1st post (Introduction)

by Jessica Diamond

Every year, the National Football League plays its championship game and, every year, people across the United States participate in this American tradition as they tune into Super Bowl Sunday. Since companies know that the Super Bowl attracts more viewers than any other program during the year, they pay great sums of money to advertise their products during the Bowl’s commercial breaks. These commercials produced for the largest television audience of the year have become famous for being funnier and more outrageous than regularly shown commercials. In fact, only new, never- before seen commercials are shown during the Super Bowl. With a predominantly male audience, these commercials often exhibit sexist remarks and use stereotypical depictions of gender roles and masculine and feminine traits in order to market their product.

As viewers fight over the salsa dip and excitedly argue over the touchdowns scored, the offensive sexism embedded in these commercials, often goes unnoticed. Attempts at eliminating sexism, as when a director gives a woman a minor role in a commercial, or selects a male character to be the target of a prank in a vignette, tend to be few and insignificant so that sexism continues to be a feature of broadcast marketing .

Commercials, particularly those advertising cars, beer and candy, have become increasingly offensive to women each year. By analyzing and interpreting the media’s portrayal of women, society can become more aware of, and confront, the disrespect inherent in marketing and communication strategies.

Super Bowl 2010 was not only the most watched Super Bowl in history, but it was also the most watched television program of all time in US history. Further, recent statistics show that the majority of viewers watch the Super Bowl to see the commercials rather than the game! With companies paying up to 3 million dollars to run 30 second ads, it raises the question: How effective is the use of stereotypical gender roles to sell products and, more so, why is sexism tolerated?

Bearing in mind that not all the companies that ran ads in Super Bowl 2010 had commercials which featured sexism as a marketing device, a great deal of companies did. By analyzing each 2010 Super Bowl commercial, we can break down and point out where gender roles appeared and how sexism was used. Perhaps after identifying and bringing attention to these findings, people can then realize that sexism is present throughout the American media today.

Jessica Diamond
· Introduction (first entry)
· In-depth analysis: Bridgestone Tires: Tires or Life
· Short analyses: monster.com (starring the beaver), Bridgestone tires (saving the whale from bachelor party), cars.com (With Knowledge Comes Confidence), Late Show (James Leno, Oprah and James Letterman), careerbuilder.com (no more casual Fridays), Dockers (Wear the Pants), Hyundai starring Brett Favre, Dove( You Are a Man), NFL (NFL Draft), NFL(The Who) and Teleflora.com (rude flowers).

Angela Yu
· Conclusion
· In-depth analyses: Dodge Charger (Man’s Last Stand) and Bud Light (Book Club)
· Short Analyses: EA (Dantes Inferno), Anhasuer Busch (Clydesdale Friend), Honda Accord (Crosstour), Dennys (Overworked Chickens), Taco Bell (Five Buck Box), Doritos (Weight Room), Bud Light (Two Ladies), Hyundai (New Sonata), E-Trade (Take Charge), Dennys (Birthday Breakfast)

Sheldina Henderson
· In-depth: Snickers (Betty White) and Bud Light (Survivor)
· Short Analyses: Homeaway.com (hotels), KGB (Sumo Wrestling), Coke (sleep walking), E-trade (Jealous Girlfriend), Census Bureau (snapshot of America), Google (Parisian Love), Kia Sorento (Joy Ride), Select 55 (Lightest Beer in the World), NFL (Lift Off), Vizio (Beyonce), Diamond Foods (Nuts and Popcorn).

Winnie Wong
· In-depth: Budweiser (Bridge) and Audi (Green Police)
· Short Analyses: Bud Light (Light House), Focus on Family ( Tebow and Mom), Hyundai (New Car), Boost Mobile (Super Bowl Shuffle), Doritos (Dog Gets Revenge), Universal (Robin Hood), Doritos (Play Nice), Bud Light (Observatory), Coke (Simpsons Moving), Godaddy.com (Danica Patrick), Doritos (Miracle), Bud Light (Voice Box).

Noopoor Akruwala
· In-depth: FloTV: Spineless and GoDaddy.com (Danica Patrick Interview)
· Short Analyses: Papa Johns (Better Pizza), Dr. Pepper (Mini Kiss), TruTV (Punxsutawney Polamalu), Universal Orlando (Harry Potter), Intel (Lunchroom), FloTV (My Generation), NFL (Always Football), Motorola (Megan Fox), VW (Punching Game), Dennys (Grand Slam), Michelbob Ultra (Lance Armstrong)