By: Kamrin Baker
On Feb. 5, the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s College of Fine Arts and Media sponsored their third annual Best and Worst of the Super Bowl Commercials Panel through a cultural enrichment grant.
Andrea Weare, the faculty adviser for UNO’s Ad Club, said grants like these fund events on campus that all students can access for an enriching experience.
The event consisted of a short networking opportunity, followed by a panel of area advertising specialists who commented on what they believed to be the best and worst ads from this year’s Super Bowl.
Panelists included:
-Janna Binder, alumna and advertising manager at WoodemenLife
-Matthew O’Brien, founder and screenwriter at Midland Pictures
-Michael Johnson, chief marketing officer at YMCA of Greater Omaha
-Patrick Murray, brand experience manager at Signal 88 Security
-Abby Lehmer, project manager at Bozell
The planning committee for this event consisted of members from Ad Club, the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and MavPR. Members of these groups began planning the event before Winter Break and aimed to have a “diverse” panel varying in “age, experience, industry and gender,” Ad Club president Daylee Olson said.
Olson said the student turnout made the event a success.
“It is always hard to get students to stay at school after they have already had a long day in the classroom or at work, so running out of chairs was by far the best thing that could happen,” Olson said.
The panelists discussed commercials like Bumble’s Serena Williams spot, Devour’s “food porn” ad, Microsoft’s commercial featuring children with different abilities and others. Students and faculty in attendance then participated in a question and answer segment of the panel, which facilitated discourse about diversity in advertising, shock tactics and other marketing ideas.
“Events like this are important because it allows us to draw students from across campus who have wide-reaching interests in sports, media, communication and the arts,” Weare said. “Super Bowl ads are a point of conversation we get to share during the event. It’s valuable for students to see young Omaha professionals with nuanced, passionate opinions on ads and their jobs.”
Olson was also proud of the teamwork behind the event, as well as the interest from the participating students.
“Talking about advertising is important because it is a part of our everyday life. It is so important to be aware of a brand’s intentions,” Olson said. “UNO students are the next generation with buying power, so it is important for them to be informed buyers.”
