A long time ago, in a retail landscape far, far away, we had this crazy idea for a Super Bowl spot.
The premise: We blew all the budget on the airtime, and left absolutely zilch for producing the commercial itself. That first part was absolutely accurate: Even though this spot only ran on the local FOX affiliate here in southern Oregon (KMVU FOX 26), it still cost…, well, it cost a lot. Like, budget-breaking, spreadsheet-crippling a lot.
But we wanted to give it a go, and arranged for a video shoot with a game FOX 26 crew. We shot it in our stockroom, throwing dead computer peripherals from a stepladder, and pulled in unwitting staff members as extras. The on-air “talent” was Connecting Point GM Jeff Thomas and Marketing Director Tom Pentland. The whole thing took roughly 15 minutes to shoot (at the most). During editing, the bilious fluorescent green and pink graphics were reluctantly added by some very skeptical pros in the FOX 26 video production department.
The result? What has to be one of the crappiest, ugliest, most unprofessional Super Bowl spots ever. It aired during the Big Game – Super Bowl XXXVI, in which the New England Patriots beat the St. Louis Rams 20-17 – on February 3rd, 2002. You’re welcome!
On the eve of the Super Bowl’s 50th anniversary, we thought it might be fun to revisit an earlier, more innocent time. Also, it serves as a sort of nostalgic snapshot of vintage computer gear, including the original “bubble back” iMacs. Enjoy.
12 DAYS OF SAVINGS | DAY 12 – Thursday, December 24th: $100 OFF Apple Mac mini 2.8GHz Core i5 8GB 1TB Fusion
(Reg. $999.99 SALE $899.99)
The fastest, most capable stock Mac mini available, on sale today only. Mac mini now has fourth-generation Intel Core processors, increased graphics performance, and ultrafast 802.11ac wireless networking. It also features two Thunderbolt 2 ports, great built-in apps, and OS X El Capitan. And it’s still the world’s most power-efficient desktop.
2.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5; Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz
Intel Iris Graphics
Two Thunderbolt 2 ports, four USB 3 ports, HDMI port, Gigabit Ethernet, SDXC card slot
High-performance one TB Fusion Drive storage
8GB memory
This offer will be available all day Thursday, December 24th, 2015, or while supplies last. Sorry, no rain checks. PLEASE NOTE: Connecting Point will be closing at 5 pm today (Christmas Eve), and will be closed Christmas Day.
12 DAYS OF SAVINGS | DAY 11 – Wednesday, December 23rd:
$70 OFF Edifier Tick Tock Alarm Clock/FM Radio/Bluetooth Speaker (Reg. $99.99 SALE $29.99)
Retro-inspired Bluetooth alarm clock speaker that’s simply irresistible.And with the capability of storing a whopping 24 preset FM channels and five preset alarms, it’s the perfect audio companion to jumpstart your morning routine.
Bluetooth pairing capability with any Bluetooth enabled devices
LCD display shows audio input, date, time, active alarms, as well as signal strength of Bluetooth connection and FM radio
Two 360° omni-directional speakers are neatly disguised as twin classic speaker bells
International FM radio frequency selection
Five preset alarms with the choice of alarm repeat from Monday to Friday or from Monday to Sunday
Alarm clock function with the choice of any of the FM preset channels
SSI (Stocking Stuffability Index): OFF THE CHARTS!
This offer will be available all day Wednesday, December 23rd, 2015, or while supplies last. Sorry, no rain checks.
12 DAYS OF SAVINGS | DAY 10 – Tuesday, December 22nd:
$100 OFF Beats by Dr. Dre Studio 2.0 Over-Ear Headphones (Reg. $299.99 SALE $199.99)
Studio 2.0 Over-Ear Headphones are designed for playing back audio as well as taking calls from your mobile devices. They feature Beats Adaptive Noise Cancelling technology, which can be used while listening to music or by itself to reduce background noise from your commute or environment. Their noise cancelling and DSP are powered by a built-in rechargeable battery, providing up to 20 hours of use per charge. The battery can be recharged via the included USB charging cable and USB power adapter. The headphones themselves have a foldable design for convenient storage and transport in the included hardshell case.
This offer will be available all day Tuesday, December 22nd, 2015, or while supplies last. Sorry, no rain checks.
12 DAYS OF SAVINGS | DAY 9 – Monday, December 21st:
$25 OFF Apple iPod nano Reg. $149.99 SALE $149.99
iPod® nano comes in five stunning colors and is designed to provide hours of entertainment with maximum portability. Its 2.5-inch Multi-Touch display lets you see more of the music, photos, and videos you love1. And it has built-in FM radio as well as support for Fitness Walk + Run and Nike+.
2.5-inch Multi-Touch display1
FM radio & video
Built-in pedometer & Nike+
Bluetooth 4.0
Up to 30 hours audio playback2
SSI (Stocking Stuffability Index): 10/10
This offer will be available all day Monday, December 21st, 2015, or while supplies last. Sorry, no rain checks.
iPod models are not available in all colors at all resellers.
1 Display size is measured diagonally.
2 Rechargeable batteries have a limited number of charge cycles and may
eventually need to be replaced. Battery life and number of charge cycles vary by use and settings. See http://www.apple.com/batteries for more information.
12 DAYS OF SAVINGS | DAY 8 – Sunday, December 20th:
Up to $100 OFF Apple Time Capsule (2TB Reg. $299.99 SALE $229.99 | 3TB Reg. $399.99 SALE $299.99)
Elegant backup solution for your Mac. Powerful, reliable base station for everything. Back up a lifetime’s worth of memories with AirPort Time Capsule, a wireless hard drive that works seamlessly with Time Machine in OS X. It’s also a full-featured Wi-Fi base station with the latest 802.11ac technology and simultaneous dual-band support – which means it plays nice with all your computers, electronics, and devices.
This offer will be available all day Sunday, December 20th, 2015, or while supplies last. Sorry, no rain checks.
12 DAYS OF SAVINGS
12 DAYS OF SAVINGS
12 DAYS OF SAVINGS
12 DAYS OF SAVINGS
12 DAYS OF SAVINGS
