I hope my “man card” isn’t revoked for saying this, but I am stoked for the Super Bowl, only because of the ads. There. I said it. I know every dude in their primordial alpha-male instinct is ready for blood shed or to reign victorious in their Fantasy League and have bragging rights for the next year. However, after spending the last 5 years at the Mayborn School studying advertising, staying sharp on advertisments, and (snobishly) critiquing every ad I see and hear, the Super Bowl serves as a mecca for brands to showcase their $4 million dollar marketing budget in attempt to win over the hearts and dollars of millions of Americans. So without any further adieu, I present to you some of the best Super Bowl spots of 2014:
1. Let’s begin with an ad that gets us excited that the Super Bowl is even happening. This one is from Sports Center, and it may not be their actual Super Bowl spot, but it is pretty damn funny.
2. QUICK! WATCH IT BEFORE IT’S TAKEN DOWN!! This heart-warming ad from Guinness brings on the feels and just in time for the Olympics. The Olympic committee bans athletes from appearing in ads for non-official sponsors during the event. This ad, of course, is done by the great BBDO in New York. I fell in love with BBDO and Guinness after one of my mentors, Peter Noble, took my peers and I to an advertising museum in London. I’ll let the ad do the rest of the talking.
3. Next up, we have a wacky spot from Volkswagen by the ad agency, Argonaut. The whole idea behind this spot is “longevity,” and that after 100,000 miles on a Volkswagen, a VW engineer gets his wings. And you gotta see what the engineers get after 200,000 miles. Pretty quirky and funny and something you’d expect from the German automobile maker.
4. This EPIC spot involves the new Kia K900, the return of the Matrix, and Morpheus singing opera. What are you waiting for?! I leave you with this. Red key? or Blue key? This spot is from the agency, David & Goliath.
5. Here is an ad and brand that is reflecting the times. General Mills brings this spot from Saatchi & Saatchi, which shows us this interracial couple and family. Hopefully this isn’t a repeat of last year’s similar interracial commercial that had to shut off the comments section on YouTube because of racist comments. Either way, I think this ad is adorable.
6. OK, car ads are sometimes dull, redundant, even over the top. But if you like the muppets, the guy from Old Spice commercials (Terry Crew) grand pianos, and Toyota, then you’ll have a good chuckle at this one. This is also done by Saatchi & Saatchi LA. #NoRoomForBoring
7. Wieden + Kennedy bring us this spot for TurboTax. Was 2013 your year? TurboTax thinks so. John C. Riley lightens this minute and a half spot up with his narration.
“Ransacked” by Droga5 brings together a bear, Bob Dylan, and Chobani Yogurt to the tune of Dylan’s 1966 classic, I Want You. I once had the pleasure of meeting the creative director of Droga5, Graham Douglass. I was real giddy when I saw they were behind this ad.
“Cup of yogurt won’t change the world,” the voice adds. “But how we make it, might.” The tagline is “How matters.”
9. This spot from Oikos Greek Yogurt by Vinizius/Y&R teases us with the reunion of the Full House cast. If you were a fan of the TV show in the late 80’s / early 90’s, I’m sure you’ll be real giddy after watching this. I have been unable to find a full version, but this preview should suffice. #FuelYourPleasure
10. In honor of Stephen Colbert, two professional football teams will play a game on February 2nd for Colbert’s first Wonderful Pistachio commercial. #GetCrackinAmerica
11. & 12. are both brought to you by Hyundai. Both are simple, clever, and overall pretty amusing. Innocean USA did a pretty good job with both of these.
No. 11 brings us Johnny Galecki (Roseanne & Big Bang Theory) attempting to gain the attention of the woman driving a similar Hyundai as him.
No. 12 is a little more whimsical and shows the funny part of raising a son and being a father in “Dad’s 6th Sense.” Hyundai is showcasing their new “auto-emergency break” featured on the new Hyundai Genesis.
13. While I am on a streak of car ads, I might as well present to you, “Doberhuahua” from Audi by Venables Bell & Partners. It’s weird. It’s wacky. And I’m still not too sure what I think of it. Sarah McLachlan makes an appearance and it’s reassuring to know that Audi wants to #StayUncompromised
14. Here is an action packed spot for you! This is the first time Jaguar has debuted an ad for the Super Bowl and it’s great. Much like the F Type that Jaguar is showcasing, this ad is sleek and sexy and somewhat reminiscent of James Bond. Spark 44 brings us this “Good to Be Bad,” ad that was directed by Tom Hooper, who won Best Director for “The King’s Speech” at the 2011 Academy Awards. Jaguar reveals that the brand has tapped the talents of legendary U.K. actor, Ben Kingsley. Enjoy! #GoodToBeBad
15. OK. Done with the car ads. But I will conclude that category with the spot from Carmax, by Silver + Partners. This is Carmax’s first Super Bowl ad since 2011. I’m not too stoked on this ad
BUT….
15 1/2. They made a puppy version! #puppies #aww
16. What would the Super Bowl be without beer? BudLight teases us with a shit ton of celebrities including the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Reggie Watts. This ad was created by the legendary BBDO. We aren’t left with much to think of, but you can bet it will be pretty epic.
17. You thought you might escape the epidemic of “twerking” in 2013, but M&M’s and power house agency, BBDO shows us the Yellow M&M gettin’ his Miley on before he is tranquilized and passes out. We are left with an ominous hand leaning in with a sign that reads, “Find out what happens to Yellow on 2/2/14.” The suspense is killing me! This is also part of 2014 “The Year of the Peanut,” campaign
18. OK, I guess it’s time to roll out one of the titans. Coca-Cola brings us “Going All the Way” by Wieden + Kennedy. This spot is somewhat reminiscent of the infamous Mean Joe Green ad from 1979. This ad features a benchwarmer, pee wee football player named Adrian that scores a touchdown , pulls a “Forrest Gump,” and runs all the way to Lambeau Field. What is pretty neat is that Adrian is awarded a Coca-Cola by an actual groundskeeper of Lambeau Field.
19. I was a little bummed when I found out that I wasn’t going to be seeing Bart Simpson in this year’s Butterfinger spot by agency, Dailey. Instead, we are left with a couple that are like peanut butter and chocolate #CupTherapy
20. Newcomer, Squarespace, a website-platform produced this spot in house. It’s :30 seconds of dark, depressing humor of happening that we encounter everyday while browsing the interwebz. Not too sure if this is going to be a boom or bust for the first-time Super Bowl advertiser. You may or may not have already seen this ad as it was first ran during last Monday’s football game.
21. If you have seen the Super Bowl before, you already know that GoDaddy has put out some pretty racy, awkward, sex-driven, Danica Patrick filled commercials. But that will all change this year. GoDaddy is bringing us “less sleaze” in their 2014 spot by Deutsch New York. It’s a little weak compared to their traditional M.O. I think I want sexy Danica back. It has also been said that a woman will quit her actual job as part of a GoDaddy stunt during the Super Bowl. Interested in seeing what that is all about.
22. I don’t have a clip of the Bank of America spot by Hill Holiday Boston & Mad London, but I do know this: The commercial will feature Bono and the rest of U2 performing a new song called “Invisible,” which will be available free on iTunes during the game and over the next 24 hours. Bank of America said it will donate $1 for every download in that time, up to $2 million. How awesome is that?!
23. NewCastle Brown Ale. Anna Kendrick is hot. Just watch.
24. I previously wrote a blog when I first came across this spot. All I can say is, good on you AXE!
25. I wanted to conclude this blog post with what I thought was one of the best ads of this year’s Super Bowl. This is the debut of BBDO on the account Cannonball & the Budweiser’s ads are from Anomaly. What do you think? (Prepare for the feels)
Who to Expect: You can almost guarantee seeing the likes of Beats: By Dre, Chevy, H&M, Heinz Ketchup (which is coming out of retirement after 16 years!) Intuit, Pepsi, and I am hoping to see an EPIC follow up from Dodge after last years, “God Made a Farmer,” spot from one of my favorites, The Richards Group. I would also like to point out that the underdog, Stream Soda, had their 2014 Super Bowl spot rejected (again) after going after the likes of soda titans, Coca-Cola & Pepsi. I was really rooting for Stream this year. Thanks for checking this out!
Hello. I'm Trip 