Write a paper on this year’s Super Bowl commercials based on the theories that we saw in class, including (this list includes examples from which the student can choose):
•communication theories
(i.e. Information theory, Toronto School, Frankfurt School, etc.);
•theories of audiences
(i.e. Cultural Studies, theories of gender and race, etc.);
•and political economy of the media industry (ownership; revenues; Chomsky & Herman, etc.).
Answer the following question:
What does the 2025 Super Bowl advertising tell us about American society and culture in a globalised world? What kind of representations are included/excluded, and what ideologies are reinforced?
Minimum requirements:
The paper should analyse in-depth the commercials and should make use of, at a minimum, “ideology critique”, the “encoding/decoding model” and some consideration on the political economy of the media industry (i.e. costs for the commercials; broadcaster’s network; etc.) in addition to at least another theory/school of taught/scholar seen in class. The paper should also make direct use of the textbook, with clear references to the chapters read, and include at least one extra academic source found by the student.
Guidelines:
1) Introduction: Introduce the main themes you will cover, and summarize the theories you will use to make your analysis. Write a clear thesis statement (“In this paper I intend to…”).
2) Do some background research on Super Bowl advertising and basic information about the network that is broadcasting it this year. Include the cost of advertising during the Super Bowl and information about the audience. Start from the following source, and expand your research:
https://www.nielsen.com/news-center/2025/super-bowl-lix-makes-tv-history-with-over-127-million-viewers/
https://www.nielsen.com/news-center/2025/super-bowl-lix-reaches-record-high-number-of-viewers-with-191-1-million/
3) View all the 2025 Super Bowl ads on these web pages and YouTube Playlist:
https://youtu.be/lWOlpc5GIF8?si=qAtetmCu1I2WeDZA
https://youtu.be/pGGJFX51_NU?si=mYFKBjK_He2rnqIq
https://adage.com/section/Super-Bowl-Commercial-Updates/792
* You can find more lists on Youtube. Include at least 30 ads in your final chart. Include the chart at the end of your research paper, after the bibliography (one document).
4) Make a chart (example attached) and list the kind of representations you see (cultural, gender, racial, class, etc.). You can also note other elements, such visuals and music. The chart is meant to help you track this year’s main trends. It should be short and include as many ads as possible (min. 30 ads).
5) After you make your chart, analyze it. Draw some links about patterns of representation. Are there some patterns that repeat and connect some of the commercials?
6) In your paper, formulate an analysis of ads representation patterns and the political economy of Super Bowl marketing (What it tells us about the current media environment).
7) When making your argument, give examples from the ads. When you reference the ads, be sure to properly refer to the video.
8) You are allowed two days of late submission, half a letter grade will be deducted the first 24hours of lateness, 1 letter grade for up to 48 hours, after 48hours there won’t be any submissions allowed and the assignment will be graded with a F grade.
Length: 2000 words (it can be 20% longer), double-spaced, excluding chart and bibliography.
Properly format citations and references (APA style). See: https://johncabot.libguides.com/citation; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ntl8K6UDPdE
* Please note that your papers may be submitted to Turnitin (plagiarism detection software). Do not copy from other sources without giving proper credit and/or from your own work submitted to another course. Do not submit work that is not yours. Do not use AI tools. Plagiarism and cheating will result in an F grade for the plagiarized assignment. See: https://www.johncabot.edu/academics/academic-policies.aspx
Research Paper: GRADING RUBRIC
Papers will be graded using the following criteria (and judged whether excellent, good, fair, needs work or insufficient):
Structure and grammar: Is the paper well structured? Provide a text free of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. Is the organization logical & does the paper make good use of paragraphs? (10 points)
Content: Does the paper answer the main question? Is there good critical analysis or does it just skim the surface? Does the paper refer to the course material? (20 points. 20-19: A; 18-17: B; 16-15: C; 14-13: D; 12-0: F)
Content: Is the answer based on communication theories, theories of audiences, and political economy? (20 points)
References: Is the bibliography correctly presented? Is it complete? (10 points)
Research: Has the topic been carefully researched? (40 points, 10 each)
Background research on Super Bowl advertising and basic information about the network broadcasting it.
Cost of advertising during the Super Bowl and information about the audience.
Super Bowl ads (chart, patterns of representation).
Effort, passion, interest.
https://www.ebooks.com/en-gb/book/211148745/media-culture-and-society/paul-hodkinson/?srsltid=AfmBOooYf6uPE9y0xBgW8BeLSzhTgjQ2tYg8SnYYLn0hRhA2EQT7gsft from that website you can see the book that we use in class you have to follow this book.