The second reason for our presence is that things sometimes do go wrong the week before the game, and when they do, humans often notice the irregularities faster than machines. For instance, every now and then, while watching superiorly art-directed, highly cinematic masterpieces, it becomes clear that, as clever as the ad is, it’s missing something. Sometimes what it’s missing is as simple as a music track. In those scenarios, there’s really nothing as valuable, conscious, and rapid as experienced people who make a “habit of noticing.” Why? Because once we alert the client, we can work quickly to determine why something is missing and how to fix it, or how to come up with an alternative solution.
Finally, time is of the essence. Since most in-game spots are delivered the week before the Super Bowl, when there is an issue, there is very little time to waste. Once an issue is discovered, I sometimes literally run to the control room to confirm the issue and start the process of addressing it. That can be as simple as an approval from the client to air an advertisement as-is, or as complicated as creating a new file with a new code, re-adding the closed captioning, delivering the new file to the network, and restarting the clearance process with the network and the NFL.
The human touch—with a technology assist—is helping us deliver client value better and faster every day. The creative intelligence we now have at our fingertips tells us everything from how well an ad represents an intended audience to how effective the creative is likely to be. Our years of hands-on experience are crucial as technology helps advance the creative workflow, and as brands and publishers place big bets on linear and livestreaming sports, chasing audiences who demand optimal, seamless, and engaging experiences across every screen.
Perhaps there will come a day when the robots copiloting the work we do reach genius level. For now, you’ll find me in the control room, working with the network and the agency execs to make every ad a touchdown. I’ll be the guy in the “I’m No Tom Brady” T-shirt with a very large cup of coffee.
