By Dave Andrusko
I’ve been scrounging around, checking to see what ads will be running this Sunday in Superbowl 51 [aka LI]. I hope I missed one that compares with last’s year’s wonderful “Ultrasound.”
On the off-chance you didn’t see or hear about the 2016 ad, here’s a reminder and the backdrop.
PepsiCo, the parent company, had run what it called the “Crash the Super Bowl” contest for a decade. It offered “anyone with an idea and a camera a chance at the big leagues by making their own 30-second spot,” according to AdWeek. 2016 was the last year the competition took place.
The setting for “Ultrasound” is of a mom who is about to deliver watching her baby on the ultrasound. The dad is chewing away on his bag of Doritos.
The mom is not overjoyed and voices her displeasure. Meanwhile you see the baby on the ultrasound reaching for the Doritos chip. Baby and dad play a game of the baby reaching forth and the dad pulling the pick back. This prompts mom to toss one of the chips.
The camera flashes to the ultrasound image. We see the baby disappearing–as in he/she is exiting to find that chip!
Mom yells, dad yells, ultrasound technician yells. Cute.
The ad was the brainstorm of Peter Carstairs from Perth, Australia. We learned the inspiration for the ad from the website.
Peter’s wife had recently had their second child, Freddy, who at the time was nine months old. When he was with his wife getting an ultrasound during the pregnancy, an idea popped into Carstairs’ head. Wouldn’t it be funny to have a little fun in the hospital room, where everyone is supposed to remain poised, calm, and collected.
The baby in the ultrasound image is Freddy himself – of course with the help of a little camera magic.
Take a half-minute and again watch Freddy make his acting debut.
Since there are a gabillion ads, here’s hoping there is something equally life-affirming for 2017 that I missed. If you know of one, let me know.
