[An interview with Steven O’Mahony, a student who took great interest in this year’s Super Bowl. Photo Credit: Minsoo Park] 

This year, on February 9th, Kanye West, an American rapper and producer, and owner of the company Yeezy, released an unconventional 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl that caught many viewers bewildered. 

Although it was unlike  other ads during the Super Bowl, which are usually high-budget and polished,it definitely sparked curiosity. 

Historically, Super Bowl commercials have often been high-profile advertisements , even turning into cultural phenomena alongside the game itself. 

Super Bowl advertisements have become well known because of their cinematographic quality, unpredictability, use of special effects, and the occasional celebrity cameo.

In stark contrast, Kanye recorded a lo-fi ad, shot on an iPhone which directed viewers to his brand website. 

In the ad, Mr. West claimed to be sitting at a dentist office. 

The ad was not aired nationally, but was only broadcasted in one key area, Los Angeles. 

In his ad, he said, quite simply, “So what’s up, guys, I spent, like all the money for the commercial on these new teeth. So once again, I had to shoot it on the iPhone.”

Then he stammered, “Um… um… go to yeezy.com” 

The motivation behind this marketing stunt are still unknown, in fact, many are unsure whether it was even an ad at all. 

To gain insight, we  spoke with Steven O'Mahony, a student here at our school who watched the entirety of the ad, to get his take, and how it compared to others.

When asked about his first reaction to the commercial, Steven said, “It was very interesting, but at the same time, it was crazy.”  

He elaborated, “I didn’t feel like it was an advertisement at all, and the content didn’t feel like an advertisement at all, which made it more interesting.”

Comparing it to other traditional Super Bowl ads, Steven noted, “Other ads are very expensive and flashy, but this one was so simple that I felt like, ‘Is this a real ad?’”

As for whether the ad was engaging or boring, Steven thought it was more interesting. “I wondered why on earth Kanye West made it like this, so after the ad, I Googled it myself.” 

This demonstrates how Kanye’s nonchalant form of advertising could actually lead to business success. 

Steven even admitted that the ad even compelled him to visit the site, “Yes, I was so curious that I visited the site after” he said.

When asked if he thought it was an effective ad, Steven commented, “I think it’s a very successful ad because it’s different from other companies and it created a lot of buzz.”

Finally, we asked Steven what he thinks about Super Bowl commercials in general. “Every year a lot of companies make colorful and funny commercials, but I actually look forward to the commercial breaks more than the Super Bowl,” he admitted. Adding on, he said, “However, it is true that the commercial breaks are getting more and more obvious as time goes. Every year it’s the same old companies coming up with these fancy ads that are somewhat similar.” He says he wishes that there were more unique and eye-catching ads like kanye’s from now on.

Overall, it is quite intriguing how a simple, unconventional ad can create so much hype, especially when it leaves viewers wanting more.