The catalyst for Super Bowl blog writer’s block sinks in … how in the world to write anything different or unique from the hundreds of other agencies doing the same thing. Sure, I could share a purely subjective opinion on which commercials were best. For me, those would be:
Carnival Cruise Lines / Come Back to the Sea
Weightwatchers.com / World of Food
Simply because they were the most timeless. Meaning – if you were to view them in 10 years, 20 years from now – they would still be great. In my opinion, this is what all ideas should do. They should each center upon a core human truth, one that is in common with us all. Like the best of jokes – whose punch line instantly ignites a room with laughter, no matter how many times it’s told. Or Thomas Edison’s idea for a light bulb. That idea will never get old … although it has become more innovative through the years from our innate nature to make things better.
As I write this, I sit in our newly renovated office space – in a room in that we call The Time Machine. This large, open common area is designed with futuristic inspiration that makes even George Jetson feel at home. It has two 70-inch monitors that connect us to other offices, and to the deep universe beyond. We had a company meeting here last Monday, in which we designated the week as The Week of 2035. The thinking here is that the best way to predict your future, is to create it. And so in typical Brandon Agency fashion, each of us spent the week manifesting “what if’s” for our clients, which stretched far into the future. No idea was considered too far out.
I find myself imagining what the Super Bowl would be like in 20 years … in the year 2035.
The sport is global now. The Washington Redskins (my favorite team) are playing the Sydney Hammerheads. As the teams suit up in liquid nano armor and krypton-injected nanosoles, the referees walk around calibrating the graphene nanoplatelet ground sensors. Meanwhile, fans begin ordering their synthetic hot dogs telepathically. Later, a few will become rowdy upon viewing the holographic replays on their seats. They connect to the outernet (the internet is old school now) with their smart-skin devices and tell friends abroad of the bad call, in hopes of gaining 1 million votes for a purple flag … also known as the almighty “Fans’ Challenge.”
Those watching the game at home in their 3D room-mapping systems anxiously await the year’s Super Bowl commercials. These days, with cable and the net 100% merged as one, the commercials are behaviorally targeted. For me, this means I’m watching a slew of thundering guitar commercials and a plethora of hilarious Amazon.com ads. This year’s surprise is that each spot is linked to my Facebook2035 account – and each “actor” in the spots are digitally rendered clones harvested from 3D photos of my best friends. Coincidentally, the background scenes in the commercials match places that I check into frequently. I’m recording each of them with the wink of an eye to play later at summer barbecues with friends, using my holographic shoe tips. And, without a doubt, I’m sharing these treasures with co-workers next week at our Tokyo office.
It’s invigorating to think of all the possibilities that lie ahead in 20 years … all the “what ifs.” One thing’s certain – the longer we wait for our future, the shorter it will be for each of us.