Doritos have already been awarded the entirely unofficial 'best advert of the Super Bowl' award. Bravo to them, well deserved and the vast majority of us can move on to next year in the knowledge that we won't have to let on that we know what a 'down' is and/or why there are so many of them.
The Superbowl was among many things discussed on today's edition of our daily sports podcast The Racket:
But that's secondary to the spectacle after all. Just because you don't know a massive amount about the football, that doesn't mean you can't get involved. Super Bowl Sunday is prime marketing time and companies across America pile in to get involved with the social media frenzy.
Comment on the play, comment on the half-time show, comment on the ads. It doesn't really matter what you say just get involved and you'll be one of this hip companies that know how to use social media to reach customers.
Step forward UFC to show that it doesn't matter what you say as long as you say it.
Budweiser showcased an ad with a fearsome Helen Mirren telling America not to drink and drive. An important message and not at all diluted by the fact that there was a bottle of ice cold Bud on the table just waiting to be drunk. But people were talking about it so the UFC's social media people decided that this was something that needed to be commented on.
And they went for the seemingly innocuous...
If you drive drunk, stay away from our Octagon! #GiveADamn https://t.co/fnYFjXurbX
— UFC (@ufc) February 7, 2016
However, the timing of that tweet needs to be taken into context. Earlier that day they had finally got around to confirming the fight that everyone wants to see. Daniel Cormier defending his light heavyweight title against the pound for pound king, Jon Jones.
#UFC197 @dc_mma vs @JonnyBones @MightyMouseUFC vs @HenryCejudo
4.23.16 at @MGMGrand #YesPlease 🙌🏽👊🏽👌🏽 pic.twitter.com/vTupH3R9sO— UFC (@ufc) February 7, 2016
As everyone knows, that fight will be Jones first since being stripped of the title after being involved in a hit and run incident which left a pregnant woman injured in another vehicle. Having left the scene, police found marijuana in Jones' vehicle and in September, Jones pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident.
Jones has since been given another chance and welcomed back into the promotion's open arms but with that incident still fresh in the memory, no one was letting the UFC get away with that Super Bowl tweet.
@ufc Does this means Jones vs. DC II is off?
— GrandstandFan (@GrandstandFan) February 7, 2016
@ufc does this apply to @JonnyBones also??? Just asking!
— Ken Crews (@he_Crews) February 7, 2016
@ufc @YouTube unless your name is @JonnyBones You stay away, but only for a while. Unless you do it 6 times. Then we will discuss changes.
— David (@tekn0wledge) February 7, 2016