OK – so forget for a minute that it really was a great game (yes, Patriots fans – even though you lost, it was a GREAT game), it’s now time to talk commercials.
Talk around our office led to:
1) Here Wego – Budweiser – cute commercial, something for everyone, well written, had a great community tie-in – doesn’t get much better in our book
2) M&Ms “chocolate” – Mars Company – you can’t beat an M&M stripping and dancing to “I’m Sexy and I Know it”
3) Faster than the Rest – Sketchers – dog doing the moonwalk, enough said
4) Halftime in America – Chrysler – Clint Eastwood, we don’t care about the politics of it all, it was a well-written, heart-warming ad that WORKED!
5) Matthew’s Day Off – Honda – it worked for all of us thirty-somethings that wanted to take a day off with Ferris Bueller, even if it meant we were Cameron
6) Greek Yogurt – Dannon – very funny, very unexpected – John Stamos getting a head butt to the nose is almost as good as chocolate covered strawberries…almost
7) Everyone’s Right – MetLife – this one worked, again, for us 30-somethings that are having to think more about where we’re going to be in 5 years than we ever had to before, and used cartoon characters we all remember growing up with
8) Polar Bears are BACK – Coca-Cola – VERY good, bringing them back with true football themes – this is also poignant because of Coke’s drive to help save the polar bears with their “white cans”
9) Vader vs. Dog – Volkswagen – OK so we ruined the surprise for you, but we still like this commercial very much – it ties in last year’s favorite ad with a new campaign idea, nicely completing the circle
10) End of the World, 2012 – Chevrolet – it wanted to be a great commercial and could have been, with ONE simple line change – “Fred didn’t make it, he wasn’t driving a Chevy” – that would have been plenty without downing the competition – we’re all trying to make it back, don’t beat one another down
All in all, the vote is in – not a bad year for Super Bowl Ads. We do predict that 2012 will now bring a number of advertisements using dogs as a major theme. We are once again psyched about the new commercial season and hope you’ll let us know if you’re looking for a new campaign idea.
