, you have a chance to win a Sirius XM Satellite radio along with a free one-year subscription. The results will be announced on The Focus Group this Saturday, Feb. 11, at 11 a.m. EST.