[Bratmon]

Fun fact: Lockheed Martin advertises the F-35 during football games, because even though most of the audience isn't in the market for massive government contracts, the people who are are watching.

I suspect the Ring mass surveillance ads are the same thing.

[lukev]

It’s not just for purchasers… it’s to build consensus/approval around the concept of the US military-industrial complex.

[godelski]

Is the same idea around why companies like Coke make ads. Does anyone seriously think Coke needs brand recognition? LOL

Car companies do this too. Frequently expensive cars are advertised to people who could never buy them. The ad makes them associate it with luxury. That helps rich people associate it with luxury because luxury is often based on a social consensus.

Maybe all ads are made to sell you things, but the thing being solid is always an idea. Sometimes that idea isn't as simple as "go buy this now"

[4d4m]

ding ding

[asdff]

These sorts of advertisements make no sense for me. Who is the buyer? Some senator on some appropriations committee? Maybe some nato equivalent? And they need a 10 second flyover during a superbowl to be reminded of the existence of the f-35 program?

[godelski]

  > Who is the buyer?

You are

With your tax money. With your votes.

They're there not to sell you a plane directly but to make you happy with the money spent. To make you excited about the machines.

Think of it as a political ad, not a sales ad

[wyldfire]

> Who is the buyer?

Who do you know who is currently sitting in a seat of massive power in the US Government, watches TV and says things like, "I need to have that! Why do we not have that already? It will project strength, and all the best governments project strength at every opportunity!"

[bigyabai]

Again, 99.999% of the viewers aren't really in the position to finance a $120 million fighter jet. However, the ~0.001% that are in that position will probably be watching, and feel FOMO for not having the iPhone of strike fighters.

Even if it only moves the needle on 2-3 sales every decade, the ROI is probably great.

[HillRat]

If you see it on the DC metro, the buyer is a Hill staffer or a Pentagon action officer; if you see it at the Super Bowl, the buyer is you (assuming you're an American taxpayer), to help maintain a certain amount of public political capital when Congress starts looking at whether they want to fully fund TR-3 and Block 4. Cutting a military program popularly seen as successful is a whole lot harder than cutting one popularly seen as a wasteful failure, and doesn't garner the politician behind it nearly as much positive PR.

[chasd00]

The Super Bowl fly over was kind of random. My son said it was f18s, f35s, and f15s. I was able to make out the two b1bs. It was like the air force forgot about the flyover and just scrambled whatever was on the closest tarmac.

[esseph]

They had several days in advance of training together. It was all planned in advanced.

https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4384084/air-...

[mmooss]

The soldier recognition events are actually paid advertisements by the US military. I think flyovers are too?

[runjake]

This seemed like a standard flyover. What struck you about it being random?

Caveat: A non-trivial number of air assets are currently stationed or assigned on the other side of the world right now.

Citation: I used to be involved with flyovers.

[gerdesj]

Given your description, its good to see the USAAF are clearly on the ball when it comes to security. If, say, all your B1s overflew the nutjob bowl then certain planners across the world might decide to act in a certain way. A random assortment leaves everyone guessing.