But destiny is for storytellers; football coaches deal in reality. This was a victory for and about one of the best organizations in the league. To understand why, look at the Ravens’ biggest play of the night: The 108-yard kick return by Jacoby Jones.
During the break between the AFC championship game and the Super Bowl, special teams coach Jerry Rosburg decided to install a straight-up-the-middle kick return. The Ravens had not used it all season — it wasn’t even in the playbook. Harbaugh, a former special-teams coach, tweaked the play. They decided if they won the coin toss, they would defer, then use the return on the opening kickoff of the second half.
The Ravens executed it perfectly. And one reason they executed it perfectly is that starting cornerback Corey Graham helped with the blocking scheme. Graham took over for cornerback Lardarius Webb, arguably the Ravens’ best defensive player, when Webb tore up his right knee this season. Graham started at cornerback on the punt and kickoff return teams for most of the season.
“Nobody does that,” Rosburg said.
This is the Ravens’ way. They find hidden talents, giving them the key to any Super Bowl champion: depth. They have created a culture where even stars do grunt work. And Harbaugh and his coaches are as good at game preparation as any other staff in the league.
It added up to the greatest moment of John Harbaugh’s coaching career, and also the hardest: The postgame handshake with his brother.
(From Michael Rosenberg’s Sports Illustrated recap of the game, John Harbaugh, Ravens fulfill their Super destiny)

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There is a simple business principle that goes like this – every business has something to learn from those who do it best.  So, here are two lessons from last night’s Super Bowl, one from the winning team, the other from the advertising firm representing the Oreo Cookie.

Lesson #1 – Always be innovating.

Jerry Rosburg is the coach who came up with the “straight-up-the-middle” kick return play.  “It wasn’t even in the playbook.”  And Head Coach John Harbaugh tweaked it.  The result – a surprised 49er Special Team watched as Jacoby Jones flew through them and past them for his 108 yard touchdown run.  In a game that ended with a three point differential, this touchdown return provided the winning margin.

A new play, thrown at a team just days before the big game.  This is innovation (and execution) to admire.

Lesson #2 – Be nimble.

The lights went out.  Now what?  One advertising team dreamed up, drew up, and posted an ad for Twitter (that was re-tweeted thousands of times) that captured the moment perfectly.  And they did it while the lights were out — this qualifies as nimble!  Take a look:

Here’s where I read this:

How Oreo Got That Twitter Ad Up So Fast:  Within minutes of the Super Bowl blackout, Oreo tweeted a perfectly zeitgeisty “dunk in the dark” ad. Here’s how.

At 8:48 p.m. Sunday night, Oreo tweeted this ad with the caption “Power out? No problem.” Since then, it’s been retweeted more than 14,000 times (and the same image on Facebook has gotten more than 20,000 likes) — meaning that the most powerful bit of marketing during the advertising industry’s most expensive day may have been free. Twitter has been collectively wondering who deserves a raise.
The answer: The agency behind the on-the-fly ad was 360i.
“We had a mission control set up at our office with the brand and 360i, and when the blackout happened, the team looked at it as an opportunity,” agency president Sarah Hofstetter told BuzzFeed. “Because the brand team was there, it was easy to get approvals and get it up in minutes.”
Oreo had already aired a solid TV ad with their “Cookie or Creme” spot. But they were ready to capitalize on social media as well when the lights went out.
“The big question is, what happens when everything changes, when you go off script?” Hofstetter said. “That was where it got fun.”
The key? Having Oreo executives in the room, ready to pull the trigger.
“You need a brave brand to approve content that quickly. When all of the stakeholders come together so quickly, you’ve got magic,” Hofstetter said.

Did you catch that one line:  “We had a mission control set up at our office.”  Ready to act. Attentive.  Nimble.

So, think innovation – all the time.  (And, don’t forget to prepare really well).  And, be nimble — act quickly.

Good lessons from the 2013 Super Bowl for all of us…