"Green" Scores Big at 45th Super Bowl

As an Iowa girl who began her career at the University of Wisconsin, the Green Bay Packers were my first NFL home team.  I settled in to the 45th Super Bowl ready to let the Green and Gold make me proud.  After an impressive first-half Green Bay rally, followed by a comeback by the Pittsburg Steelers to make this the fight we expected to see, The Pack ultimately prevailed.  I was never so happy about a football game.

But even as Green was dominating on the field, "Green" was also taking the stage at the commercial breaks.  This nations' most-antipated advertising event of the year sported an impressive lineup of environmental brags.  Hyundai pushed its new Sonata Hybrid, and Chevrolet -- a stalwart American brand and this year's biggest SuperBowl sponsor -- came out with three distinct and strong messages for its Green Play.  Leading with the Cruze Eco (getting 42 "wild italians" on the highway) and the "more than electric" Chevy Volt (named 2011 Motor Trend Car of the Year), GM's biggest brand also made a plug and a commitment to renewable energy investment.  Way to go!

With the rah rah of Big Day behind us, we will see whether Chevy and their automotive colleagues impress us over time.  More importantly, we will see whether the American Consumer picks up on this latest batch of high-mileage offerings from the car industry.  After all, the Chevy Truck and the red 426-horsepower Camaro convertible (not to mention the apparently naked girls at GoDaddy.com) all came out strong to give stiff competition for our nation's collective love and attention. 

But the fact that an audience of 95 million, from around the country and around the world, was dished four Green ads in the mix of our annual cultural statement of what America stands for -- why, I think that's something to celebrate!