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Having been thoroughly hammered, tenderized and bludgeoned by the onslaught of commercials during all of the Bowl Week football games, I decided to wade into the Rose Bowl with a different tack. Instead of grumbling or complaining or dashing to the computer for a 2- or 3-minute burst of productivity at the start of each commercial break, I decided to test my assertion that only car and beer companies advertise during these 3-hour marketing fests. So with the resolve of a rookie NFL quarterback, I grabbed by clipboard and began charting the commercials thrown at us during each "break in the action."

I was not disappointed when, alas, the lead-off pitch came from Ford for their new Fusion sedan. Over the course of the next three and a half hours, I recorded each company's (not cheap) attempt to influence me to buy its product. It was not nearly as entertaining as the Super Bowl's commercial breaks, but it did take my mind off of the numbing power of watching the same pickup truck kick up water from the same puddle with the same background music playing in the background. I'm sure I looked like some consumer advocate geek on a mission, but I didn't care. I needed this for my own sanity.

Believe it or not, this (far from) scientific endeavor actually offered some measure of entertainment. As the game progressed, the charting became a game in itself, and I found myself avoiding a true break so that I could maintain my accurate recording of the pitches. There were some spots that actually made us laugh, too. The winner, as far as entertainment value goes, is (once again) the Budweiser Clydesdales out in the snow: the impudent ponies powder the older team with snowballs only to be blanketed with a load of snow from a laden tree by the old, experienced stud's strategic nudge of the tree's trunk.

I decided to summarize the entries spread across two columns of my 8 1/2 by 11 paper to get a holistic view of this onslaught of business-by-the-bite-size-chunk -- all 79 of 'em. I think every demographic was targeted by the ad agencies. I had a feeling that I was only partially correct in my pre-game assertion. The totals represent the number of commercials presented, of any length, during the game and the postgame summary. So, the final results of this experiment are:
Autos - 18
ABC show promos - 14
Insurance - 8
Wireless services - 7
Fast food - 6
Financial services - 6
Movies - 4
Beer & soda - 3
Hi-tech & Electronics - 3
Video rentals - 3
Other (e.g., jeans) - 3
Hardware & building materials - 2
Health Services - 2

I can draw a few conclusions from all this goofin' around this. First is that consumables is truly an economic powerhouse. The battlecry could be, "Eat up, and come on back for more." Secondly, America is car crazy -- and the newer the better. Third, insurance companies have a lot of dough to reinforce the idea that you're stuck needing their products. Finally, a boatload of commercials will only ruin the game if you let them. On to the BCS Championship!