Friday, February 3, 2012

Soft Openings

Okay, so you know that part in Ocean's Thirteen when some of them are trying to explain a "soft" opening to Saul? A soft opening is basically a preview of the big opening - like a test drive. If there are bugs in the system somewhere, they can be ironed out by management and staff before the real opening comes with its requisite fireworks and flashing lights. Well, that concept is now being applied to Super Bowl commercials.

I kid you not. Just look at IMDb for the preview of the Avengers preview that will be broadcast during the Super Bowl. Seriously? A preview of the preview? There are other commercials posted online, too. Six of this year's commercials are right here. Where's the fun in that? The surprise is the best part of the commercials. Remember the Bud Light axe murderer one? Or the E*Trade baby? Little Darth Vader?

Feedback is the only thing going for this whole "soft opening" idea. Maybe companies can look at ratings on youtube and avoid showing certain commercials during the Super Bowl. Remember Doritos and Pepsi from last year? Crude. Most of the others were just flat-out boring.

But if you're going to put them out there for general consumption before the Super Bowl, it defeats the purpose. Everybody talks about the commercials after the Super Bowl - that's the point of the whole thing for people who aren't football fans. If the commercials have already been seen and digested by most or even some of the populace, doesn't that take a little magic from the moment when they're seen on TV?

For the record, I've seen just one of the 2012 Super Bowl commercials to which I have linked. I'm saving the rest for the day itself. Oh, and one more thing. GO GIANTS!

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