Yesterday, my coworker Shawn posted his thoughts about this year’s Super Bowl ads. Considering the ads are half the reason I watch the Super Bowl (the other half being so we can throw a sweet party), I wanted to add my two cents.
I was kind of surprised by the number of movie previews. Year One looks like it could be funny, and I have high hopes for Star Trek. I wasn’t a fan of the first Transformers movie, so I don’t plan to watch the second. And do we really need another Witch Mountain movie?
I’m also getting tired of seeing the same ads from the same companies each year. The GoDaddy.com ads aren’t sexy or even entertaining, and the “unrated” versions are worse than T.V. spots. I’ve never liked the E*TRADE Talking Baby, so perhaps that why I’m sick of seeing these ads. Finally, is there anything more tired than the Budweiser Clydesdales?
Now I’d like to present the ads I liked most and least. I’ll start with the 5 I liked the least.
The 5 Worst Super Bowl XLIII Ads
In order from worst to… Well, not as bad.
- SoBe: Lizard Lake – I’ve never liked these stupid lizards, and this spot just took it way too far. Plus, with all those characters from other ads, this one was all over the place.
- Vizio: Take A Look – Wait, they spent over $3,000,000 on that?
- GE: Scarecrow – What?
- H&R Block: Death and Taxes -Â A clever idea that completely failed. Also, seeing a 7-foot-tall Death character just reminds me that Mort isn’t being made into a motion picture.
- Doritos: Power of the Crunch -Â This started out O.K., but when the guy gets hit by the bus… Well, that’s when it stopped making sense. Besides, we already have one cheese that goes crunch.
Dis-Honorable Mentions, in no particular order:
- Overstock.com: Bling and Boozer – This spot just didn’t make any sense. At all.
- Taco Bell: Overrated – So close, and yet so far away. It starts off kind of cute with the guy calling her right away and asking her out to dinner, but after that, it stops being good.
Before I get to my top 5, here are the Honorable Mentions, in no particular order:
- Doritos: Crystal Ball – Interestingly, this amateur-made commercial took top-prize in USA Today’s annual Ad Meter, making it the most popular ad this year. This has caused a bit of controversy, however.
- Cars.com: David Abernathy – As Phoenix pointed out, this reminds me of The Royal Tenenbaums.
- Pepsi Max: I’m Good – It’s just kind of funny watching these guys get beat up.
- Bridgestone: Taters – At first, I thought his ears had blown off, but the mouth was funny, and the eyes were a nice touch.
- Coke Zero: Mean Troy – Perhaps this was funnier to me because we had just been talking about the old Coke vs. Coke Zero commercials earlier in the day.
- Bud Light: Swedish – Another one that might have been funnier to my group than most other people due to my posting of Japander in Friday Funday CCXXXV.
- Monster: Need a new job? – Heh, moose butt.
- Pepsi: Pepsuber – Kind of funny, even though I had never seen MacGruber before, but mostly because Richard Dean Anderson was in the spot.
- Bud Light: Drinkability – This just had a clever idea in general, and the guy rolling down the hill and smashing into the tables was funny. The last shot was kind of stupid, though.
- Toyota: Killer Heat – Toyota’s Tundra ads have been consistently interesting, if not downright impressive. This one was pretty cool, and I enjoy the sheer excessiveness of it.
And finally, The 5 Best Super Bowl XLIII Ads
In order from good to best.
- Bridgestone: Hot Item – This spot really did it for me. The music is fun, the concept is funny, the execution is excellent.
- Teleflora: Talking Flowers – Well written, well acted, good zinger at the end.
- Cash4Gold.com: Heeere’s Money – (2 washed up celebrities + 1 dodgy product) * self-deprecating humor all around = 30 seconds of win.
- Hulu: Alec in Huluwood – Alec Baldwin is hilarious, and it’s nice to see Hollywood finally admit their evil plan.
- CareerBuilder.com: Tips – This spot had me rolling on the floor laughing my ass off. It starts off kind of funny, gets funnier, gets weird, gets even funnier, gets weirder and funnier, and by that point, you’re only halfway through the spot. I can’t decide which part I like the best, but I do know that this was my absolute favorite spot of Super Bowl XLIII.
2 responses to “Super Bowl XLIII Ads”
I almost posted my least favorites as well (specifically SoBe). Easily the worst ad of the day.
I would switch your number one and two. I would move the Cash4Gold ad out of the top 5 and replace it with Mean Troy. But we agree on pretty much everything else.
As for the movie ads, I really enjoyed the first Transformers movie, and can’t wait for the sequel (it has Soundwave and more of Starscream!). I also have (unrealistic?) high hopes for Star Trek. Apparently there was also a trailer for the G.I. Joe movie, but I don’t remember seeing it, and you don’t mention it. I’m lukewarm on the film anyway. I was never a big G.I. Joe fan, and the movie looks kind of mediocre, at least from this trailer.