When you hear “Super Bowl,” a couple things probably come to mind: football, barbeque, and commercials (give or take a few). So firstly, what a game. Our hearts go out to Atlanta fans and to those who had bet on the Falcons and thought they had won for virtually the whole game. Secondly, we hope you all had a chance to enjoy great food, drinks, and the endless chips brought by friends who came over and felt obligated to bring something.

And finally, the commercials. Some were good, some were bad, some were ugly… yada yada. There was one commercial that is getting mixed reviews and comments. It is either the worst commercial in Super Bowl history, a (probably very expensive) prank, or a strike of genius. It was a potato with the word “ADVERTISEMENT” written on it in what seems to be black Sharpie. After the advertisement was shown in the Chicago area, a blog post released by the company Cards Against Humanity revealed that the ad was theirs.

If you are not familiar, Cards Against Humanity is basically Apples to Apples for adults. If you are not familiar with Apples to Apples, do a quick Google search. If you are not familiar with Google… well, then you’re probably not reading this post.

Doing outlandish things is not uncommon for the company. For example, they have an extensive history with how they handle Corporate America’s holiday of Black Friday:

  • 2013: They held an “anti-sale” where they raised the price of the game $5. And people paid for it.
  • 2014: They sold “Bullsh*t.” Literally. And people paid for it. Tens of thousands of people.
  • 2015: They gave nothing. For $5. And people paid for it. $71,145 worth.
  • 2016: They began a “Holiday Hole.” As long as people donated, the hole would continue being dug.

This commercial is in line with their character, or “brand” as it’s called in the marketing vernacular. Our opinion is that this is genius. You may hate it. People do have strong opinions about it. And that’s why it worked. People know about it, have Tweeted about it, have even written articles droning on and on about it. They are getting publicity.

Do I want to extrapolate and read into the supposed suggestion that Cards Against Humanity is mocking traditional marketing and the elaborate (maybe redundant) formula used in advertising? Hm… perhaps?. In our personal and mightily humble opinions, we do think it’s genius and we believe this campaign is leaving them better off.

 

Kuddos Cards Against Humanity… may you always be “fresh and delicious.” 

789 loves you.
Read the company’s explanation “Why Our Super Bowl Ad Failed” by Cards Against Humanity here: http://ow.ly/BcOz308Pa0Q