Super Bowl Ads Look Toward the Future — and the Past

NEW YORK — 
Super Bowl advertisers this year want Americans to forget about pandemic woes and focus on the future: of electric vehicles, mind reading Alexas, robots and cryptocurrency — and also to harken back to the nostalgic past of ’90s movies like “Austin Powers” and “The Cable Guy.”

The Los Angeles Rams are taking on the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl 56 on Sunday at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. But for many, the big show of the night will be the commercials.

Advertisers are hoping to deliver a dose of escapism with light humor and star-studded entertainment amid the pandemic, high inflation and tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

“Marketers are recognizing Americans have had a very heavy, difficult two-year period and are responding by bringing some good old-fashioned entertainment for Super Bowl Sunday,” said Kimberly Whitler, marketing professor at the University of Virginia.

NBC sold out of its ad space briskly and said an undisclosed number of 30-second spots went for $7 million, a jump from the $6.5 million that last year’s ads went for.

Super Bowl viewership has declined in recent years. Last year, 92 million people tuned in, according to Nielsen, the lowest viewership since 2007. But viewership at other big live events like the Grammys and the Oscars has also plummeted. Ratings for the Olympics — which NBC is broadcasting concurrent with the Super Bowl — are way down, too. So the Super Bowl remains the biggest night for advertisers.

“It’s the only game in town,” said Villanova marketing professor Charles Taylor.

This year’s ads will be amusing and warm, leading Kelly O’Keefe, CEO of brand consultancy Brand Federation, to dub this year the “Ted Lasso Super Bowl.” It’s not just because two of the Apple+ sitcoms’ stars are starring in ads — Jason Sudeikis for TurboTax and Hannah Waddingham for Rakuten.

It’s because the ads, like the sitcom, will be “nothing too heavy,” O’Keefe said. “It’s funny, positive, and makes you happy — but doesn’t go too deep.”

Future forward

What does the future look like? Electric, if automakers have anything to do with it. With automakers back in full force this Super Bowl, BMW shows Arnold Schwarzenegger as Zeus, the god of the sky (or in this commercial, the god of lightning) whose wife, Salma Hayek Pinault, gives him the EV BMW iX to spice up retirement.

Kia showcases the Kia EV6, the brand’s first battery electric vehicle, in its ad, along with a cute “robo dog.” Nissan gives a nod to its all-electric 2023 Nissan Ariya.

This photo provided by Nissan shows a scene from Nissan’s Super Bowl NFL football spot.

A first-time advertiser, Wallbox, showcases an actual survivor of being struck by lightning in its ad for its home electric vehicle charger.

Other advertisers are future forward, too. Amazon’s spot shows real-life spouses living in a world where Amazon’s digital assistant Alexa can read your mind. In a regional ad, Samuel Adams shows Spot, the dancing robo-dog from Boston Dynamics, getting down with the brewer’s employees.

Bud Light NEXT, a new zero-carb Bud Light brand expansion, showcases an NFT in its ad. And Facebook gives a glimpse of its vision of the metaverse in a humorous ad that shows a discarded animatronic dog meeting up with his pals again in the metaverse.

Crypto bowl

Among the 30 new advertisers are several cryptocurrency exchanges. Advocates of the blockchain-based digital currencies that have captured the interest of investors and financial service firms alike, want to lure regular Americans too. Exchanges Crypto.com, FTX and eToro have all announced Super Bowl ad plans, and others have been rumored but not confirmed.

While the Super Bowl can be a good place to launch a new brand or category into the public consciousness, there are risks of getting lost in the shuffle as first-time advertisers. And they have a big task with 30 seconds.

“They need to educate the public on what their product is, why it’s not risky, and where they can access it,” Villanova’s Taylor said.

Pop culture nostalgia

Nostalgia is always a safe bet to win over viewers, and this year’s Super Bowl is no different.

In a teaser, Verizon hints that it’s bringing back Jim Carrey to reprise his loathsome 1996 “Cable Guy” character for their ad. GM has enlisted Mike Myers for an “Austin Powers”-themed ad that features a reprise of his role as Austin Powers’ nemesis, Dr. Evil. Sidekicks played by Rob Lowe, Seth Green and Mindy Sterling also join.

And some ad executives are hoping people can still remember iconic advertising as well. ETrade hinted in a teaser that it’s bringing back the spokesbaby that appeared in its Super Bowl ads from 2008 to 2014. A Hellmann’s ad shows former New England Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo tackling unsuspecting people who waste food. The ad is an homage to a 2003 Reebok Super Bowl ad starring a fictional linebacker named Terry Tate who tackled office workers who weren’t being productive.

Celebrity overload

A well-liked celebrity generally adds some goodwill to a brand message. So how about three to five of them? Super Bowl ads are always stuffed with celebrities, but this year, many ads are overstuffed with them.

“I’ve ever seen anything like this number of A-List celebrities,” said Villanova’s Taylor.

Uber Eats wanted to get across the message that you can order household items and other sundries from its delivery service, not just food. So its ad shows celebrities and other actors trying to eat everything from cat litter to diapers. “If it was delivered by Uber Eats, does that mean I can ‘Eats’ it?” White Lotus actor Jennifer Coolidge asks. Gwyneth Paltrow tries to eat a candle, Trevor Noah tries to eat a light bulb and Nicholas Braun from “Succession” tries to eat dish soap.

In Michelob Ultra’s ad, a bowling alley run by Steve Buscemi unites superstar athletes from across sports enjoying some bowling in their off time: tennis great Serena Williams, former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, the NBA’s Miami Heat all-star forward Jimmy Butler, WNBA star Nneka Ogwumike, top golfer Brooks Koepka and U.S. women’s soccer star Alex Morgan.

Planet Fitness’ ad has narration by William Shatner and shows Lindsay Lohan working out, winning Jeopardy against Dennis Rodman and bedazzling Danny Trejo’s ankle bracelet.

And in Nissan’s ad, a straight-laced Eugene Levy is transformed into an action hero by taking a drive in a 2023 Nissan Z sports car, alongside stars Danai Gurira and Dave Bautista. Levy’s “Schitt’s Creek” co-star Catherine O’Hara appears in Nissan’s new Ariya electric car.

Social messages

Most advertisers are steering clear of sentiment.

“People are avoiding the deeper issues,” said Brand Federation’s O’Keefe. “People aren’t going to try to unite us or divide us or get us to think deeply. Ads will be much more amusing. But also very safe.”

A few, though, are delivering heartfelt messages.

The Budweiser brand, absent last year, returns with a spot centered on one of its Clydesdale mascots. After it’s injured by jumping a barbed wire fence — a not-so-subtle reference to the U.S. and the coronavirus pandemic — another Budweiser mascot, a Labrador, a stableman, and a vet, help the Clydesdale recover and gallop again. Budweiser wanted to return “with a message of strength and resilience,” said Daniel Blake, group vice president at Anheuser-Busch.

Google’s ad for the Pixel 6 stars the singer Lizzo and focuses on how the phone’s camera highlights darker skin tones. And Toyota’s ad, which debuted during the Olympics but will also run during the Super Bowl, tells the story of the McKeever Brothers, cross-country skiers who have won 10 Paralympic medals together.

Afghan Students in US Face Uncertain Future

Afghan students studying at universities in the U.S. through scholarship programs face a more uncertain future since the Taliban took over and many say they cannot return to their home country because of concerns for their safety.

More than 100 Afghan students came to the United States through the Fulbright program last academic year, some of them only days before the Taliban took power in Afghanistan and the U.S. embassy in Kabul was abruptly shut.

Under the terms of the Fulbright scholarship program, recipients are required to return to their home countries at the end of their academic programs.

Several Afghan students interviewed by VOA said their status as students studying abroad in America endangers their lives under a Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

“I have come to terms with the reality that is going back to my beloved Afghanistan and working there is no longer possible,” said Maryam Rayed who left Afghanistan last August to pursue a master’s degree in democracy and governance at Georgetown University in Washington.

The U.S. government has evacuated tens of thousands of Afghans who had worked for or had affiliation with the U.S. in Afghanistan out of fear that the Taliban will target them.

Immediately after seizing power on Aug. 15 last year, the Taliban announced a general amnesty for all Afghans who worked for the previous Afghan government and for the U.S. and its allies in Afghanistan.

Human rights groups, however, accuse the Taliban of targeting and killing Afghans who had ties to the U.S. and to the former Afghan government.

Afghan women chant and hold signs of protest, in Kabul, Dec. 27, 2021. Around 20 members of Afghanistan Women’s Political Participation Network protested in a closed area in Kabul while holding signs asking the Taliban for equality.

Before coming to the U.S. to study international affairs at the State University of New York in Albany, Ahmad Raheb Radfar worked as a foreign service officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of what was until August 2021 the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

“My plan was to return to Afghanistan and resume my work at the ministry upon the completion of my program. But now, given the current situation of Afghanistan, I cannot do that,” Radfar told VOA.

Hopes lost

Since 2003, more than 950 Afghans have received Fulbright scholarships, mostly 2-year master’s degree programs. Many others earned sponsored educational opportunities at undergraduate and graduate levels at various U.S. academic institutions. The expectation was that these highly educated Afghans would contribute to the building of a stable democratic system in Afghanistan.

“The return of Taliban rule in Afghanistan has fundamentally altered my personal and professional trajectory and took all my hopes and plans and aspirations for the future,” said Rayed, adding that she wanted to serve as a governance specialist in Afghanistan after her U.S. education.

Under the Taliban, Afghan women have been effectively fired from all government jobs except those working in the health and education sectors.

The Taliban have institutionalized large-scale and systematic discriminatory policies which “constitute a collective punishment of women and girls,” a group of three dozen U.N.-appointed experts warned last week.

“Taliban deprive women of livelihoods and identity,” Human Rights Watch said in a joint report with the Human Rights Institute at San Jose State University on Jan. 17.

One former Fulbright scholar, who did not want to be named out of fear of Taliban reprisal, said she was fired from a prominent job at the Afghan Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock because of her gender.

“My education, work experiences, skills and dedication to my country don’t matter for the Taliban. They’re only obsessed with my gender,” she said.

Respect for women’s rights, including the right to education and work, is a major condition set forth by the U.S. and many other countries for a possible recognition of the Taliban’s self-declared Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Taliban officials have said the regime is working to facilitate an “Islamic environment” for Afghan girls and women to return to schools and universities but have not committed to giving any representation to women in the government. The Taliban’s leadership, cabinet and senior government posts are entirely occupied by men.

Students in limbo

The U.S. government has offered special immigration and entry procedures to help Afghans settle in the U.S., including a humanitarian parole program which allows individuals to enter the U.S. without travel documents.

Spokespeople at the Department of State and the Institute of International Education, which administers the Fulbright program, could not confirm to VOA whether there was a plan to waive the Fulbright requirement for the Afghan students to return to their home country after their studies are completed.

“We have been in touch with the [Fulbright] program administrators and have shared our concerns with them, but so far, they have not offered any assurance about our future,” said Radfar.

Two other students echoed similar concerns and added they were looking for an extension to their studies, primarily through PhD scholarships, in order to remain in the U.S.

“This ambiguity has affected our academic performance negatively and has taken any motivation from us,” said Rayed.

“We desperately need some clarity on what our future will be. This limbo status is hurting us,” said another student who did not want her name to be mentioned.

While the Afghan Fulbright scholars who made it to the U.S. in the past two years complain about their uncertain future, those selected for the 2022 scholarships are stuck in Afghanistan with no guarantees they will start their classes in the U.S. in the coming fall.

There is no U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan to process visas, and travel from the country is extremely restricted and complicated.

“We are reviewing the significant safety, logistical, and programmatic constraints which must be overcome to successfully implement the 2022-23 Fulbright Program. We are committed to remaining in communication with the semi-finalist group about the status of the program, understanding they must pursue the choices that make the most sense for themselves and their families,” a State Department of official told VOA.

It’s also unclear whether the Fulbright program will continue for Afghan students in the future because of the broken relations between the U.S. and Afghanistan’s de-facto Taliban rulers.

Until the U.S. and Taliban figure out what kind of relations, if any, they will have in the future, everything remains shrouded in uncertainty for Afghans who have studied or aspire to study in the U.S.

“I cannot foresee anything right now and like most Afghans, I am facing an uncertain future,” said 28-year-old Radfar.

Nike Ching contributed to this story.

The future of pediatric oncology lies in precision medicine

Precision medicine is the “future”. What does it consist of? How can it help in pediatric oncology? The answers are provided by Ana Fernández-Teijeiro, head of the Pediatric Onco-Hematology Section at the Virgen de la Macarena Hospital and president of the Spanish Society of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology (SEHOP)

The future of pediatric oncology lies in precision medicine

Precision medicine (MP) was born as a result of all the advances that seek better patient care. This medicine pursues the personalization of diagnosis and treatment to combat the molecular key of the tumor.

“To talk about precision medicine in pediatric oncology, what we need is to design a panel of genetic alterations that must be analyzed in pediatric tumors,” emphasizes Dr. Ana Fernández-Teijeiro.

In order to analyze the possibility of personalized treatment, clinical trials are needed.

Ana Fernández-Teijeiro, president of the Spanish Society of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology

On the one hand, there are the ‘umbrella trials’, in which different mutations are identified for the same type of cancer, which are attempted to be attacked with different drugs.

On the other hand, the ‘basket trials’, where there are many cancers and tumors that share a common genetic alteration and with which the same drug is tested to see its efficacy.

“Precision medicine seeks that after DNA analysis a suitable suit can be made for each patient”, defines the doctor; that is, it seeks to adapt the treatment to the molecular alteration of that patient, trying to attack only the tumor and reduce side effects.

To talk about it, the Association of Galician Doctors, Asomega Muller, has drawn up a series of webinars with the support of GSK and PharmaMar.

Current situation of childhood and adolescent cancer

It is calculated that cEach year around 400,000 children and adolescents between 0 and 19 years of age worldwide suffer from cancer., being one of the main causes of mortality in childhood and adolescence.

In high-income countries, more than 80% of children affected by cancer are cured, but in many low- and middle-income countries less than 30% are cured, reports the World Health Organization.

Childhood cancer is characterized by its embryonic origin and develops in the first two decades of life. Its growth is fast, aggressive and invasive and it is rarely associated with environmental carcinogens. They are more chemosensitive and radiosensitive than adult tumors, although they have a higher cure rate.

Schoolmates of a cancer patient receiving treatment at Vall d’Hebron. EFE/Quique Garcia

In Spain, 1,100 new cases are diagnosed each year in children under 14 years of age, leukemias being the most frequent tumors (30%). In second place are tumors of the central nervous system (20%). Finally, lymphomas, followed by neural crest tumors, renal tumors and sarcomas, in addition to others less frequently.

Pediatric oncology survival

“With data from 2021 we know that survival is 81%, of every five children we can cure four at this time,” says the doctor.

The reason for this survival refers to all the advances made in medicine that have allowed there to now be treatments for childhood cancer based on the same strategies used in adults: surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

“All this has supported a fundamental support treatment such as nutritional, transfusion, diagnosis and treatment of opportunistic infections. Now all of this constitutes the approach to children and adolescents with cancer, contributing to survival”, emphasizes the specialist.

The expert emphasizes that the importance is not only to cure children but to “cure them better”. About 70% of cancer survivors will have sequelae and 40% of them will suffer severe sequelae, informs the expert.

Precision medicine aims to “reduce the use of unnecessary treatments and reduce prescription errors derived from medications that may not be useful for the patient”.

Conventional medicine vs. Personalized medicine

In traditional medicine, patients receive the same treatment despite being each in a different way. Some may benefit from the treatment while for others it may be null or produce major adverse effects.

Personalized medicine develops therapeutic targets that allow attacking the tumor in its alteration and benefit the patient with targeted therapy.

EFE / Aleksandar Plavevski

Diagnoses in precision medicine are expanded compared to traditional medicine. It allows diagnosis at the molecular, genomic or methylation (DNA cover) level, based on family history and external factors in order to define a specific treatment.

“To design molecules in precision medicine we need to analyze DNA and RNA and metabolic analyses, which can be done either in the tumor, in the metastasis or in the liquid biopsy (detection of tumor cells that may be present in the blood)”, reports Dr. Ana Fernández-Teijeiro.

This type of medicine allows radiotherapy Analyze factors that may indicate sensitivity to treatment. In this way, specialists could determine different treatment groups that are radioresistant, more radiosensitive or with a high risk of toxicity. It also allows the patient to be monitored after treatment.

Biological barriers for precision medicine applications

The design of medicines has some difficulties since “we talk about the drug having to reach the intimacy of the cell to be able to alter it”. There are a number of barriers within the patient to access it. For this reason, nanoparticles of different composition are being designed.

“It is the future and it is what the most sophisticated laboratories are working on. It is a way of bringing medicine to the intimacy of the cell”.

Why do we need to implement PM in Spain?

Currently in Spain there are five centers that participate in this consortium for the innovation of new therapies in childhood cancer: the ITCC.

It brings together the Vall d’Hebron (Barcelona), La Fe (Valencia), Niño Jesús (Madrid), San Joan de Deu (Barcelona) and La Paz (Madrid) hospitals.

“We need to improve diagnosis and treatment. Unlike other countries, in Spain we do not currently have a pediatric precision medicine program. What we have are groups with initiative that have selflessly offered to carry out these studies on patients and support their inclusion in some clinical trials”, claims the doctor.

Inside of Spanish Society of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology (SEHOP) there are some centers that have begun to develop clinical trials.

A network of hospitals

Spain has 40 pediatric cancer units, “detecting that 70% are treated in the largest units, but not all patients could benefit from these centers.”

With the help of the Ministry of Health and the Ministries of Health, an organization of pediatric cancer was launched in 2019, with an update in 2021, in such a way that at the level of the autonomous communities, networking is carried out with the most important hospitals.

“What we want is for precision medicine in Spain to become a reality. We hope that the Ministry of Health can define a genomic portfolio in pediatric cancer that is a reference for the entire national health system and makes it possible for any of the reference centers that can do so to facilitate molecular diagnosis and treatment of cancers. patients”.

In this way one of the “great challenges of pediatric oncology for the next 10 years” was born.