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Not only are the Patriots and Giants getting ready for the Super Bowl, ad executives who produced this year's Super Bowl commercials are wringing their hands and hoping for a financial boost on Monday. After all, if you paid $2.3 million for a 30-second ad wouldn't you hope to get a return on your investment?

Don't expect me to watch the ads this year or get excited. In fact, you can already get previews of this year's Super Bowl commercials on Yahoo! Go Daddy looks like it's going to be its cheap, sexy self.

My favorite Super Bowl commercials have aired in year's past. They had personality, humor, quick-wit and clever banter. There was a story line filled with jealousy and angst. Yes, they were real people! Of course, I'm talking about Louie the Lizard, the frogs and the other characters on the old Budweiser commercials.

The ad agency was Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, S.F. in 1997 and Ad Week proclaimed the series as one of the best commercials of the '90s.

I watched a collection of them on You Tube by typing in "Budweiser frogs."

Yes, I can envision myself sitting on my front porch as my granddaughter grows up and telling her about the clever characters. Alright, I'm not that attached. But they were strong, memorable characters.

I feel today's Super Bowl commercials are too much "hey, look at me! I'm supposed to a funny commercial! Why don't you laugh already?"

Or, "hey, you're going to talk about me on Monday morning, aren't you? Huh, please? We're really clever and creative! Gosh, don't you think so?"

It's as though the writers and account reps (okay, brand managers, etc) have tried so hard to be original, but for me the show is getting old. I really just want to see a football game even though I tried to get a movement going to cancel the remaining playoff games this year.

So the commercials will air and some people will laugh. Here in Los Angeles, one of the television news reports even interviewed communication majors at USC's Annenberg School of Communications, my alma mater for my graduate degree, to get immediate feedback on what commercials struck home.

So do they really build a brand awareness? The previews I saw on Yahoo! Included a report about getting consumers to interact with the brand. Okay. What does that mean? Visit the web site? Or start using the product or service in droves.

Maybe what I'll do when there's a break in the game is run to my computer, log in to You Tube and wistfully watch Louie the Lizard and gang. Or maybe I'll just walk to the refrigerator and get something to eat.

Learn more about this author, Don Simkovich.
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