Each year, the Super Bowl attracts the largest television audience, and businesses seeking large exposure try to place the catchiest, most effective advertisements. Some succeed, and others fail incredibly. Here is a list of some of the best and worst commercials from this year's Super Bowl.
The Best:
- Budweiser:
One of the key elements to a successful commercial, although not always needed, is a strong narrative. Budweiser succeeded in many of its spots to provide, in its limited amount of airtime, short scenes. Some, like the dual Dalmatians and the flying mouse, achieved only middling results. However, the lobster ad was by far Budweiser's most successful spot. The conflict between chefs and a to-be-boiled lobster made for a darkly comical premise that worked extremely well.
Budweiser also scored with a Bud Light ad where two guys must decide between a six-pack and toilet paper. The commercial manages to be suggestively scatological and very funny.
Lastly, just when the Budweiser reptiles seemed to be getting old, a new spot featuring angry frogs attacking an iguana brought a little new life into the ad campaign. Although, it's about time that the lakeside antics fade away. Besides, the iguanas were never as much fun as the frogs.
- Apple:
An example of a strong, non-narrative commercial, the Apple spot featuring HAL the computer is a smart, well-timed exploitation of "Y2K Bug" fear. The spot not only reminds viewers that Macintosh is prepared to enter the 21st century, but suggests that those without Apple computers are essentially dealing with destructive machines. All this delivered by the icon of computer paranoia, HAL.
- Monster.com:
A relatively obscure company made its mark with a clever commercial featuring kids talking about their future. Instead of wanting to be firemen or doctors, they want to be "middle management" or "forced to go into early retirement." This sly satire of the changing workplace is a particularly effective now at the height of senior recruiting.
- WWF:
In a bit of self-parody, Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Rock, Vince McMahon and others told viewers why WWF is family friendly and virtuous. Seeing the usually ultra-serious members of the wrestling world act tongue-and-cheek is a refreshing and very funny change.
- Cracker Jacks:
Cracker Jacks created one of the more slapsticky spots of the evening by introducing the new "Big Bag." The commercial features an old man getting crushed by the bag at a sporting event and a little girl finding a pony as the gift.
- Federal Express:
An amusing "what if" scenario where the Stanley Cup gets sent to Bolivia instead of to the championship game. The payoff is pretty predictable, but enjoyable all the same.
Honorable Mention:
Austin Powers:
Granted, this spot was released before the game, which makes it ineligible to be a true Super Bowl commercial, but it still was one of the best spots of the night. Mike Myers strikes gold in a parody of the "Star Wars" hype.
Disappointments:
- Pepsi One:
The setup seemed great: a "Reservoir Dogs" rip-off. But the commercial failed to go anywhere and eventually relied on Cuba Gooding, Jr. to provide the payoff by exploding a car. The interest piqued in the first half of the spot was completely lost and left unexploited.
- 7-Up:
In a desperate attempt to appeal to Generation X, 7-Up released this lame commercial which featured a "Soft Drink Syndicate" that was out to get 7-Up drinkers. The entire commercial lacked any sort of wit, and its hyper tone seemed to be more like an annoying "Mountain Dew" spot than anything else.
- Progressive Insurance:
After a much hyped half-time extravaganza, E.T. made an appearance in a Progressive Insurance spot that relied more on the alien's recognizability than on wit or creativity. As a result, the commercial was simply a mediocre take on space travel.
- Visa Checkcard:
Again, another wasted opportunity occurs in this spot. A woman is seen through a keyhole talking on the phone. The commercial suggests that it is a stalker, but in the end, the viewer is simply a husband stuck in a bathroom. It just didn't work.
