the frequency a kenny chung blog

February 4th, 2018
according to

Here’s a recap of my thoughts on the commercials that aired during Super Bowl 48. Overall, I thought it was a pretty lackluster year. I went out of my way to not watch any of them beforehand (except some for work). Thoughts below:

  • Most of the car commercials were weird for the sake of being weird, or just complete misses.
  • Microsoft had a pretty damn heartwarming commercial (I actually recognized the cochlear implant clip from reddit a few years ago).
  • I don’t know who Cure is, but I hate them.
  • Budweiser went for half quality, half quantity. The Arnold ping pong and the homecoming one were the better ones.
  • Fox did a pretty good job at building interest in the new season of 24.

February 5th, 2012
according to
Great game. Congrats to the New York Giants. But to the majority of the creative ad agencies tonight, shame on you. #SBAds #brandbowl
10:04 PM Feb 5th
B.D. Wong is back! This NBC show “Awake” actually looks promising. But then again, it’s NBC. #SBAds
9:41 PM Feb 5th
That Samsung commercial started out boring and old, but once The Darkness kicked in, it was awesome. #SBAds
9:26 PM Feb 5th
Adriana Lima redux with the Kia commercial. That was kinda hilarious. #SBAds
9:20 PM Feb 5th
Two good commercials. Hyundai and Budweiser. If only the first three quarters had commercials like these. #SBAds
9:14 PM Feb 5th
Nostalgia attack with that Metlife commercial. Not much substance though. #SBAds
9:07 PM Feb 5th
That commercial about NFL safety wasn’t the sexiest topic, but it was done well. That Time Warner spot was a waste of Ricky Gervais. #SBAds
9:02 PM Feb 5th
Jerry Seinfeld is not relevant anymore. #SBAds
8:45 PM Feb 5th
That Toyota commercial wasn’t bad. Not all the jokes hit, but it was a valiant effort. #SBAds
8:43 PM Feb 5th
Surprised that people actually like the Clint Eastwood Chrysler commercial. I thought it was so blatant & trying way too hard to be AMURRCA! #SBAds
8:42 PM Feb 5th
As far as the objectification of women goes, that Fiat commercial was a lot better than the Teleflora one. #SBAds
8:40 PM Feb 5th
Drew Brees Chase commercial was good, but not Super Bowl worthy. Ford + Derek Jeter just needs to stop trying. #SBAds
8:31 PM Feb 5th
Chrysler trying to recreate last year’s patriotic sentiment with this Clint Eastwood spot. Lightning didn’t strike twice. Eminem was better.
8:21 PM Feb 5th
For the second year in a row, Ford’s marketing strategy for the Super Bowl is “Derek Jeter”. Seriously, stop wasting money.
7:54 PM Feb 5th
Doritos is the big winner so far in the 2nd quarter. The only 2 good commercials… Wait, did E-trade just make a baby pedophile joke?
7:44 PM Feb 5th
It’s funny watching Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow armed with only a pistol. Batman in the Justice League, she is not.
7:39 PM Feb 5th
AVENGERS!!!!
7:35 PM Feb 5th
BTW, if you haven’t seen the OK GO music video featuring the Chevy Sonic, here’s the @reddit thread about it- http://www.reddit.com/r/videos/comme…
7:34 PM Feb 5th
Dear H&M, you do realize this is a FOOTBALL game, right?
7:20 PM Feb 5th
Seriously? Chevy is running an ad that they didn’t even create specifically for the Super Bowl? Google can get away with it; Chevy cannot.
7:08 PM Feb 5th
First quarter of #SBAds has been disappointing. If I had to choose (with a gun to my head), the Chevy 2012 ad is so far the best one.
7:06 PM Feb 5th
Best Buy sucks, but that Zynga Words with Friends gag was hilarious.
6:54 PM Feb 5th
Bud Light Platinum is the first commercial of #SBXLVI. Calling it now – most unintentionally hilarious commercial of the night.
6:40 PM Feb 5th
Is Kelly Clarkson being accompanied by the Best Buy backup choir?
6:18 PM Feb 5th
Adrian Brody has a hell of a goatee.
6:13 PM Feb 6th
February 6th, 2011
according to
These are some of the most disappointing commercials I’ve ever seen. The car ads (especially Ford) are missing the mark left & right. #SBAds
7:21 PM Feb 6th
I really wish that Motorola Xoom commercial was better. Any ad that takes subtle stabs at Apple and their cult-ure is worth creating. #SBAds
7:30 PM Feb 6th
Did Ford seriously pay for TWO of those Derek Jeter/Empire State of Mind “New York” spots? Someone really needs to be fired for that. #SBAds
8:06 PM Feb 6th
This Black Eyed Peas Super Bowl halftime show is like one gigantic commercial for autotune. But wait, isn’t 2008 actually 2000 and late now?
8:13 PM Feb 6th
Wait, WHAT? Did Slash just make a cameo for the f’n Black Eyed Peas?! What a huge waste of Sweet Child of Mine. For shame, Slash. For shame.
8:16 PM Feb 6th
Was there a buy-two-get-one-free deal on Super Bowl ads? There is no other explanation for why I just watched that Ford/Jeter ad THREE times
8:29 PM Feb 6th
Did that Groupon commercial just make light of the struggle of the Tibetans? Can’t decide if that’s worse than the LivingSocial crossdresser
8:51 PM Feb 6th
Wow, Eminem has been in two commercials. That Chrysler ad was actually pretty good. Maybe a little late but the heart was in the right place
9:04 PM Feb 6th
Nostalgia attack! Who would’ve thought that Uncle Jesse and Michael Richards would be part of a Super Bowl spot? Good job with that one, NFL
9:24 PM Feb 6th
I really hope Johnny Depp has a line in that Rango movie where he says, “We can’t stop here, this is owl country.” #SBAds
9:35 PM Feb 6th
That Chevy commercial was all sorts of win. Honorable mention goes to the Verizon iPhone ad. I guess they really did save the best for last.
9:59 PM Feb 6th

Here’s the ad in question:

All creepiness aside with using the late Earl Woods voice, I think it’s a great ad. and here’s why:

Tiger’s PR can’t really get that much worse. He was recently linked to his neighbor’s daughter, which was just another drop in the bucket. Masters Chairman Billy Payne expressed his disdain for Woods’ adulterous behavior, basically calling him a disappointment of a role model. That statement really did have the air of a father chiding his son. It also raised the following question: if golf doesn’t support Tiger, then who will?

Nike will.

Tiger Woods is a big money maker for Nike. As a slew of other sponsors dropped him as a spokesperson, the value of Tiger as a brand was plummeting. Nike is one of the remaining sponsors who decided not to sever all ties with Woods (which makes sense, since the company’s whole golf line centers around him).

So at this point, Nike had two options: they could either slink back into their chair and wait for the whole thing to blow over, or they could meet the PR nightmare head on. Obviously, they opted for the latter.

Think about the content of the actual ad for a minute. A father disappointed in his son. The fact that Nike green-lighted the commercial possibly means the company’s disappointed in Tiger as well. The message resonates with people because it reflects exactly what Billy Payne stated: a LOT of people are disappointed in Tiger. In one fell swoop, Nike is not only acknowledging that the company doesn’t condone Tiger’s actions, but also that he deserves a second chance. Nike forgives Tiger, much like his late father would have. And Tiger looks remorseful in the video. Whether or not it’s genuine is another story, but it paints a vivid picture of a man owning up to his mistakes and starting on the long road to redemption.

If Nike won’t sponsor overcoming adversity, then who will?