By Dawn Logg (WSPA)
(COLUMBIA, SC)
The big game wasn’t the only thing people look forward to on Super Bowl Sunday, many were excited to watch the commercials.
Believe it or not, USC offers an entire class studying Super Bowl ads for the whole semester.
Yesterday marked the 13th year Bonnie Drewniany’s class evaluated Super Bowl ads, ultimately “crowning” the Steve Harvey’s T-mobile ad as the winner.
Professor Drewniany created the course years ago to teach the importance of effective advertising. “At the end of the evening people should remember not a funny commercial,” she said, “but a funny commercial that made a good point about a brand that you remember, and I think the T-mobile spot which won our bowl, did that.”
The students use iClickers after each ad airs to evaluate its likability, persuasiveness, and brand identity.
They study pre-game hype, then after watching the game and picking the winners, they study sale and reaction to determine which advertisements prove to be most effective.
Senior Mary Carolyn Moore said although she normally enjoys the football action of the Super Bowl, this class gave her a different perspective.
“It really kind of opened my eyes to what I want if I want to go that route in my career after graduation,” Moore said.
She said Drewniany has helped her answer questions like, “Where do I want my ad to stick out, what do I want my ad to say?”
