Sometimes marketing works a little too well. There's this Walmart commercial where the whole family is getting ready to watch the "big game." They're unpacking unhealthy, pre-packaged, snacky goodness out of their enviornmentally friendly blue bags, and tossing around a football. The whole family is involved. Everyone is beyond excited to sit in front of the tv for hours watching men throw a football around.
I'm jealous.
The truth: I can get excited about a football game. I tend to like college football, and if I've got a vested interest in one of the teams I will cheer and squeals.
But...
Even when I was in college, I tended to come late to a game. Seriously people, four hours on my feet or with my bum in an uncomfortable metal bleacher? And, I tended to do more people watching than game watching. Or at least equal parts.
The truth is, I aspire to be a real sports fan. It looks like so much fun. And there's Chips! And Dip! I should be involved in something that includes so many fun foods. But, I can't quite get there. And, the hubs doesn't help. He thinks sports are pretty boring unless you're playing (weird. i know. who would prefer getting actually sweaty to watching other people do it while you lounge around eating snack food? C'mon! I wish I could exercise the same way: watching others while I munched). And, my kids are pretty little. At their age, if Daddy doesn't care, why should they?
So, my future as a sports fanatic looks pretty shady. And really, like eating at Olive Garden, the commercials make it all look rosy and happy and the reality is much...less so. Still, it is probably a result of the messaging in commercials like this one that every year I try to throw or attend a Super Bowl party. I usually don't even know who's playing until the day of, but hey--we need more reasons to party in the dead of winter.
So, I give this commercial an A. Well executed, happy, and it always makes me want to consume copious amounts of chili and potato chips. Win!
I couldn't find a good quality video, but you get the idea:
How about you? Is there something you wish you liked? An activity that always looks fun until you try it? What do you wish?
3 comments:
I like the idea of a whole family having this one thing in common that makes them hang out and be happy and cheer for four whole hours! My kids are still too young and we are more into baseball and soccer anyway, but I"m always jealous of my neighbors who get together to watch a football game when the air is crisp and bbq grills are going and the smell of a wood burning fireplace fills the air and people are screaming and cheering. But man am I thankful to not be subjected with all that yummy delicious fattening food! And it's such an American thing. We tend to associate EVERYTHING and every event with food. Maybe that's why we have some weight issues in this country. I went to the movies a couple of weeks ago with some neighbors we've become friends with. They are orginally from Serbia and they were laughing at us with our candy and popcorn and soda. They told us that eating at the movies is a very American thing. It never even occurred to me. Ha. Go figure, heh? But alas, we munched away happily on our movie theater goodies thinking to ourselves, "You don't know what you're missing." :-)
We once hosted a football party. It was the Ohio State vs. Michigan game. (I imagine you understand the importance of that particular game. :) )
It was very fun, but rather stressful in the planning/prep phase. They don't show that in the commercials.
Ah yes, OSU vs UofM.
Epic.
Party planning IS stressful. If the commercial were to be accurate the mom would probably be in and out of the kitchen for half the game, refilling chip bowls and getting drinks, cleaning messes, etc. Then, of course, there would be the kids--who,even if they loved sports, would need at least a hundred things from Mom, one each time she sat down. This is how it works in my house. I'm sure in other houses it would be the dad.
I think the football thing for me is really all about how much I love fall.
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