Opinionated Marketers Super Bowl Ad Review III
For the third year in a row, I’ll be posting on my in-the-mo reaction to the Super Bowl ads. Which means I’ll actually have to watch the game. Which is okay, because I like the Steelers. And I like the Cardinals’ Larry Fitzgerald. And we have a great TV. And Bruce and E-Street are on at halftime.
So, here we go:
GI Joe movie - Great special effects. Not enough to get me to ever even consider watching this movie. But great special effects.
Avon - who knew the Avon Ladies were still in force. (To quote one “I can’t get fired, I can’t get laid off”. Quite a timely ad. Ding-dong, Avon calling.)
McDonald’s - Ronald McDonald House - nothing to criticize here. And even if there were, who’d be enough of a heel to criticize it?
NFL - Kurt Warner’s NFL Moment. Ho, hum.
NBC - Okay on the music - Joe Cocker’s “Feeling Alright” - but I don’t watch any of these shows.
Hyundai Genesis - A boring car ad. (And Hyundai’s way to hard to spell.)
Were any of the above “official” Super Bowl ads? I think not.
Hyundai Genesis with Smashing Pumpkins music - Bullitt! This one’s for the boys, I guess. (Am I spelling Hyundai right?)
Bud Ad - Drinkability? Drinking on the job. There’s a nice concept to promote. Sure, it’s tempting, but….
Angels & Demons - movie trailer. Like Tom Hanks. I’m sure I’ll see this when it comes to the small screen.
Audi - More crazy Bullitt driving. I just don’t get it. What’s this even an ad for?
Pepsi - “Forever Young.” Bob Dylan a-shillin’ for soda. Don’t trust anyone. Period.
Doritos - Smashing snowglobes! Funny-ish. Kinda, sorta. On second thought. Not really. I just wanted it to be funnyish.
Bud Light - Conan O’Brien. I wish I hadn’t seen that.
Year One - Yet another movie I won’t be watching.
Toyota Venza - I liked it better when I thought they said the Toyota Yenta. Yet another car I won’t be buying. And yet another boring car ad. Do people pay $3M for the boring ads, too?
*Bridgestone! Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head. Excellent.
Some movie or another. At least I think it was for a movie. More Bullitt. Only this time with a lot more girls and violence. Obviously not aimed at my demographic.
Castrol. Much as I like chimps, I could have liked without the chimp-man love. (Your kiss is on the list, of the best things in life?)
Land of the Lost. No wonder I never go to the movies anymore.
Doritos. Magic Doritos. With opera. No wonder I never eat Doritos. But I wouldn’t mind a Frito just about now. Do they even exist anymore?
Go, Daddy. Why am I a customer of these clowns?
Pepsi Max. The first diet cola for men. Oh, really.
Pedigree. Wild animals don’t make good pets, so you should adopt a dog. Kind of cute.
Bud. I am a complete sucker for the Clydesdales. Still wouldn’t get me to actually drink a Bud.
Bud. Loved that Clydesdale leaping the chasm.
Star Trek. What did I say about movies? Oh, yeah. No wonder I never go to them.
G - Some type of Gatorade, endorsed by all types of athletes. Do Tiger Wood and Peyton Manning really need any more money? And why don’t they put the names under these folks? Are we really supposed to know who everyone is?
*Cars.com - David Abernathy regains his confidence. Loved the newborn shaking hands with the OB in the delivery room. Very clever.
Hyundai Genesis - Win one little award, and everybody’s talking about you. Pretty good ad.
E-Trade. The trader baby dudes’s got a pal, who’s - what else - cute as a button. I must admit, I love these ads.
UP - Pixar/Walt Disney - Now here’s a movie I might actually watch.
Bud Light - More drinkability. This time it’s the guy with the magic drawing finger, only now he’s on the ski slopes, rather than where I usually see him, which is in a bar. I know that Bud is way into branding “drinkability”, but isn’t that sort of a minimum requirement for a beer? Isn’t that kind of like saying that food is eatable. Or software is usable? (Okay. All software isn’t usable.)
H&R Block. Grim reaper. Nice visuals.
Teleflora - Trash-talking flowers in a box. Borderline cruel. No like it. But I do know first hand that those flowers in a box can be a big mistake. (Nothing like sending flowers for a funeral that show up DOA.)
*Cheetos - Woman in an outdoor cafe gets back at an obnoxious cell-phone user by tossing a couple of Cheetos under her chair. The pigeons descend! Very funny.
FIRST HALF WINNERS: Bridgestone, Cars.com, Cheetos.
No American car makers here, I note. Guess they don’t want to use any bailout money on ads.
Although I am rooting for the Steelers, it’s sure a lot easier watching the Super Bowl if you don’t have a dog in the hunt. But what an exciting runback that was.
Monsters vs. Aliens brought to us by Intel - 3D Ad. Might have liked it better if I’d figured out where my old 3D glasses are.
SoBe Lifewater. Football ballerinas. And lizards. (Is it the Geico reptiles working OT?) Not bad. But Lifewater? Is that a dumb name or what?
Nextel - What if roadies ran the world. Good ad, but nothing new.
NFL Network - Year round football? No, thanks.
Heroes - Very confusing thing with football players and a cheerleader and John Elway flying in. I don’t get it.
Hope I don’t miss any good ads while I run to the kitchen to make a chicken and cucumber sandwich. (A little butter, a little salt. Yum! (I wish we had some Cheetos out there.)
HALF TIME WINNERS: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. (Talk about gritty Pittsburgh kind of entertainment.)
Toyota Tundra - I’d rather see “Like a Rock,” or “This is our country.” Please. This is the Super Bowl. Can’t we have at least one American car ad?
Priceline - Like it or not, William Shatner is funny.
“Overstock” - Carolos Boozer buying bling on line ok.
Universal - Get back your inner-hero?
NBC - The medical problems when people laugh to much at hilarious NBC shows. Disgusting. I didn’t LMAO. Not at all.
Acura. Just another boring car ad.
Comcast. The Slowskys
Nerf. I guess Hasbro had to spend the money on the slot, not the ad production.
Acela - Nice ad, but this must be local.
Dodge - Well, wave the flag: an American car ad.
Bernie and Phyll’s. Yep, definitely local. (Quality, comfort and price - that’s nice.)
Coke - Strangers in a crowd. Eh.
Bridgestone. Moon vehicle get stripped. Fun. Nice production.
Denny’s. Not that I’lll eat there, but the hoods tring to have a serious breakfast is funny.
*Monster.com. Sometimes the moosehead’s attached to a moose, and the nether quarters end up in your office. Excellent.
*Bud - Clydesdale leaving Scotland in 1933. for America. Trying all sorts of jobs before finding the right one. I loved this ad. But what’s with Jake the Clydesdale saying “I love this country.” Are we supposed to forget that Budweiser is no longer American-owned.
Race to Witch Mountain - Yet another movie ad. Not my cup o’ tea.
Transformers. Spare me.
Career Builders. If you hate going to work…Very funny ad, if overlong. I could have done without the koala punchout. I liked the Monster ad better.
Coke - Nice oboe. Nice Peter and the Wolf music.Nice insects. Nice flowers. But made me think too much about all that sugar in Coke.
Frosted Flakes. Plant the seed. Rebuild the fields. Tony the Tiger. Haven’t had a Frosted Flake in years. Make that decades.
Conan O’Brien Show. Tina Fey and her “If your Conan lasts more than 3 hours, call a doctor” bit was kind of funny.
NFL - Usama Young and his father. Sweet and funny.
Heineken. John Turturro for Heineken.Huh? Nein-eken
Dunkin’ Donuts - You kin’ do it.
AMICA - Low budget - this must be local-ville again. (I do like Amica as an insurance company, however. They’re really great.)
Route 44 Toyota in Raynham. Yep, we’re local. The ultimate in low-budge.
Chuck - Do these TV ads count as Super Bowl ads, or are these fillers for slots that don’t get bought?
Hyundai Assurance - If you buy a car and you lose your job. What a downer.
Coke Zero - Mean Joe Green take-off. Troy Polamalu. is cuter than Mean Joe, but the ad’s a dud.
Cash4Gold - With Ed McMahon. Pathetic. (And these guys have $3M for an ad?)
Vizio - Nothing much here.
Taco Bell - The instant date.
*GE - Smart Grid Technology. Wizard of Oz - “If I only had a brain.” Loved it.
Hulu - With Alec Baldwin. Enough already.
GE - Wind energy. Very nice. Maybe I’m just happy to see B2B-ish something or other.
Pepsi - Macgruber. Pepsuber. Moderately amusing.
BudLight - It’s summertime. Sounds disgusting.
GoDaddy - Girls gone wild at a Senate hearing. A bit of indecent exposure. Again, why do I register a couple of URLs with these clowns?
*ETrade - Little dude golfin’ with the old dude. Way funny.
SECOND HALF WINNERS: Bud - Clydesdale. Monster.com. GE. ETrade.
OVERALL FAVORITES: Cheetos, Monster, GE.
Bottom line: Still doesn’t make me want to do consumer product marketing. And $3M per 30 seconds ad time? That’s some advertising budget, isn’t it? Sure, you have all these eyeballs on the ad, but given the hype and expectation, how many ads hit the mark, vs. disappoint and/or annoy? And I’d like to see some analysis on whether these ads are at all worth it.
As for the game: What an ending! Happy to see Pittsburgh win, for all the reasons I laid out here.
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For a stroll down Super Bowl ad lane:
Opinionated Marketers Super Bowl Ad Review I
Opinionated Marketers Super Bowl Ad Review II
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You have terrible taste.
Dave - You’re certainly entitled to your opinion, but I’m curious to hear in what respect. The ads I liked or didn’t like? If so, what were your picks? Or is it rooting for the Steelers?