Super Bowl Ads 2013

Yesterday I received an email from Hulu Plus (for which I recently signed up in an effort to remain at least marginally in the loop of modern television after canceling cable last year) prompting me to look at the top five ads from Sunday's Super Bowl broadcast. A couple years ago, when I was working on a show about advertising, I used the blogosphere to chronicle some of the game's best spots. This year, where I once again watched the game in a household that collectively cared more about the commercials than the outcome of the game (although that was not the case for yours truly: CONGRATULATIONS RAVENS!!!1), I was decidedly underwhelmed with what some of the nation's top advertisers brought to the table. But that doesn't mean there weren't some gems here and there.

Looking back at my old article from 2011, I wouldn't be surprised if we remembered Super Bowl XLV more for its revolutionary automotive ads than yet another big game featuring Ben Rapethlisberger. (This year was the first Super Bowl in 10 years not to include either Big Ben, Tom Brady, or Peyton Manning - a welcome break from the headline makers and commercial hogs.) Volkswagen's "The Force" spot still ranks as one of the most loved commercials of all time, completely overshadowing last year's dog-themed effort and this year's racially insensitive spot where a white cubicle jockey from Minnesota feels the need to talk like a Rasta. Still not sure what Jamaican culture has to do with a German car company; it might actually have been funnier if the spot's protagonist spoke in an exaggerated German accent instead.

Kia and Audi followed up their impressive offerings from two years ago, the former with a convoluted explanation of where babies come from (spoiler alert: it involves lots of cute rocket ships) and the latter told an evocative story of what adventures might result from going stag to the prom (spoiler alert: it involves a pretty nasty shiner). Jeff Bridges is still narrating for Hyundai, who also sponsored the pre-game show but failed to come up with any truly head-turning ads. But the most enigmatic car ads of the day came from the Chrysler Group: ads for halftime show sponsor Jeep and Ram Trucks lasted far too long and looked like they were advertising for the Army and the agricultural subsidy, respectively. As beautiful as the ads might have been, I doubt if they left viewers thinking about the brand or their products.

The above-mentioned Kia spot was the lone car ad to make it into Hulu's Top 5 (at number 5, no less). Number 1 was the return of the irresistible Budweiser Clydesdales. This heartwarming 60 second spot takes us through the life of a horse, from its upbringing, to its sale to its new corporate masters, to when it escapes from its bonds for a touching reunion with its trainer. Thankfully the spot cuts out before the Budweiser security team tackles and punishes the rogue animal. Number 2 was GoDaddy's 30 second offering where supermodel Bar Refaeli makes out with a stereotypically nerdy computer programmer. The fact that so many people are up in arms about this spot says much more about aesthetics in our society than about website domain hosting.

Next, at Number 3, people were talking about the winner of Doritos' annual Crash the Super Bowl contest, "Goat 4 Sale." While it's always fun to see animals beat up on unsuspecting humans, I actually preferred the other Doritos spot, "Daddy Princess," where a group of jocks submit to wearing dresses and makeup in order to cash in on the sweet snackly reward. Rounding out the list, Number 4 was The Rock's action movie inspired romp through the city as he goes on a mission to restock his fridge with milk. What a coincidence that the pro-wrestler-turned-action-star made a triumphant return to the ring just days earlier to win the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble, just in time for his big Super Bowl moment.

So those were supposedly the most talked about ads, but none of them were among my favorite ads of the afternoon. An Oreo ad where all hell quietly breaks loose in a library following an escalated debate about over the superiority of the cookies or the creme had everyone in the room in stitches. (It's obviously the creme, btw.) Amy Poehler displays her brilliant comedic timing in a spot for Best Buy. (But I'll still always hate you for breaking GOB's heart...) YouTube record holder Psy makes an appearance using his trademark dance moves to plug pistachios. (I'm still not sick of that song, but that's coming from someone who took the trouble to learn all the lyrics in Korean for the sake of karaoke night.) Taco Bell put an elderly spin on its "Live Más" campaign with a charming story about a group of seniors who escape from their retirement home for a night of partying. (UPDATE: Production company Biscuit Filmworks just posted the director's cut for this spot, featuring a MUCH more convincing music track than the version that aired.)

And last but not least, for a brilliant combination of storytelling and relevance, I have to mention Tide's "No Stain is Sacred," where a 49ers fan drops some salsa on his favorite jersey, which miraculously lands in the shape of legendary quarterback Joe Montana. He does the talk show circuit, earns millions in endorsements, and transforms his house into a shrine... only to have his jersey washed by a crafty Ravens fan. So in a Super Bowl broadcast marred by a 35-minute blackout, we still saw some pretty decent advertising. The real test now is to see what these ads do for their brands' bottom lines.