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Super Bowl Ads: Good, Bad, In Between?
Posted on Monday, February 08, 2010
Category: Creative
Author: Karen Kallestad
There were the usual "what the heck was that" moments in the Super Bowl ads, and lots of pantslessness, for some reason. One ad that I thought really worked was the one for Google. It told a story through the use of the product, showing how Google integrates seamlessly into your life.
What do you think? What stood out for being good, bad, or for not standing out at all?
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As an ad writer, I was generally unimpressed by the commercials in Super Bowl XLIV. Most were unmemorable - at least regarding who or what was being advertised. One that especially made me laugh was the ad showing Vikings quarterback, Brett Favre, still waffling about retirement in the year 2020. (He would be 50 years old then.) Still, I didn't know the advertiser was Hyundai until I just looked it up online.
But it was as a dad watching the Super Bowl with his football-loving family that I was really unimpressed. At a time when respect for others seems lacking, we saw a little kid slap a man, telling him to keep his hands off his mom and his Doritos. That was just shortly after an "NCIS" promo full of people slapping the backs of other people's heads - just the kind of thing that would earn my kids a timeout.
And at a time when an alarming number of young people are ruining their lives through "sexting" (sending provocative pictures of themselves with their cell phones), we saw a woman do exactly that. We want to laugh about this stuff when it runs during the Super Bowl, but then we want to be shocked when our kids hit people, lip off and send pornographic pictures of themselves to their boyfriends and girlfriends. We can't have it both ways.
Enough now with my curmudgeonly seriousness. Let me end my rant with an up note about an ad that was hilarious, effective and beautifully done. My personal "Best Super Bowl Commercial" props go to The Late Show with David Letterman for bringing in both Oprah and Jay Leno for the funniest Super Bowl party ever. Cheers!
Posted by Paul K |
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Loved the Betty White/Abe Vigoda Snickers ad. First saw with no sound (I was Super Bowl-ing with non agency people who actually got louder during the commercials!); found it even funnier with sound.
My kids loved the Doritos ad with the anti-bark collar. Unlike Groundhog Day, I bet this was PETA approved.
I'm done with talking babies so thumbs down on E*trade, but I hope Brett Favre IS still playing ball at 50+. He's making my decade look gooood. Can't remember the product though -- Hyundai?
And finally, while I value the real human body very much, I hope the multitudes of half naked bodies is not a trend. We'll see!
Posted by Marnie P |
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I'm not much of a football fan, but I have watched the Super Bowl with my family and friends since I can remember. For me, the ads are just as interesting and important as the game itself.
However, I was disappointed with the overall effectiveness of the ads this year. I usually look forward to the Doritos and Coke commercials, but they weren't as good as I remember them being. The one with the guy in the coffin full of Doritos? Really?
There were few that made me giggle in the least. The Chrysler ad about Man's last stand: "I will put the seat down." "I will shave." "I will clean the sink after I shave," but having this car is my last stand on being a man. I thought that was pretty effective. Poor guys and all the things women want them to do!
I was also amazed how many commercials I found did not work at all. They either left me confused about the point, or even who /what the commercial was for. For example, the Dockers commercial with the group of men singing, "We don't wear pants." These men clearly like roaming around without knickers. Why would they want Dockers, or any other brand of pants for that matter? Also, the Budweiser commercial with the Clydesdale and the fence. It was a longer commercial (60 seconds) and I was still left asking did they need a whole minute to tell us that nothing should stand in the way of a Budweiser? Coming up with creative, out -of- the -box ideas is great and can really make you stand out from other ads, but in some cases, it's just better to say the message plain and simple rather than going out on a limb hoping the audience follows.
Some things I thought worked included the Google story commercial. That one really hit home for me. I think at least 45% of my internet surfing time is goggling something- if not more. I also liked the generation ad for Flo TV. It just reminded me how fast the world and advertising changes! And it used music from The Who, the half time entertainment! I must say that this year was the best half time show I have seen in a while. The lighting and laser show was fantastic and who doesn't like The Who?
Those were my picks of best and worst. What are yours?
Posted by Meghann T |
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