By Christen Limbaugh

The Super Bowl is an annual anomaly for American advertisers and is the one day each year people watch advertisements because they actually want to.

Tony Stubbs, the creative director for Hadeler Krueger, was one of three special guests at the Super Bowl Ad Critique hosted by the SMU Ad Club Monday evening. Chad Grandey, creative director for Commerce House, and Patrick O’Malley, copywriter for Commerce House, were the other two special guests among a close-knit group of about a dozen attendees.

SMU Ad Club President Genevieve Edgell organized the meeting, which broke down the Super Bowl ad spots quarter by quarter for analysis and discussion. The casual setting provided a relaxed environment for open dialogue between the students and professionals.

Grandey said his favorite ad was Dove’s “Like a Girl” commercial, because it was built on a “truism.” Grandey asserted that the best ads are built on these truisms, or “gems,” and one of the hardest parts of being an advertiser is dissecting an idea or a product in order to find that gem.

Dodge’s “Wisdom” commercial was another one of the group’s favorites. The ad’s tone shifts from sentimentality to strength and motivation. The group contended that the commercial was powerful because it not only promoted a product, but a lifestyle.

According to Steve Edwards, director of SMU’s Temerlin Advertising Institute and SMU advertising professor, these are the types of ads that truly resonate with their target demographic. He gave the group a final thought to resonate before the evening’s conclusion.

“If you have an opportunity to make a difference, do it,” Edwards said. “Take a message and make it something that impacts people and creates a positive.”