The US has the Super Bowl. The UK has Christmas. Those golden moments when people are actually open and willing and, dare I say it, eager, to watch ads.

These events come with the right incentives, huge awareness, a wider audience, some buzz, and a tonne of PR coverage if you do it right... not to mention a very healthy return on investment.

Ground-breaking creativity and lots of eyeballs is a tasty combination for any creative and ambitious marketer. It's a shop window for our industry and brands, and a time to shine. Most alluringly, it’s a chance to really become part of culture.

But it didn't start like that. It became a thing when Apple's iconic 1984 ad that ran during the Super Bowl. Steve Jobs had said he needed an ad for Macintosh that would "stop the world in its tracks." The media director at the time suggested the Super Bowl as the only option for this epic film.

And, well, the rest is history.

It's an interesting move by Nine and the NRL and comes at a time where they need to be bold. The idea plays into the (COVID) state of the nation while people can't attend a game and when people are longing for a bit of light relief and escapism.

But saying something is the Aussie Super Bowl doesn't make it so.

Just like in the US, we will have to play the game. Step it up. Make it amazing, surprising, entertaining. Make it intelligent fun. Make it innovative. Make people want to watch.

We have to ignite the hearts and tickle the minds of the nation, if only for a moment or two.

It's up to us to play the game. And play it well.

Sounds good to me.