Don't see this every day....

The Super Bowl is one of the most anticipated events in the advertising world, and I'll definitely be writing some thoughts on the ads post game next week. But this ad caught my eye not only because its not the usual type of Super Bowl ad, but also because it's not the usual issue you see advertised.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR-tbOxlhvE]

I liked the sparseness of the copy, and some of the images were very compelling. I also thought the punch line was strong, like a good punch to the gut, you're watching and wondering where this is going, and when it gets there, I found it surprising (maybe *because* they haven't run ads around this issue before). The ad also is very effective at humanizing a minority group that is often lost in the shuffle (at least on the East Coast, maybe less so out West or in states with large reservations).

They aren't just Indians or Native Americans, they're people  — fathers, sons, mothers, daughters etc, just like you and me. I like the sense of Native American pride that it evokes without resorting to the usual myth making or hyperbole. There's just a nice lyrical nature to the ad.

I had three issues with the ad:

1. It's too long. Maybe they felt they had to go big because its the superbowl, but the message is so simply and cleanly delivered, they could have done it much more effectively in a minute. About half way through I started to lose interest at the repetition (interesting as it was, it was becoming familiar), and I'm not sure that extra minute adds anything to the message or to the emotional punch. You get it after 30-40 seconds, don't need it reinforced and all it does it take away from the emotion punch at the end.

2. I found some of the images not as compelling as others.

3. Not sure if this is an issue or not, but I was struck by the native accent of the narrator. I understand the reasons for using a Native American to narrate the ad, and I'm not sure using the standard narrator would have been appropriate or effective, but it was distracting for me in the sense that I was thinking about the narrator instead of the content of the message or images (maybe that also goes back to point 1, it was too long, so I was able to "see the boom in the shot" because my attention was wandering).

Still overall I thought this was a really nice spot, and I wonder if the more lyrical copy, slower pace, and overall tone of the ad will help it contrast especially with the other Super Bowl ads that often feel the need to assault your senses.