HERO|farm intern Sabrina Mohsenin shares her top three favorite Super Bowl XLVIII commercials.
TurboTax’s “Love Hurts” — Tax software may not be all that interesting of a product, but TurboTax managed to get it right with their “Love Hurts” commercial this year. The ad, voiced by John C. Reilly, equated watching a Super Bowl between two teams you don’t cheer for (a feeling almost every fan can find relatable) to having to attend a prom where your dream girl dances the night away with some pretty boy named Sean. There’s stats and everything. Nailed it.
Coca-Cola’s “America the Beautiful“ — The Super Bowl is notoriously thick with American spirit, and this year was definitely not an exception (see: Chrysler & Budweiser commercials). That kind of in-your-face nationalism is exactly what made Coca-Cola’s ad so poignant. In just one minute, the multilingual version of “America, the Beautiful” evokes all kind of patriotism. Literally, all kinds. Maybe it’s controversial, but there’s really no denying those goosebumps.
Newcastle’s “Mega Huge Football” — Ads 1, 2, 3 & 4 — Call it this year’s Oreo, Newcastle was easily the best Super Bowl ad and they didn’t even have actual airtime. In a stroke of trendy brilliance, Newcastle relied on social media to spread the word for them, and the videos, both main spot and teasers, went viral. The main spot, featuring America’s sweetheart Anna Kendrick, pokes some fun at every Super Bowl commercial cliché. But the teasers are arguably even better. Because, really, who doesn’t love a good meta-ad?