Recipe For a Successful Super Bowl Ad.

excerpt from msnbc.msn.com

Peter Hartlaub

Four elements of a good Super Bowl commercial:

1. Keep it simple: Your key demographic has heartburn from bad pizza and Buffalo wings, is worried about his team covering the spread and is likely half drunk. Now isn’t the time for a plot that’s more confusing than “Pan’s Labyrinth.”

2. A catchphrase is nice: An advertisement keeps on giving when it features a buzz-worthy slogan such as “Nothing but net,” “Wassup!” or “Bud … weis … errrr.” Bonus points if it ends up on a T-shirt.

3. Brand recognition is vital. Even if Carmen Electra agrees to appear half-naked and the ad has a $2 million special effects budget, it doesn’t matter if nobody knows what the product is.

4. When in doubt, remember “SVAK”: The best Super Bowl of the past three decades all seem to include sex, violence, animals or kids. (Although no one has successfully produced a commercial with all four.)