Super Bowl XLIV

The lesson I’ve learned after this year’s Super Bowl? Aside from the fact that the Saints are #1, it was made crystal clear that there are far more bad ads out there than good. So which first- the good news or the bad news? Bad news always, as it goes. Exhibit A.) No surprise here: Godaddy.com, 2 years in a row. Firstly, there was their tired attempt to exploit a celebrity athlete and exhibit gratuitous sex. They didn’t even try to provide one bit of whit- or information at that! Who even knows what Godaddy is? No one at the Super Bowl party I attended, that’s for sure. For the record, it’s a search engine (which I found out after visiting the site, I’m ashamed to say.) The spa one was especially frightening. Danica Patrick needs to do us, the viewers, the advertising industry, and herself a favor and take her money and run. At least this ad saves the agency industry some shame- their ads are in house.
Exhibit B.) The Bud Light spots courtesy of Cannonball, St. Louis. While these ads may not have been the worst of the bunch, they’re on my list because I expected better. The first one of the evening showcased a group of nerdy astronauts letting loose and getting down in what they perceived to be their last moments before an asteroid hit. All I have to say about that is that it seemed like someone at Cannonball didn’t feel like making a true attempt at humor the day that pitch was made because that’s some pretty weak humor. The second spot I’m referring to revolved around a husband calling up his buddies and beginning a song number with electronic T-pain voices. To be harsh, this spot was annoying, another weak shot at humor, and featured a pretty shameless celebrity endorsement (none other than T-Pain himself) at the end. You can do better, Bud Light!
Exhibit C.) Boost Mobile. 180, Los Angeles
An example that not all things 80’s can come back in style, even if you place Ray Ban wayfarers in the spot. This was one of the first ads I saw and was discouraged by its lack of effort. The people at 180 Los Angeles need to go back into the office and imagine an ad filled with wit and perhaps even a little information about the service, rather than make a poor attempt at recreating an ad from the 80’s, replacing the Chicago Bears with old actors. Bizarre, and not in a good way.


Google. In-house
My favorite ad this year was one that surprised me, made me smile, and made me feel a special connection with the service all at the same time. The ad that I am referring to is Google’s Parisian Love ad. Perhaps part of the reason my heart was warmed by this ad is because I just returned from studying abroad in Paris and am guilty of having typed in those very same searches. In any case, I found the ad to be spot- on. It was humanizing in that everyone can relate to having typed in obscure, often embarrassing searches into the site. It was artful in the choice of sound, with the music perfectly melodic for the copy and the sound bites of French being spoken here and there. I loved that the only image that appeared the whole time was either the search box or the results page. There was no question at any point what the spot was advertising, which brings me to another reason I loved it; I can not recall having ever seen one Google ad. One would not think such an established service ( I mean the brand has even been made into a verb) would need an advertisement. It was a case of perfect timing for this ad. We live in a world where everyone Googles and it has become so much a part of our schema that everyone can relate. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised, and impressed. Apparently Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, spent time on Apple’s board. I find this funny because I was going to say that the ad reminded me a bit of some of Apple’s striking ads. Side note, where were those? I missed them! Google’s ad was done in-house, not by Weiden + Kennedy.
Dove. Ogilvy
About this spot I was not so sure at first. When I heard that Dove was coming out with a line of skin care products for men, I figured their approach would be somewhat similar to that of the women’s line: comforting, heart-warming, be-yourself-because-you-are-wonderful type of direction. Instead, the first of many images in this spot’s montage was a close up of sperm swimming to an egg. Ogilvy definitely gets points for knowing their audience. Even I was moved to try out the new product. Dove is not trying to sell the machismo, man of the household image here. Instead, they took the unpredicted path and capitalized on the well-known, not usually admitted feeling inherent among men. They showed some less than flattering truths that rather than show what men are supposed to be like, show what most men are. It was real and relatable, and not too sappy, as I had previously expected. Instead of preaching to be comfortable as the women’s ads do, the slogan at the end admonished, “ Now that you’re confident with who you are, isn’t it time for comfortable skin?”
Chrysler. Weiden + Kennedy, Portland
At the beginning, I thought this ad was going to be the second installation of Careerbuilder.com’s ad from last year’s Super Bowl (my pick for favorite at Super Bowl XLIIX.) That said, I wasn’t disappointed to watch the ad unreal and find out it was for Chrysler’s Dodge. The expressions on the faces of the men are hilarious. The copy is honest and relatable, which too is humorous. This ad manages to hit home with men of all types, and women too. It’s not your typical macho truck commercial. Way to go, Chrysler!