Peyton Manning Archives - Media Guy Struggles

At first I was like, “Holy F#%king Super Bowl Tickets, Batman!” …

The Media Guy — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 19:07:00 +0000

At first I was like, “Holy f#%king Super Bowl tickets Batman!”

I mean tickets to the Golden Game? Super Bowl 50? In San Francisco? Club Level? Running elbows with the bourgeois of the world like Beyoncé, Pres. Obama, The Mannings, and Katy Perry? I mean who wouldn’t want that?

But then “$3K PER TICKET” smacked me on the brain like an errant elbow from your girlfriend who’s tossing and turning in bed after a 10-tequila-shot bender at 4a in Vegas or Monte Carlo.

Three thousand dollars? And six thousand dollars for two? Face Value? Who would pay $6,000 for Super Bowl tickets and feel good about themselves while drinking $15 beers in their plush club level seats while behemoths slam into each other while involving concussion protocols that can only truly be determined after death? I mean $1 a day helps a whole family eat three squares in Southern Sudan right?

C’mon NFL, really? Are you donating a part of this to some kind of charity? Sheesh! So right there I made my Stub Hub commitment to scalp these suckers and help out the world. Final result ended with an $8,000 donation to a local food bank.

Will I regret it? No way. It’s not like it’s a Kings-Capitals Stanley Cup Final ticket, right?

Okay, so where am I?

I’m at home waiting for my chili to finish cooking so I can have my Hebrew Nationals (a package of seven cost me $3.99, while a single hot dog at Levi’s Stadium would have run me $8.00; I think I made a good choice to sell my tickets and watch at home, don’t you think?).

Based on one of the best Super Bowl commercials (there weren’t many), I should have stuck with Heinz condiments. Heinz’s clever blend of America’s love of a dog commercial and blended it with a time-honored brand and a dash of quirk. The Heinz’s Wiener Stampede jumped from the field and into our hearts. It also proved that if you had a big hit in the 70s, then you can make money in 2016 (ala Harry Nilsson’s “Without You”).:

I think I may have stumbled on my true calling: Athlete fixer. Last year, I reached out to Seattle Seahawks’ running back Marshawn Lynch to be his media coach. Before that, I detailed how to eliminate your stage fright. This year it’s Carolina Panthers’ quarterback Cam Newton who needs a little Media Guy help. His post-game presser was a personal disaster. For a guy who makes $10 mil annually in endorsements, he sure needs a lessen in humility. His three-minute talk to the media included nine answers that were three words or less. Someone should have taken him aside before walking into that room. Where was his Jerry Maguire? Where was the Panthers’ PR person to protect their most valuable player asset? C’mon Panthers! You’re better than that!

So Cam, as I told Marshawn, next time you ready yourself to Superman into a press conference after a humbling defeat, give the Media Guy a ring…or just email me.

(BEST) AD OF THE WEEK/MONTH/WHATEVER
Anheuser-Busch

After Helen Mirren’s commercial scorned us not to drink and drive, but then winds up drinking a beer and says, “This is suppose to be fun,” Peyton Manning slipped in the most effective commercial of them all. With everyone hanging on his post-game interview, pondering if he will announce his retirement, he instead listed his top priorities right now, saying he was going to drink a lot of Budweiser.

Holy ad messaging contradiction!

Regardless, Peyton’s three Budweiser mentions generated $3.2 million in free advertising*:

(RUNNER UP) AD OF THE WEEK/MONTH/WHATEVER
Baldwin Bowl

From Jason Schwartzman’s empanada throw at Marino, to Missy Elliott launching her brand new track, the Marino-Alec Baldwin “who is less successful” tête–à–tête, the Amazon.com Baldwin Bowl was my favorite star-driven spot. “Alexa, play Missy Elliot’s ‘Pep Rally.’” Classic!

(WORST) AD OF THE WEEK/MONTH/WHATEVER
Mountain Dew’s puppymonkeybaby

Creepy and disappointing! When that ridiculous thing hit the screen with its bad Godzilla-like stop motion CGI and started licking the guy’s face somehow inspiring him to drink the new Mountain Dew drink, I wanted to punch the television. But what do I know?

The abomination of a commercial was trending on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook all day. The ad garnered Mountain Dew almost 70,000 mentions** Good, bad or ugly, viewers wouldn’t stop talking about this nightmare.

Dude on Twitter said it best:

*- According to Market Watch
**- According to Amobee Brand Intelligence

The post At first I was like, “Holy F#%king Super Bowl Tickets, Batman!” … appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.

Media Day at the Super Bowl

The Media Guy — Thu, 04 Feb 2016 22:59:00 +0000

Okay, so where am I?

Super Bowl 50 officially kicked off with ~~Media Day~~ Super Bowl Opening Night and there’s a lot going on in Northern California. I mean this could be Peyton Manning’s last rodeo, players are wearing wrestling masks and the game will be on in Hungary! The SAP Center, which is usually home to the chokers known as the San Jose Sharks, is now home to the “Golden Game’s” opening night.

Needless to say, I did not get an exclusive with Peyton Manning.

I really want to know how anyone gets any good stories from this day without insider access. There are literally thousands reporters hunting both teams asking the same old questions and getting the same old answers. Some of the ~~goof balls~~ reporters are dressed as super heroes, clowns, and brides turning the already insane day into a mockery of media reporting.

As I look around the arena, I am immediately reminded and how America is a sucker for everything football. Upwards of 7,000 fans paid $30 just for the privilege of sitting in the stands and watch the players say as little as possible in their quest to get back to their hotel for room service as soon as possible.

Speaking of insider access, Miss Universe, Pia Wurtzbach of the Philippines, certainly has it. She’s covering the festivities for Inside Edition. Gossipers inside the madness whispered that a bitter Miss Colombia was denied a press credential…well, that’s what Steve Harvey told me.

I’m still a little bitter myself that the Super Bowl package at the Fairmont hotel seems to be sold out. The five-star hotel has a $1 million party package which includes a four night stay for six in their 6,000-square-foot penthouse and 22 tickets to the game. I was really counting on this package.

Back to Pia, she was up front, sash and all, dancing with the players:

Last year’s Super Bowl XLIX between the the Patriots and the Seahawks was watched by almost 155 million viewers. For those of you scoring at home, that the most-watched show in the history of American television. This is why ads on the telecast cost a whopping $5 million for a thirty second spot. It seems that every single spot will star a dog, a donkey, or Alec Baldwin touting Amazon’s ripoff of Siri featuring the voice of “Alexa.” Early buzz has the Honda Sheep as the media darling. In the spot, sheep sing Queen’s “Somebody To Love.”

Ah, Sheep…the perfect metaphor for the mass of naive consumers susceptible to dreamy television commercials. But seriously, Keith Quesenberry of Messiah College and Michael Coolsen of Shippensburg University came out with a new study of Super Bowl ads, The researchers said that William Shakespeare holds the key to a great ad. Time.com they concluded that the most successful, well-liked ads are presented as mini-movies in a five-act story structure such as that favored by legendary playwright William Shakespeare. Why you ask? Well, the study found many of the best ads follow “Gustav’s Pyramid,” the five-part story structure — exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and denouement — adopted by 19th Century German novelist Gustav Freytag.

Jose Mendin’s Korean Fried Chicken Wings (below)

Sirius XM satellite radio will offer up eight languages of the game on Sunday, including a Hungarian broadcast. Somewhere in Budapest, a woman preparing her goulash (in lieu of chicken wings) is wondering aloud how she’s going to make it to the 12:30a kickoff time.

Speaking of which, how did chicken wings become the official snack of America’s most-watched event? The National Chicken Council estimates that 1.3 billion wings will be eaten by Americans on Super Bowl Sunday. That’s 39 million more than last year! The NCC also notes that that Charlotte residents spend over $1,400 on wings per $1 million spent in local grocery stores. That’s almost three times more than the $480 devoted to wings in Denver. Apparently, the wing is king. I’ve provided a brilliant Korean wings recipe below. Why? Because every great American party needs some culture.

Lady Gaga is performing the national anthem. Considering her performance at the Oscars let’s us know she will do just fine. The betting over/under is 2 minutes 20 seconds for Lady Gaga’s pregame national anthem on Sunday. What prevents Gaga from telling all her family and friends to bet big on the “under” and then coming in at 1:57? Hey, I’m just asking!

The Q Factor. Sports and entertainment research company, Repucom, which measures the metrics on almost 4,000 celebs and athletes and celebrities reports that Panthers QB Cam Newton now has a better “influential score” — the ability to change people’s perceptions — than President Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Hillary Clinton. Now you know who to write-in this November.

Helen Mirren’s anti-drunk driving Super Bowl ad for Anheuser-Busch/Budweiser smacks of hypocrisy:

Bud shouldn’t get to preach against drunk driving any more than Smith & Wesson gets to preach about gun violence.

Jose Mendin’s Korean Fried Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (cut into 8 pieces)

1 Bibb lettuce head (cut into cups)

Buttermilk Marinade:

1 liter buttermilk

2 tablespoons kimchee base

1 tablespoon gochujang paste

1 tablespoon chili powder

Seasoned Flour:

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup cornstarch

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon shichimi

Marinade the chicken in buttermilk mix for at least an hour. Take chicken out of buttermilk and drench in seasoned flour, then leave out for at least 15 minutes. Fry at 360° for 15 minutes or until cooked all the way through. Serve with gochujang mustard miso and Bibb lettuce cups.

For the Gochujang Mustard Miso:

1 tablespoon miso paste

1 clove garlic, minced

½ tablespoon light brown sugar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

½ tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon gochujang

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

Combine miso paste, garlic, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup water in small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for one minute, or until miso dissolves and begins to bloom. Remove from heat, and stir in oil and vinegar.

Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman wears a wrestling mask on ~~Media Day~~ Super Bowl Opening Night. Photo: Jerry Lai, USA TODAY Sports

AD OF THE WEEK/MONTH/WHATEVER

The Evolution of Barbie

“We believe we have a responsibility to girls and parents to reflect a broader view of beauty.” These are just a few words from Mattel’s senior vice president after the toymaker announced a new line of inclusive, diverse Barbies. The new spot won’t appear on the Super Bowl telecast, but it deserves a spot here on the Media Guy Struggles:

The post Media Day at the Super Bowl appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.

MGS Chat: Ray Lewis

The Media Guy — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 02:51:00 +0000

Ray Lewis, the 37-year-old Baltimore Ravens linebacker plans to retire
after the season, but before his own clash of the titans with New England in
the AFC championship game he had a few minutes for the Media Guy…

MEDIA GUY: What do you most remembered for at the end of his career?

RAY LEWIS: I think the greatest thing you can ever be remembered for is
the impact and things that you had on other people. At the end of the day, with
all of the men that I’ve been around, to one day look back here and listen to
men say, ‘He was one of people who helped changed my life,’ is probably one of
the greatest legacies to be remembered for.”

(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) AP2013

MG: How special has this Ravens team been this year?

RL: With everything that we went through, the up and down roller
coaster all year, the injuries and things we went through … We dealt with so
much the entire year. For us to fight, fight, fight, fight and now be back here
with the same opportunity … We were here last year in the same position. We
were a catch away, a field goal away from going to the Super Bowl. For us to be
back here shows how dedicated we were to get back to this point. I just tip my
hat and give credit to my team. No matter what we went through this year, we
fought to get back here.”

MG: NFL offenses are pushing the
envelope more now, what is the challenge to be a dominating defense in this era
of the NFL:?

RL: We have to be very honest about it. It favors [the offense]. It
favors the offense with the rules and all of the different things that are put
in now. Defensively, you can’t touch them here, you can’t hit them high, you
can’t hit them low. It kind of favors them to pick up the pace and try to … I
call it steal yardage throughout the game. That’s what kind of makes it hard.
Even if you are on defense and make the perfect hit, you get flagged 15 yards
here, because the pace is so fast, we have to kind of slow the pace down and
line up. If you watched the [Houston vs. New England game], [the Patriots] were
able to get people out of alignment, people were standing around on the goal
line, which is supposed to be the hardest place to score. But it was the easiest
place for [the Patriots] because [the Texans] weren’t getting lined up and
things. I think it’s kind of give and take.

MG: What the difference in
defense from the beginning of your career to the end?

RL: Absolutely. Earlier in my career, honestly, you just didn’t have so
many rules. There are so many rules that are put in now, and of course, I’m a
biased [defensive player]. There are so many rules that are put in now for the
offense. So, it helps them. It favors them a lot. Why wouldn’t they do it? You
throw the ball downfield and there is favorable pass interference, you hurry up
and get 12 men on the field. There are so many things that favor [the offense]
and it’s changed so much from earlier in my career to now.”

MG: What’s the differences
between playing Peyton Manning and Tom Brady?

RL: You’re talking about arguably the top two or three greatest
quarterbacks of all time. So when you go from Peyton Manning to Tom Brady,
you’re going from 1A to 1A. It’s not like you get a drop-off. I’d back up to
the same fact we had last week. Is he going to make plays? Absolutely. But you
have to play the whole game. You have to be patient enough to let them make
plays and move on to the next play. You can’t harp on one play good or bad. You
have to keep on moving. These are guys, and I always said, they play chess
matches. That’s the thing that you have to be prepared to play when you get
ready to play these guys, because they understand the game so well. Playing
against Brady and just watching him sometimes, you’re always in awe on watching
on how good he really is.

MG: What will you miss the most
when you end your career?

RL: I think the brotherhood. There is nothing greater than the
brotherhood. It’s what I kind of preach in my locker room. I understand we’re
in an age where social media is kind of taking over, but I kind of try to get
my guys to really understand how close your locker room has to be. And when you
come into the locker room, understand who your brothers are. Understand who the
men are that you are fighting with. Because, that’s the thing you’ll remember
the most. The wars and battles, they are going to always take care of
themselves, and that’s competition and most of us have been in that our entire
lives. But what we will always remember the most are those locker rooms. What
they felt like and the commitment and sacrifices you guys made – that’s the
thing that when you are done with the game, you will definitely miss what those
locker rooms felt like.

MG: What is the most
extraordinary moment of your football career?

RL: You always have to ask yourself, ‘How can you top the moment of
hearing those famous words?’ And that is, ‘Ravens have won the Super Bowl.’
When you play the game, that is what you play the game for. You play and hope
that one day you hear those words. That is what I am trying to get this team to
go back and hear one more time. So they can really feel what it feels like.
Because once you hear it, like I tell all of them, your life will never be the
same again. That is what I am trying to get these young guys to understand –
don’t let the moments go by so fast. Cherish the moment. And that for me, when
you sum up my career, that can never be taken away from you. Once you are a
champion, you are always a champion, and that is probably one of the greatest
things I will remember of all time.

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