This year’s Super Bowl was quite memorable as the Steelers and Cardinals hit it out late with the Steel City winning their sixth NFL Championship, but the game itself isn’t just known for the play on the field; it’s also known for the commercials on the TV sets across the nation. Here is a recap of some of the best (and worst) ads of Super Bowl XLIII.
First Quarter
Bud Light “Meeting:” Not a great spot from the usually superior Bud Light, but it does grab a chuckle. Then again, office Bud Light commercials will never live up to the “Swear Jar” spot. Not a great start. C+
Audi “Chase:” It’s a sleek piece from the German car company in a year of automotive downturn, but nothing too special. Jason Statham is a nice touch, but it isn’t high- octane enough. B
Pepsi “Refresh Anthem:” It’s a neat concept, and the minimalism definitely works, but Will.I.Am is no comparison to Bob Dylan. Some of the generation parallels are cool to think about; however, ironically, it won’t stand the test of time. B-
Doritos “Snow Globe:” While it’s classic comedy, it does work; in fact, it worked very well. Definitely in the top tier of this year’s Super Bowl commercials. And no ad agencies worked on it. Leave it to the aspiring to be the best! A-
Bud Light “Swedish:” We’ve all seen international commercials with Hollywood A-listers, so we know where they were going with this. Also, I think Conan O’Brien will take any chance to be goofy and awkward. B+
Toyota “Faces:” Just a typical car commercial; nothing new or flashy or thought-provoking from Toyota. D
Second Quarter
Bridgestone “Taters:” The immortal “Mr. Potato Head” couple flexes a bit of comedy in a predictable but humorous piece. Bridgestone has done better. B
Doritos “The Power of Crunch:” Again, more good stuff from the fans of Doritos. Not as good as the “Snow Globe” spot, but turning the cop into a monkey along with the ending were quite funny. B+
GoDaddy.com “Shower:” What are you doing, Danica Patrick? You’re a beautiful and talented IRL drive; why don’t you put your foot down like it’s the accelerator and tell the misogynists at GoDaddy.com where to stick these ads? (This goes for the fourth quarter “Enhancement” ad.) D-
Pepsi Max “I’m Good:” Pain is pleasure in terms of Super Bowl ads, and Pepsi takes full advantage of this. It’s not great, but it is pretty funny. B
Budweiser “Clydesdale Stick:” The Clydesdale is a staple of Budweiser’s advertising, and this is a cute reincarnation of the marketing tool, making the horse play fetch, but it doesn’t live up to previous spots. B
Budweiser “Clydesdale Circus:” Better than the previous Clydesdale spot, as the male lead horse gallops to the tune of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” to reach his love, a show horse in a circus. B+
Cars.com “David Abernathy:” What could have ended up being a really funny commercial just fell flat on it’s proverbial face when we found out that the do-no-wrong David Abernathy also worries about buying cars. C+
E*Trade “Flex the Pipes:” The talking baby is back and he’s brought a musical buddy along with him. Last year’s highest rated commercial line comes back with another good one. A-
H&R Block “Death and Taxes:” Nothing is certain except death and taxes, and H&R Block combined two of these most feared things in life into a mediocre advert. C+
Teleflora “Talking Flowers: This is my underdog spot of Super Bowl XLIII. It’s a lesser known company making a very simple, surreal and funny piece; perfect for the Super Bowl. A-
Cheetos “Snobby Girl:” Subtract how creepy Chester the Cheetah is in these spots, and you have some great fun. This time, pigeons disrupt the actions of the commercial’s antagonist in a hilarious fashion. A-
Halftime
SoBe “Lizard Lake:” This 3D spot (joined with “Aliens and Monsters” and “Chuck” 3D ads) shows those damn lizards and NFL hard hitters Matt Light, Justin Tuck and Ray Lewis dancing. At least there was no Naomi Campbell! C+
Priceline “Help:” It’s always fun to have William Shatner give commands to someone who impersonates him, but again, it’s not Super Bowl worthy. C+
Miller High Life “1-Second Ad:” For a one second ad, here’s a one second review: Genuine. B+
Third Quarter
Coca-Cola “Avatar:” This was a nice ad from Coke, especially in a world where we live behind our online personas. One of the bright gems from a usual contender in a rather dull ad year. A-
Bridgestone “Hot Item:” I’m not really sure what a space rover on an alien planet has to do with tires, but it was kind of funny. B-
Denny’s “Thugs:” The best thing about this ad was the offer to America: A free Grand Slam breakfast on Tuesday. Other than that, it’s nothing special. C-
Budweiser “Clydesdale Generations:” A very sincere advert with a subtext of immigration to the U.S. Ironically, Budweiser is owned by a Belgian company now. B+
CareerBuilder.com “Tips:” In a very cheap, very easy way, CareerBuilder.com made us laugh and question what we think about when we work at crummy jobs. A-
Fourth Quarter
Coke Zero “Mean Troy:” At first, this scared me. I thought they were going to destroy a classic, but they spin it around with the Coke lawyers and make it one of the best spots this year. A-
Cash4Gold.com “Heeere’s Money!:” I hate Cash4Gold spots, but I loved this one. Easily my favorite this year. Watching Ed McMahon pawn his gold commode is, well, “gold.” A
Hulu.com “An Evil Plot:” I always thought there was something odd with those Baldwins! A funny and self-serving spot that is even more meta-textual when watched on Hulu.com. B+
Pepsi “PepSuber/MacGruber:” It’s sad to think the writers of Saturday Night Live find this funny, but also the marketing heads of Pepsi. Withholding the laugh track wasn’t an option; there were just no laughs. D
Critic’s Conclusion: This year’s Super Bowl had a few good ones, but not a lot of instant classics or anything to really build off of. The recession can be blamed all day, but it can’t take the credit for destroying creativity. B-
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