Johnson: Bowl ads sure to appeal to animal lovers

There will be gatherings of all types Sunday, with jerseys, snacks and big screen televisions at the center of what is a special day for a lot of people.

Super Bowl Sunday is not just an event that is anticipated by football fans throughout the year because of it’s sports appeal, the game of the year offers an opportunity to enjoy good food and entertainment with friends and family.

In search of ponies

Without a doubt, the big game stirs up many passionate fans and there are those for whom it is nothing short of serious business.

Not everybody likes football, however, and there are some people, believe it or not, who care very little about the game.

If you’re more critter- than football-oriented, there’s no need to be bored on Super Bowl Sunday.

As luck would have it, advertisers work hard and pay a lot of money – somewhere around $5 million for 30 seconds of airtime — to entertain viewers on game day, and the ads they launch on Super Bowl Sunday are known to be a showcase of the best ads of the year.

When it comes to advertising, the marketing gurus know audiences tend to respond really well when animals are the stars and this year is bound to be no exception.

There’s already plenty of buzz about some of the ads viewers can expect to see:

• A herd of sheep will serenade game watchers with the song “Somebody to Love” as an ode to their farmer’s pickup truck. A talking dog is thrown in as narrator for good measure.

•An outdoor clothing company has come up with a series of ads featuring a marmot – a particularly large squirrel – and his buddy on several humorous woodsy adventures.

•Kittens and a burly man work together to sell masculinity and body spray.

•Soda drinkers may find themselves enticed to try something new if the puppymonkeybaby has its way – yes, it’s a commercial staring a soda-serving pug-monkey-baby hybrid.

•n The famous Clydesdale horses are expected to return this year to resurrect their 30-year history of representing draft beer.

•Prepare to crave a hotdog with the works when wiener dogs dash through open fields dressed in hotdog and bun costumes on their way to a happy reunion with a full line of condiments. If watching the game for the ads just isn’t enough, critter lovers have other alternatives for entertainment Sunday.

Puppy Bowl XII is Animal Planet’s full Super Bowl alternative and comes with a full lineup on Sunday afternoon. The show is a pet adoption event, which features more than 80 shelter puppies competing in a series of games styled after the human version. A Fantasy Bowl is even available to let fans play along.

Getting in on the action, cats have their own version of the game, broadcast on the Hallmark channel Sunday. In its third year, The Kitten Bowl has almost 100 rescued kittens competing in an afternoon of challenges. Fans can browse through online player profiles, watch highlights and checkout previews online before or during the broadcast.

If watching puppies and kittens play ball is just too action packed, fear not, The Fish Bowl on The National Geographic Channel might be a better fit — not that watching fish swim around creatively decorated bowls doesn’t have its share of nail biting (but mostly relaxing) moments.

If sitting in front of the TV just doesn’t appeal, Super Bowl Sunday is also the best day of the year to take the dog to the park — where you are likely to have the whole place to yourself.

Sharna Johnson is a writer who is always searching for ponies. You can reach her at:

[email protected].