Another Super Bowl has come and gone and the advertising industry is buzzing about the latest ads. Here at R&M, we have also compiled our thoughts on this year’s Super Bowl ads. Our thoughts are below. Because there were so many that we liked for different reasons, they are broken down into categories. Here’s the rundown:
Best in Show: Snickers “Betty White” Commercial
The fact that it was elderly people getting tackled was hilarious in itself. Throw in the irresistible Betty White and funny-man Abe Vigoda and that’s pure comical genius. It was unique and a little outrageous while still effectively getting across its message. Definitely the best spot of the night.
The Funnys: Budweiser and Bud Light
Budweiser and Bud Light continued to impress with their campaigns. Expectations for their Super Bowl commercials are always very high and they did not disappoint this year. The Clydesdale horses seem to never get old and Budweiser does a great job of incorporating them in new, fresh fashions. The ad with the horse and cow as friends was clever and sweet, while their “Human Bridge” ad was over-the-top and very fun.
Bud Light had a few great ads last night but the one that really stood out to us was the “Lost” parody. The ad was tailored perfectly to the overwhelming buzz about the final season of Lost that premiered last week and was very funny while effectively getting across its message.
Doritos
Doritos also had a pretty great campaign highlighted by humor. The ad where the little boy slaps his mother’s date was priceless. Seeing a grown man get slapped by a child was shocking and hilarious in its delivery, yet simple enough to get the point across.
Kia Sorento
With so many car ads running during the Super Bowl, it’s difficult to make them unique and memorable. The ad for Kia Sorento did an outstanding job of being different from its competitors while being light-hearted and fun. The ad depicts a colorful cast of child’s toys that take a road trip in their Kia Sorento and the adventures that follow. It’s fun, comical and fits perfectly with their tagline “a departure from the expected.”
The Visually Appealing:
Coca Cola
This ad was definitely meant to be watched in HD. The ad depicts a man camping in Africa sleepwalking through the wilderness on his way to grab a Coke. The scene he passes as he’s sleepwalking is that of leopards, elephants, a hyena and even what appears to be a lake monster (whatever those are). Visually, the ad is stunning and just plain cool.
Vizio
Another favorite in the group, Vizio does an outstanding and innovative job of featuring its new television apps by using robotic arms to grab pop culture fads and combining them together to form one unique system. This ad plays perfectly to its audience, as all of the fads are very recognizable to the person who would be most likely to buy their product. It was very futuristic and visually fun.
The Emotion-Evoking:
Google
Who doesn’t want to fall in love in Paris after watching this ad? Google cleverly takes us through a person’s new life in Paris, France solely through his Google searches. In fact, that’s all the ad was – screen shots of various Google searches. The ad was so simple yet highly effective. It begins with the unidentified guy searching for local eateries and translations and takes him all the way through meeting a girl, getting married and finally having a baby. It probably cost very little to make, but it was very memorable.
The Politicals:
Focus on the Family
After all the angst and controversy, the most anticipated commercial of the Super Bowl, the Tim Tebow and mom spot, ended up being a light-hearted, non-assuming message sprinkled in with a little humor.
Audi
For all the attention that “going green” has received recently, it was nice to see a more light-hearted approach to a topic that is often considered so controversial. Audi highlighted its fuel-efficient A3 TDI by showing the extremes of environmentalism in a comical way with scenes of the Green Police arresting people for throwing away batteries and not using incandescent light bulbs. At a Green Police roadblock, Audi’s A3 TDI, which claims to get 42 mpg on the highway and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30%, passes the Green Police test with flying colors and is allowed to pass.
The Losers:
GoDaddy.com
We get it. Sex sells. This ad was anything but innovative and unique and really had nothing to do with the product.
The Census Bureau
It’s understandable to want to use the Super Bowl as a platform to remind people just how important the 2010 Census is and encourage them to participate…this ad just didn’t do it. The message definitely got lost in the vague, confusing story that aired.