It’s a tough to make a Super Bowl commercial and we give credit to our fellow colleagues who work tirelessly on them. A lot is expected each time one airs, but hey, it’s our own fault. We continually raise the bar every year. And when a company pays a few million dollars to get that airtime, you better make sure it’s good.
Personally, I found this to be a down year. There weren’t many “next day water cooler moments.” Several spots were a minute long, yet they didn’t really bring anything to the table to really warrant that time. I found myself lost in a few of them and wondering “WTH was that?”
Of course, one of the most talked about spots was “Ferris Bueller” for the Honda CR-V. It leaked about a week before the Super Bowl to get people talking…and that it did. You can’t go wrong with nostalgia and piggybacking on a cult classic. The other is the arguably controversial Chryslyer “Halftime in America” spot with Clint Eastwood that some say was too political and Pro-Obama. Regardless, it was an inspirational spot that took the emotional route to tug on our heart strings. It certainly stood out.
I particularly liked the NFL’s own “Timeline” spot. It wasn’t anything new, but it had great visuals going back to the days when the NFL was a bunch of roughnecks with mud and no padding to modern times. Hyundai’s “Think Fast” with a heart attack was clever. Samsung’s “The Next Big Thing is Here Already. Again” was okay, but deserves props for bringing The Darkness’ “I Believe In a Thing Called Love” into the fold. Admit it, you sang along.
Final thought: GoDaddy…Enough already. – Shaun
Fiat’s “Seduction” spot was actually one of my favorite’s for Most Effective…I’m not buying one, but good job. Dorito’s “Man’s Best Friend,” Bud Light’s “Weego” and M&M’s “Just My Shell” seem to stand out as the funniest to me. Dogs and cute animated characters. Old school still works. – Reid
See all the Super Bowl XLVI spots here: USA Today Super Bowl Commercial Admeter
