What the NFL Missed

The public controversy surrounding the halftime show quickly became political.
But politics wasn’t the real issue.

Money was.

And there were 10 million reasons Bad Bunny was a bad business decision.

A single 30-second Super Bowl commercial now costs roughly $10 million. That price isn’t for entertainment—it’s for attention. Advertisers aren’t paying for eyeballs; they’re paying for focus, recall, and emotional imprint.

Which is why something far more consequential than backlash happened during halftime:

Attention fragmented.

In my house, and apparently in 5 million others, the halftime show was on the television—
and the Turning Point alternative was streaming simultaneously on a device.

Same room.
Two screens.
Split attention.

That wasn’t an anomaly. It was a snapshot of modern attention economics.

The halftime show didn’t just compete with political opinions or musical taste—it competed with alternative programming happening at the exact same moment. When attention splinters like that, the real casualties aren’t the performers.

They’re the advertisers.

What Advertisers Understood—Even as Attention Fractured

Here’s the part the NFL missed but advertisers clearly didn’t.

They knew who still controls the money.

The heavy reliance on 80s and 90s music, familiar celebrities, and nostalgia wasn’t accidental. It was a direct appeal to Boomers and Gen-Xers—the cohorts holding the largest share of discretionary spending, even as wealth transfers accelerate to their Gen-X children.

And the themes were unmistakable.

Over and over again, ads leaned into three promises:

Often all three at once.

Skechers, Instacart, Uber Eats, Dunkin’, XFiniti, TurboTax, Grubhub, and others weren’t just selling products. They were selling relief—from friction, complexity, and cognitive load.

Why Eat the Fees Rose Above the Noise

This is what made the Grubhub commercial so brilliant.

While attention was fragmented…
while screens multiplied…
while viewers split loyalty in real time…

Grubhub delivered a message that cut through instantly.

Not convenience alone.
Not speed.
But something deeper:

People hate fees.

Especially when they appear at the end.

The ad framed the fee as the last course—the thing that comes after you’ve already agreed, already committed, already paid emotionally. That’s why fees feel punitive rather than transactional. They feel like a penalty tacked on after the fact.

When George Clooney says, “I’ll eat the fees,” he’s not offering a discount.

He’s offering emotional closure.

And that’s why the line works—even in a distracted, divided-attention environment. Especially then.

The Last Taste Is the One That Lingers

There’s a lesson here that applies directly to healthcare—and dentistry in particular.

In many practices, the very last thing a patient does before leaving is pay the fee.

That moment—transactional, rushed, emotionally flat—is the final imprint.

And the last taste is the one people remember.

Some practices try to solve this by collecting payment before treatment. That approach has real advantages—and real drawbacks.

But regardless of when payment happens, there are smarter ways to ensure patients don’t leave with a bad taste.

Hospitality Gets the Last Word

At Thomas Keller’s Per Se in NYC, guests leave with a small bag containing house olive oil, truffles, and a copy of the evening’s menu.

At the InterContinental Cleveland Clinic, departing guests are invited to choose a “healing stone.”

Neither changes the bill.

Both change the memory.

So here’s the real question for your practice:

What do patients experience on the way out?

What’s left on their tongue—the organ most responsible for referrals?

If the final impression is friction, that’s what travels.
If it’s thoughtfulness, generosity, or care, that’s what gets repeated.

In an economy where attention is scarce and divided, the practices that win are the ones that manage the ending best.

Stay tuned for a deeper look at Super Bowl commercials—and my thoughts on the halftime show itself.

—Michael

P.S. If you’d like ideas for how your practice can “eat the fees” emotionally—without discounting care—schedule a Complimentary Strategy Call.