Bell mobile TV sports lineup including Super Bowl XLVI
Bell announced an action-packed sports lineup now available on Bell Mobile TV including live access to the 2012 Tim Hortons NHL All-Star Game, Super Bowl XLVI, the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs and Final, and much more. Delivered directly to Bell superphones and other mobile devices*, only Bell Mobile TV offers customers live, on-the-go access to the most popular sporting events.
“Bell’s strategic commitment to bring Canadians the best mobile content across world-leading new broadband networks continues to accelerate the popularity of Bell Mobile TV right across the country,” said Wade Oosterman, President of Bell Mobility and Residential Services, and Bell’s Chief Brand Officer. “With this unbeatable roster of live hockey, curling, football and basketball events available on Bell superphones, rooting for your favourite team just got better.”
Some of the top-rated sporting events available live on Bell Mobile TV include: Read more
Gatorade National Football Player of the Year: Johnathan Gray
Former Super Bowl Champion and Gatorade State Player of the Year Jerome Bettis Surprises Winner for Local Ceremony
In its 27th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPNHS, recently announced Johnathan Gray of Aledo High School (Aledo, Texas) as its 2011-12 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year. Gray, a two-time Gatorade Texas Player of the Year, was surprised with the news last month by a phone call from New York Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson. Today, he was surprised with a visit from former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis, who earned Gatorade Michigan Football Player of the Year honors in 1989-90.
“When I received the state award, it was a really significant moment for me, so it felt great to invite Johnathan into one of the most prestigious legacy programs in high school sports,” said Bettis. “Gatorade has been on the sidelines fueling athletic performance for years, so to be recognized by a brand that understands the game and truly helps athletes perform is a huge honor for these kids.” Read more
Tips for Watching Super Bowl Commercials With Kids
As families get ready to watch the Super Bowl this weekend, what else will they see besides touchdowns and field goals?
Ads promoting alcohol and other products geared toward an older audience.
Christy Buchanan, professor of psychology at Wake Forest University and an expert on parent-child relationships, says parents shouldn’t squirm on the couch until each round of beer ads is over, but should take action. They can turn uncomfortable moments in front of the TV into “values moments” with their children.
“It is important for parents to address issues and share their values,” says Buchanan, “So, when beer commercials come on, talk about your views on drinking. There are so many societal messages that say ‘drinking makes life fun.’ This is a parent’s opportunity to say what they think and start a discussion.”
Pro football is by far the most popular sport to watch among kids; 66% of kids ages 7-11 say they watch pro football on television. A study by the non-profit group Common Sense Media reviewed nearly 6,000 commercials in 60 NFL games in a recent NFL season and found the following:
- 300 of the ads were for alcohol
- 40% of the games included advertisements for erectile-dysfunction drugs
- 500 of the advertisements involved significant levels of violence, including gun fights, explosions, and murders
- 80 of the advertisements involved significant levels of sexuality, including scenes about prostitution and strippers
Buchanan offers the following tips to parents trying to figure out what to do when a kindergartner asks, “What is Viagra?” or a teenager comments on how much fun people are having in a beer commercial:
- Take a “values moment” — Leave the TV on, but talk about family values. For older children (middle school age and up), use the opportunity to engage children in conversation, particularly about issues such as drinking.
- Ask children what they think about what they are seeing or hearing, then respond to their perceptions and reactions.
- Switch channels and find another show — For younger children, hit the previous channel button to Animal Planet or “Sponge Bob” on the remote control. Go back to the game in two minutes.
- Mute the TV — Without the sound, commercials lose a lot of their impact. Use this time to talk about what’s happening in the game.
“I do think that doing things like the Super Bowl can be ‘family bonding’ events despite the commercials,” Buchanan says.
Winners Announced in 3rd Annual Free The Bowl Video Contest
Youth-Produced Counter-Commercials Demand: NO MORE BEER ADS ON TV SPORTS EVENTS
Five young people ages 10 to 20 were awarded prizes last night for their entertaining counter-beer ads at Free The Bowl World Premiere 2011 in San Rafael, California. The national competition drew 63 entries from 10 different states and all shared the same core message: seductive alcohol ads shown during TV sporting events, and especially during the Super Bowl, are inappropriate for millions of vulnerable young viewers who watch the event.
“In this year’s contest we asked young people to add performance elements to their counter-beer-ads,” stated Michael Scippa, Free The Bowl™ contest director and Marin Institute public affairs director. “What they produced just blew us away with an amazing display of talent, creativity, and a deep understanding of how youth are exploited by Big Alcohol advertising.”
Oscar Chan, 20, from San Francisco, CA said, “I entered the contest to say that the way ads are made today negatively affect our society and we have to fight against this.” Oscar’s winning entry titled Wherever I Go is also the title of the original rap song sung in his video by a young San Francisco singer/writer Jerusalem Reissig, and is infused with an infectious beat and lyrics like “…Just cuz you drink, doesn’t mean it ain’t a drug, It ain’t all about popping bottles in the club.”
Research has shown that the more alcohol ads kids see, the more likely they are to drink, drink to excess, and drink more often. In 2009, the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking reported that 5,000 people under the age of 21 die annually from injuries caused by alcohol. Hundreds of thousands more suffer alcohol-fueled sexual assaults, serious injuries, diseases, and academic failure.
“I’m personally not a big fan of the Super Bowl, but I sure do believe that alcohol ads attract a lot of teens,” stated Rami Al-odaini, first place winner with his video Ads For Kids. “What I am saying is that we need to look into our society and see where we stand today. The facts are clear, these ads play a big role in what’s happening with underage drinking, and we need to take a step just like we did with tobacco ads.” Read more
Hyundai Attempts Mass Hypnosis for Super Bowl XLV
Hyundai Campaign Reveals a Compact Car Conspiracy, Provides 100 Million Consumers a Group Therapy Solution
Hyundai Motor America will lift the veil on one of the longest standing conspiracies in the auto industry during Super Bowl XLV on Sunday, Feb. 6. Hyundai contends that consumers have been conditioned to purchase boring compact cars for practicality and reliability, and accept uninspired design, cramped interiors, and limited innovation, for far too long. Marketing has systemically lowered expectations in the compact car segment, with consumers rewarding the industry by continuing to buy appliance-like clones. Hyundai urges consumers to “Snap Out of It,” with a two-part group therapy session beginning in the game’s first quarter with a spot called “Hypnotized,” followed by a healing session in Q3 with an ad called “Deprogramming.” Both offer the all-new 2011 Elantra as treatment for the malaise afflicting the long-suffering compact car shopper.
Hyundai marks its fourth consecutive year as a Super Bowl advertiser by deprogramming 100 million Americans tuned in to watch the game. Both Elantra spots, themed “Snap Out of It,” stem from the same campaign that originated during the AFC Championship Game, but offer two distinct interpretations.
“Hypnotized” features everyday driving imagery interlaced with the rhythmic staccato placement of title cards asking: “Have we been hypnotized to believe compact cars are good enough?” The spot questions the idea that compact cars are as good as they can be, and suggests consumers in turn question how that belief has become so ingrained in our culture. Long-held beliefs softened by the first spot are then confronted directly with the second, called ”Deprogramming,” which seeks to hypnotize 100 million viewers simultaneously through a kaleidoscope of graphics featuring compact car stereotypes paired with a soothing voiceover declaring, among other things, “compact cars can be more.” Once the viewer is fully entranced, the voice calmly brings them back to reality saying, “Snap out of it, man.” After the Elantra reveal, look for Hyundai to play further off viewers lulled into therapeutic susceptibility with a light-hearted nod to New Age empowerment. Read more