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Companies Paying a Startling Amount for 30-Second Super Bowl Ads; Peek Inside Harvard`s Class on Taylor Swift; Examining Several Myths About President Lincoln. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired February 12, 2024 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: What`s up, Sunshine, rise up. Welcome to CNN 10, the best 10 minutes in news. I`m Coy Wire. Still here in Las Vegas for what
was an awesome Super Bowl unless your team lost. Of course then, sorry.
We started today with the biggest news from last night off the field that is, and I`m talking about the commercial break, Super Bowl advertising. Our
Jenn Sullivan dives into the business side of the big game and why with more than 100 million people tuning in, the Super Bowl is the most watched
TV program of the year and the biggest opportunity of the year for advertisers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENN SULLIVAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Some people watch the Super Bowl for the game, others for the commercials, but unlike the players, these companies
have seconds to grab our attention.
DEREK RUCKER, MARKETING PROFESSOR, KELLOGG SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT: It`s a massively competitive playing field when it comes to advertising, because
everyone showcasing their best thoughts.
SULLIVAN: Kellogg marketing professor Derek Rucker says companies are shelling out 7 million this year for a 32nd ad during the Super Bowl.
RUCKER: It`s a costly investment.
SULLIVAN: So how do you make sure you get a return on that investment? Some commercials make us laugh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Help.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can`t touch this.
SULLIVAN: While, others pull at our heartstrings.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey Google, show me photos of me and Loretta.
RUCKER: If you introduce a problem for which your brand is the solution, that can be very powerful.
SULLIVAN: Rucker says, some companies will use jingles.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.
SULLIVAN: Or celebrities.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nationwide there to protect, maybe leave the songs to me.
SULLIVAN: To grab our attention. But it`s important that consumers still remember the product and not just the ad itself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: Next up, perhaps the most talked about person at last night`s game in here at Super Bowl all week, Taylor Swift. And I know some folks may be a
bit tired of hearing about Tay Tay, but not the Swifties. She`s such a phenomenon that one class at Harvard University is just beginning to
examine the megastars music and lyrics. Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHANIE BURT, ENGLISH PROFESSOR, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: If I weren`t a Swifty, I would not want to teach this class.
This is the chorus where we`re going to take her at her word. And we`re going to --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Professor Stephanie Burt, a diehard Taylor Swift fan herself is teaching in English Literature class about the megastar at
Harvard University.
BURT: We`re looking at -- at another Swift`s work and career and the works of art around that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nearly 300 students signed up for her class.
If you could teach one subject in school, what would it be?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: English.
MARY CATHERINE HANAFEE LAPLANTE, HARVARD UNIVERSITY STUDENT: I think the kind of atmosphere in the class is very joyous. I`m taking it with a couple
of friends. And the first day when we walked in, we could not stop laughing out of the sheer amazement that we were able to take this class at Harvard
for credit, definitely posting that TikTok was very interesting. And there were a lot of people saying that this class should not be taught at
Harvard. That, um, our education system is failing us.
BURT: Taylor Swift is a serious songwriter. And why are you doing this? And it, you know, you`ve brought down the institution. That`s just stilly.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Professor Burt says that Taylor`s songwriting and lyrics are actually full of references to many English, literary works and
worth a closer look.
BURT: I want more people to read Alexander Pope than the way you get people into creators and works of art that are not famous. That aren`t well known
as by conducting them to things people already like, and you have to do it sincerely and wholeheartedly or it won`t work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: Next up, I spoke with a legendary quarterback who knows all about winning the Super Bowl seven times Tom Brady. And during my interview with
him, I asked him one of your questions and thanks to everyone who submitted at @coywire on social. Here`s the GOAT for you.
So for our CNN 10 student audience.
TOM BRADY, NFL RETIRED QUARTERBACK: Yeah.
WIRE: I have a student question for you.
BRADY: Cool.
WIRE: Julian Ramirez is at a Rockwall-Heath High School in Texas. What motivated you to wake up every single day and work?
BRADY: Well, a lot of things, myself, I wanted to make sure I never looked in the mirror at the end of the day and realized I could have done better.
And I always try to do my best and my teammates because I never want to let them down. So I think when you`re a part of a team, you`ve got to
understand that you`re accountable to -- to them as well. And you know, your teammates are getting up to work hard. So you got to do it too. And
you got to play your part. And I think when that comes together, you create the best teams and the best relationships and you have the most fun.
WIRE: And when you get everyone on that same page, that`s when that magic happens.
BRADY: Yeah. That`s what it`s all about.
WIRE: Yeah.
BRADY: Because you got to -- it`s one goal. It`s one mission. And when you bring people together, you try to win, but it`s not as easy as it sounds.
You got to have a lot of people working towards the same goal.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Ten second trivia.
Who was the U.S. president before Abraham Lincoln took office in 1861?
James Monroe, James Polk, James Buchanan, or James Garfield.
If you said James Buchanan put your hands up. Buchanan served as the 15th U.S. President from 1857 to 1861. He did not seek reelection because he had
promised to serve only one term in office.
Today is February 12th and it`s Abraham Lincoln`s birthday, did you know, born in 1809. Lincoln is one of the most iconic presidents in our nation`s
history. And some parts of his presidential legacy have become almost mythological.
Our Tom Foreman separates facts from fiction with some of these myths. And while you watch, keep in mind, these are short bullet points. We hope this
serves as a guide. So you can talk to your teachers, dig into the research and discover the real life of this inspiring president.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Every president sells an image -- patriot, dealmaker, groundbreaker. Abraham Lincoln was the rail- splitter. Sold to
voters as a hardworking laborer, a man of the people. But that is also the first big myth about honest Abe, pushed by his political party.
MICHELLE MITCHELL, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY: They wanted stories that showed Lincoln being this humble rail-splitter, being a
country bumpkin.
SIDNEY BLUMENTHAL, AUTHOR, "A SELF-MADE MAN": The plain truth was Lincoln was a lawyer and a politician, and had been a rail-splitter a long time
before.
FOREMAN: The second myth, Lincoln rose to power by supporting the abolition of slavery. Although Lincoln thought slavery might die eventually, he
focused on simply not letting it spread to new western states, fearful of the political and economic consequences if it did.
CHENJERAI KUMANYIKA, CO-CREATOR, "UNCIVIL" PODCAST: I mean, the idea of abolition is demonized because abolishing slavery was a radical idea. He
basically has to defend himself against being an abolitionist.
FOREMAN: The third myth, Lincoln was a champion for black American rights. To the contrary, he explicitly argued that whites were the superior race,
and he adjusted as needed.
VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: We have a tendency to say he is this moral paragon or he`s just a political animal. No, he`s a hybrid. If you
want to understand him, you have got to understand both sides.
FOREMAN: Myth four, Lincoln was destined for greatness. One might think so, but Lincoln`s career was marked by many business, professional, and
political failures. He won the presidency only because the Democratic opposition split between three different candidates.
And myth five, Lincoln singlehandedly drove his destiny with ambition, intelligence, humor. That`s partially true, but by all accounts, his wife
Mary Todd pushed him hard to become the president so loved and remembered, facts, myths, legends, and all.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
WIRE: Today`s story getting a 10 out of 10, we`re continuing to highlight trail blazing black Americans who are true trailblazers and difference
makers. And in our second week of black history month profiles, we shine a light on Sandra Douglass Morgan, President of the Las Vegas Raiders. She is
the first black woman in history to be named president of an NFL team.
She grew up here in east Las Vegas with a black father, a Korean mother. And when she was a kid, she wanted to grow up to be the next Connie Chung,
who was the first Asian woman to anchor a national network evening news show.
Sandra Douglass Morgan would go on to become the first black city attorney in Nevada. During her time as chief legal officer for North Las Vegas. She
told me, it was helpful to be an outsider`s outsider.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SANDRA DOUGLASS MORGAN, PRESIDENT, LAS VEGAS RAIDERS: So I wasn`t able to really focus on any hindrances or kind of, you know, preconceived issues
that might be there. I just knew I was going to roll up my sleeves and try to get the work done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: Now, about 100 years before Ms. Douglass Morgan made history, Fritz Pollard became the first black coach in the NFL, but he busted down
barriers well before that in 1916. He attended Brown University where he majored in chemistry and became the first black football player ever at the
school, leading the team to the rose bowl.
After serving in World War I, he was one of only two black players in the American Professional Football Association. The league that would later
become the NFL. He faced racial slurs and threats from fans, even teammates, but Pollard once said, I would just look at them and grin. And
in the next minute run for an 80-yard touchdown. Pollard was inducted into the football hall of fame in 2005.
Thank you all for being my Hall of Famers. I know some of you been waiting a long time for a shout out today. We`re going to go to L.A. South Park
Scorpions in Los Angeles, California, rise up. Thank you for your persistence.
And shout out to Leesville Road High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, Home of the Pride, what a Blake and Devlin (ph). Shine bright superstars.
To see you tomorrow. I`m Coy Wire. And we are CNN 10.
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