Last Sunday, the American people saw the coming and going of what turned out to be a spectacularly thrilling Super Bowl. While I utterly loathe the Pittsburgh Steelers with every fiber of my being, I can still appreciate that seemingly impossible touchdown reception by Santonio Holmes inside the last two minutes to decide the game.

But I digress. By definition, the Super Bowl isn't quite like any other football game of the year - it's the culmination of an entire season in one final championship game. But that's not the only reason that millions of viewers tune in each year, not by far. For many people, Super Bowl commercials are a major part of the attraction to watch the game. Especially popular are the many new beer commercials shown, and just about anyone would agree that it wouldn't quite be the same without them.

During these trying economic times, a beer company like Anheuser-Bush may have had every fiscal reason to scale back its ads during the Super Bowl - however, fortunately for viewers, this year was as cram packed with Budweiser ads as ever.

The logic behind going as all out as ever was two fold. First, marketers knew that associating Anheuser-Bush products with enjoyment and fun times with family and friends was especially important during these gloomy economic times. Second, as I alluded to before, marketers felt the need to remind people that despite our country's economic trouble, the things people love and have grown accustomed to (in this case beer commercials during the Super Bowl) still remain as much a part of our lives as ever.


The New York Times, "Is Star Power Enough to Sell Beer in Hard Times? Two Brewers Hope So."