Superbowl Sunday. It means one thing: Football. Unless of course you are in marketing, then it’s Football and commercial critiquing! I swear, I spend every Superbowl Sunday yelling more about the commercials than the games themselves. Most are just an absolutely pathetic waste of money, but there are always a few shining stars.

I know that I am looking forward to seeing what the big brands do…and although I know the commercials are all taped, and there is nothing I can say to help them to make better commercials, if I could, here’s what I would tell them:

1. Make sure that I know what your product is after the commercial is over. Just because it is funny/sexy/stupid does not mean that I can remember your product. No remember, No buy.
2. Stop with the obnoxious songs. If I have to mute my TV because the song you choose as your background music is absolutely torture, I am not going to be paying attention to your ad. No watch, no buy.
3. Don’t try to be clever. Funny is funny when it is simple, easy to understand and makes you laugh. Clever is confusing, and usually fails to make anyone laugh. Funny failure, no buy.
4. On that note, don’t be stupid. Are you trying to sell your product to the woman of the house? Don’t show half naked women. Know your market, and make them happy. Unhappy customer, no buy.

What would you tell the commercial creators if you could?

By the way, if you’re feeling sentimental, and need a little humor from the past, superbowl-commercials.org has a great collection of the ads from past years!