Playing in the Super Bowl? Don’t lose your head.

This is the obligatory blog post where someone talks about the commercials played during the recently concluded Super Bowl.

It’s obligatory because everything connected with the Super Bowl has an obligation to make a big spectacle that gets talked about. Somewhere along the way, that spectacle spread to the advertising that fills the breaks in the action, and we haven’t looked back since. Today, Super Bowl commercials are dissected just as much as — if not more than — the game itself.

And, in recent years, the advertising has mirrored the actual game in that 97 percent of it is boring and underwhelming.

How did we get to this point? In much the same way the losing team (this year, the New England Patriots) ends up with its celebratory shirts in third-world countries — by getting caught up in the hoopla of the Big Game and forgetting to do all the things that got them there in the first place.

Well, technically what got those advertisements into the game was money — about $3.5 million for a 30-second spot. But I’m talking about the sound, basic principles that had many of those brands and agencies producing good ads that gained them recognition and success.

Instead, advertisers get stuck in their heads the notion that because they’re in the Super Bowl, they have to play by different rules. They ran surveys and focus groups to see what tests well with audiences, resulting in a general formula for “how to make a Super Bowl spot that stands out” which includes — but is not limited to — the use of animals, babies, talking babies, talking animals, CGI aliens, CGI dream sequences, explosions, hair metal bands, gratuitous sexy babes, gratuitous frat humor and gratuitous movie references.

The problem is that just about everybody making commercials knows and uses this formula, meaning none of their Super Bowl spots actually stand out. They just fade back into the constant clutter and shouting of exploding CGI aliens and animals executing groin kicks.

What do you mean the commercial didn’t sell any Kias? I told you we should have added a talking animal!

On top of that, many advertisers spend so much effort incorporating these “can’t miss” rules into their ads that they miss the most important part — where the ad actually relates in some way to the product being sold. GoDaddy.com, anyone?

No matter the arena, the same principles that help you win big games also help you win the ad game — be true to yourself, and do something the competition won’t expect.

Base your ad on an insight rooted in the brand and how people interact with it. Then find some way to zag while everyone else is zigging.

In that way, Google’s Parisian Love spot from a few years ago still stands out. Against all the over-the-top overstimulation, it was so starkly simple — soft ambient noise and piano music against the plain white backdrop of the Google search screen — that it was impossible not to notice. And it told a story based on the simple reality that when we seek information in the modern world, we turn to Google.

The Chrysler Imported from Detroit spots from the last two years worked similarly. They turned Chrysler’s Detroit roots into a powerful and poignant anthem for blue-collar spirit. While everyone else chose to be over-the-top, they made the decision to be down-to-earth. And in doing so, they made a bigger impression than racecars, lingerie models and Motley Crüe.

That’s how an underdog makes hay. The simple fact is that you don’t make the biggest impression by trying to make a big impression. Just do what comes naturally — and if you do a good job of it, the rest takes care of itself.

Of course, by no means are you obligated to play it that way. When it comes to Super Bowl obligations, getting your money’s worth usually fails to make the list.