Publisher’s Toast: Taking a Commercial Break

Forty plus years of skiing, running and tennis have taken their toll on my 76-year-old legs (they took my brain years ago). Last week I finally had to face reality and start a process to recoup my mobility, enduring the first of two vascular surgeries to open the arteries down my legs (the next one’s in 6 weeks). The operation was a success thankfully. My immediate recovery process? Stay off my feet for 4 days.

The timing was great: I’m a sports junkie and this past weekend was a feast for us fanatics. Between the PGA Championship, New York’s “Subway Series” between the Mets and my Yankees, and the second rounds of both the NBA and NHL playoffs, I was overjoyed to have to stay immobile and watch the action. Jumping between the various contests was my toughest task. The remote was hot from all of the action.

Laid up, for sure, but still in 24/7 beverage mode, so as the games and weekend progressed, I was taken aback by the lack of beverage commercials. For my entire life, there have been brands on the TV screen. Between A-B, Coors, Corona, Heineken and Miller on the beer side, and the soft drink sellers like Coke, Pepsi, Dr Pepper, Sprite and more, I’ve always enjoyed seeing the creative work. Add to the mix the sports drinks, energy drinks, flavored waters and seltzers, and you have the gamut of drinks vying for attention and viewership at these most synergistic sporting events. These were always the prime marketing opportunities that brands would jump at. This weekend, it was no longer the case. Aside from an occasional Propel commercial – actually not on the sports coverage channels – I couldn’t believe that the beverage industry seemed to have deserted the big ticket sporting events.

I hadn’t watched so much sports action all at once in quite a while, so I must admit I wasn’t aware of the decline in beverage advertising. It probably has been diminishing for a while. Yes, the world of marketing has changed as digital and online seem to fit today’s target consumers, who are sadly glued to their devices. I’m from the “old school” and still believe that there is life beyond their tiny screens (like on my bigger, remote-controlled screen). I hope that is the case. I loved the commercials that the marketers saw fit to link to the events with their messaging. I hope they’ll come back. Michelob Light for the winners!