I don't watch television for entertainment often - one reason
being that I can't stand commercials (especially during election
time when political ads constantly air). I also have to admit, I am
not much of a sports fanatic; although, I do always take time to
watch major sporting events, such as the Super Bowl - mostly
for the food, friends, and, ironically, the commercials.
As I observed this past weekend, the commercials during the
Super Bowl are "different." And according to the
Washington Post Sports Blog, many football fans, saddened that
their teams did not make it to this year's bowl, were kind of like
me, watching the game solely for its great commercials.
Although this year's spots were not as outstanding as those in
past years, there is one commercial that has caused lots of
chatter: the "It's Half Time
America" advertisement, starring Clint Eastwood. The commercial
is said by many media outlets such as the
San Francisco Chronicle to have "made Democrats' day," calling
the commercial "propaganda for President Obama" because Obama
bailed out the auto industry in 2008 with the hopes to keep the job
force alive.
Eastwood, a Republican, recently told CNBC that he is upset
that people have misunderstood the commercial, and Chrysler is used
to show the American people that industries can stay afloat and be
restored during hard economic times.
So is this commercial supporting Obama? Yes, maybe…but that is
no cause for uproar because the commercial's message should be
shared by all politicians. Former reporter and editor with
the Chicago Tribune, and now writer for the Chicago News
Cooperative and the New York Times James Warren,
says it perfectly throughout the article "
Why Clint Eastwood's Chrysler Ad Was Pitch Perfect" stating,
"Political undertones aside, the commercial's message holds true:
Teamwork, community, and investing in American workers are a smart
strategy."
So let's put the debate aside and take the positives from this
commercial. Whether you feel the ad is pro Obama or not, the
message still stands true and I think we can all agree that every
political candidate should exemplify and carry out teamwork,
community, and support for job growth.
On a lighter note, I am going to end this post with two of my
favorite commercials from Sunday (which star my two favorite things
that are typically not a cause for debate, food and dogs):
"
I'm Sexy and I Know it"
"Here
We Go, Rescue Dog"
By Lauren Michaels, Account Coordinator at Solomon McCown &
Company