Okay, I am a huge NFL fan, so I am decidedly not someone who likes the commercials better than the game on Super Bowl Sunday. That said, I am normally looking forward to seeing what ad execs have put together that companies feel is worth the $2.6 MILLION for a 30-second spot.
Thank God the game was a good one because I feel like the commercials totally mocked my shunning of the fast-forward (i.e. commercial SKIP) button on my remote. In fact, by the end of the game, I was actually fast-forwarding through commercials—I was that disappointed and sure that there would be no shining redemption.
Is this the best the country has to offer when it comes to top-notch commercials? I’ve never seen such a string of ads that made me want to boo more and buy less.
Coke completely mailed it in with the new polar bear ads. Is it just me or did they use some crappy shareware program to do the graphics for this years spots? Wow. Boring, ugly, and done already.
Speaking of “done already”, I am actually a fan of bringing back the winners (eTrade baby and CareerBuilder chimps)—when it ain’t broke, leave it the heck alone—but just because you have a successful formula doesn’t mean you can take a nap on the job, people. Can you say snooooozer? First of all, the new baby doesn’t have the look. He doesn’t. I realize the other kid outgrew his usefulness, and that’s Hollywood, but c’mon, really? That’s the best replacement you could find? I have to believe with all that money and all the babies I see bouncing in Björns these days, you have to be able to find a better actor (even if he is drooling, oblivious, and depends on cartooned mouth).
The Audi vampire ad was actually pretty cool. For a day with a LOT of car ads, I believe they stole the show. Probably took Best Overall as well. Nice job, Audi.
Hyundai? Not so much. The low-end manufacturer obviously put a lot of money into the ads this year—my prediction is the investment won’t pay off. Not nearly so. Sorry, Hyundai, for me you just aren’t going to make your car cool. Practical? Okay. Frugal? Sure. Best sedan for my money? If Car & Driver says so, I suppose. But desirable? Sporty? Legendary? For me, never going to happen, no matter how much you doctor it up for the two million dollar spot.
So I do believe we’ve come full circle in the Super Bowl ad odyssey. There was a stretch of Super Bowls that were such snoozer blowouts that many actually tuned in just to see the advertising glut. Now the game is the most exciting part again. You know what? I’m fine with that.
As I’m sure is Roger Goodell.
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Author known to use spontaneous satire, sarcasm, and unannounced injections of pith or witticisms which may not be suitable for humorless or otherwise jest-challenged individuals. (Witticisms not guaranteed to be witty, funny, comical, hilarious, clever, scintillating, whimsical, wise, endearing, keen, savvy, sagacious, penetrating, fanciful, or otherwise enjoyable. The Surgeon General has determined through laboratory testing that sarcasm can be dangerous, even in small amounts, and should not be ingested by those who are serious, somber, pensive, weighty, funereal, unsmiling, poker-faced, sober, or pregnant.)
Okay, I’m not a huge NFL fan. Indeed, I haven’t been a sports fan for about two decades now. Call me jaded. Even my interest in the Olympics have faded. However, I made it through the Super Bowl this year without falling asleep — a first for me. It was better than their usual fare.
I agree about the commercials. Most were ho-hum. Audi was the clear winner. Not only did I enjoy it, but also I remember what they were selling (daylight headlamps as well as the car itself). That’s pretty good. Most Super Bowl ads entertain at some level but forget their purpose.
For example, the ad with Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno were selling what? An enjoyable ad, but I totally forgot the product. What a waste of the advertiser’s money.
One of my favorite ads was for Fiat — it’s an older ad but well worth repeating. The model is absolutely gorgeous/sexy/beautiful (did I say sexy – intimidatingly sexy). I’ll never forget her or the car. Sad it was wasted on such an uninspiring looking little vehicle.
Hi, Jack. I agree about the Fiat ad (intimidatingly sexy AND not much of a car)…I thought the Seinfeld ad was pretty good UNTIL the final Leno scene which (for me) cemented its ridiculousness! The thing that amazes me is that a company can spend over $2 million just for the 30 seconds and still be satisfied with such pure dreck. Oh well, at least the game didn’t put us to sleep. Cheers!
You completely forgot the utterly phone, nay, telegraphed in GoDaddy ad. It was pure awful with nothing interesting or dangerous about it. Following their SOPA debacle, I was expecting more. Fiat’s lone woman and desperate geek were everything that the GoDaddy ad wasn’t, with one third the women.
Totally agree…I actually didn’t forget the GoDaddy ad I was so traumatized by its mediocrity that I think I blocked it out! 😉
Here’s the ad that was at least the games equal: http://tinyurl.com/7k6vtd2 You don’t want to miss this.
Don’t hate me, but I’m not a sports fan. I didn’t even know the Bowl was a big deal regarding commercials until about 10 years ago. Even then I don’t watch it. If there’s anything worth seeing, they’ll put it on my Yahoo news feed, or I can see it on Youtube. From what I hear though, there were only a few good ones anyway. Oh well!