Leave it to the Super Bowl to help save America from the tanking economy.

Lost your job? Then don’t miss upcoming Super Bowl spots from CareerBuilder.com and Monster.com. And after you get a job, you’ll want to invest some of the money while stock prices are low right? Check out the E*Trade commercial (feel free to invest in any of the other brands advertising in the big game). And, before you know it, it’ll be tax time. Thankfully, H&R Block has just announced that it will be airing it’s first Super Bowl commercial in five years.

H&R’s ad will feature the brand’s “You’ve Got People” message and “will introduce some unexpected characters you haven’t seen with the H&R Block brand before,” according to a company spokesperson. You may remember the company’s last Super Bowl appearance in which they used a very unexpected character in the form of Willie Nelson and the Willie Nelson Advice Doll. Who will we see this shilling for the Block this year? We’re crossing our fingers for Sarah Palin. By game time, it’ll be almost four months since the election and we can think of dozens of tax-related jokes that would be perfect for a Palin-and-the-clan themed spot.

For those who were taking a bathroom break during Super Bowl XXXVIII, here’s Willie at his Super Bowl bestest.

This blog entry was adapted from the blog on Pavone’s annual SpotBowl.com Super Bowl commercial polling website. Feel free to check it out, and don’t forget to vote!

I’m a firm believer in advertising during a down market. There’s a ton of opportunity for marketwin in the form of new customers and increased loyalty, and all research indicates brands that invest in economic times like those we are in right now stand to benefit over the long-term.

What I am not a firm believer is wasting taxpayer dollars through a series of full page ads thanking the American people for a bailout that in essence we really don’t have a say in. This is exactly what Chrysler has done in some major dailies like USA Today and Wall Street Journal, among others.

The ad reads, “On behalf of the one million people who depend on Chrysler for their livelihoods, thank you for investing in Chrysler, and America.”

Are they serious? Cmon, we’re talking over $200,000 to run this thing in the Journal and a little over $100,000 to run it in USA Today. I’m pretty sure this money could be put to better use and, in the process, assure the American public through actions, not words that they have learned their lesson about how to run a tighter, more economically sound business. I’d be cool with a thank you message after they use our money to build a brand that stands for something we can all believe in — fiscal responsibility. I’d even give em my email address so they don’t have to spend $200K to reach me.

I understand the economy is a huge concern for everyone right now and retail sales during the upcoming Holiday season has increased importance, but a Blitz Line at Wal Mart? Cmon, isn’t that pushing it a little bit? I’m all for driving sales but this is a little overboard for the retailer and consumer too. Just ask the family of the guy who got trampled to death.

I’m sure everyone read the headlines and perhaps saw the video. I was struck by a panel discussion raising the question — Is holiday shopping worth a life? Is the news outlet asking that question serious? What experts do you call in for that discussion? Personally, I think the news media feeds the problem as much as anyone. After all, there are better things to cover, like a holiday food drive or something.

I saw some caution tape at a Toys R Us too. Something about a shooting caused by an argument over something that won’t even be cool next Christmas. Isn’t lining up at four o’clock in the morning (when doors open at 5:00) enough to put people in the right position to score that new flat screen or Wii? I’m pretty sure inventory levels are high enough that if I rolled in there at a very late 8 AM I’d be able to pick one up.

This is where the Internet dominates. No waiting in lines, open 24/7…you know all the perks. The only real issue is a slow download or a lost connection (thanks Comcast), but there’s no chance of getting caught up in a Blitz Line. In all seriousness, I think we need to take a step back and evaluate some things to avoid tragedies like this in the future. I’ll do my part as a consumer, just not at four in the morning, unless it’s from the comfort of my couch buying something on Amazon.

I’m not going to take it anymore. It’ll be hard, but I’m going to have to turn off the news. No more Morning Edition, definitely no more Marketplace, and I’m going to have to do something about my trigger finger — the one that rolls the mouse and instantly clicks on the New York Times link.

NO MORE.

If I hear any more fear or panic or predictions or forecasts or studies about how awful the world is going to be in three months, six months, the fourth quarter of 2025, it’s going to be a life of Camel Lights and flannel bathrobes.

For two years, we were bombarded with “hope” and “change” and the “real America.” Now, it’s “crisis” and “bailout” and “loss” and “deflation” and “worst since” and “impending” and “percentage drop” and “vampires.”

While my macro professor would argue that economics is truth based in numbers and figures (or at least charts), like anything we “read,” I’m choosing to believe it’s all up for interpretation. Maybe the reporters are just really scared. As newspaper sales decline, maybe managing editors see hope in hyperbole. Maybe those rational economists out there thrive on the hype and, with the election over, finally see their big break.

An article in today’s New York Times suggests that many consumers seem to be spending more as a way to control costs. We save money by buying big screen TVs at Wal-Mart rather than Best Buy and purchasing more than we need at discount warehouse stores.  A professor of behavioral economics at MIT explains that rational would mean that you take all possible information into account and you make the optimal decision. But I have a more relaxed definition, which is that rational decisions are those you make and don’t regret later.

Rational shmational…I think I’ll just find my own reality.