OK, it’s time to get the Super Bowl out of my system, so this will hopefully be the last of it for a year. Of course the Women’s Super Bowl is closing fast…. the Academy Awards. But we’ll be seeing a different set of ads then. So this is my Super Bowl XLIII list. The first three in the Best area are my favorites. If I had to pick one “best” my nod would go to Pepsi Anthem.

And what a game. The advertisers take a big chance in the second half and for a while there it looked like Pittsburgh was going to run away with the game and nobody would be watching the second half. How wrong I was. Jennifer Hudson belted out a great Star Spangled Banner… really great. The other highlight for me was the half time show. Bruce Springsteen rocked. I wonder if Hudson and Springsteen’s singing was all live? OK, watch the videos and then get some rest tonight.

BEST

Pepsi Refresh Anthem: Bob Dylan & will.i.am: This commercial ROCKS. Great images, music, artists.  It makes it’s point and it’s a winner.  You also might even be willing to play it again.

Conan Bud Light Super Bowl  (CLICK ON ALL Highlighted Titles to watch – sorry some copies of commercials not so good)— Very Funny, very Conan…. can you say SNL? Good for Conan for being wiling to poke some fun at himself.

ETrade Babies: They kept it fresh, reprising an old act. Funny stuff because the babies are a little irreverent and they are talking about the economy. Funny stuff.

Audi Car Chase — Great Car chases of the generations…. mighty expensive (bad copy of the comml on YT)

Miller High Life 1-second commercials: Simple concept. Grabs your attention b/c you think something’s wrong if you are not paying attentino. Funny concept, not expensive. They are also reprising the character from a past commercial.

Budweiser Generations Clydesdale: Funny, clever, a bit trite, but overall it’s in the best column. How can you not love the Scotsman narrating.

ALSO RAN

Doritos Crash The Super Bowl: Snow Globe:  Not too crazy about the crotch shot commercial even though it looks like it’s going to win USA Today’s most popular commercial.  Lowest common denominator.  But it is a guy skewed audience.  I wrote about the overall campaign in a prior blog entry.  It’s smart stuff.  To read that blog entry about the contest and the 1961 entries, click here – Doritos Crash the Super Bowl – Customers Make the Commercials Campaign

WEIRD

Castrol Grease Monkeys: Almost thought we had a winner here, albeit odd, and then the guy kisses the monkey on the lips at the end which is all WRONG, no matter how cute the monkey.

Huluwood: Big money production. Took me a while to get the alien thing. It’s mighty subtle, and I don’t think it works.  That being said, I LOVE Hulu.  NBC and Fox programming all in one place.

Cheetos Spoiled Girl: We have all seen it. Funny concept, but the payoff with the Cheetah does not work.

Career Builder: This should really be labeled weird and annoying. Incredibly annoying. Too much repitition. Way too much.

SPENT TOO MUCH $$$$$ — When production gets in the way of a good story

Coke Heist Cute animation, but overkill

Bridgestone Tires: On the Moon?  Music pretty good, but….

Bud Light: Sphere of Summer — Seen this concept before.

DUMB

Cash for Gold: MC Hammer and Ed McMahon, what were you thinking. Just plain dumb.  Ok, so our country is hurting.  We still don’t need to feel stupid and poor.

Go Daddy. A long tradition of dumb ads continues. Who advised Danica Patrick on this one (actually two commercials)? Hope she was paid a LOT!!!!

 

PS:  Great hour long episode of THE OFFICE after the game.  If you didn’t see it, head on over to… can you guess?    HULU.  The Senior love stuff is a little creepy (read Harold & Maude), but hey, with comedy it’s hard to bat 100%.