Super Bowl 51 Ads

POLL: The Super Bowl Ads We’re Suckers For

UPDATED 2/10/2017

Over the years, we’ve seen tons of Super Bowl ads. Some make you laugh. Some make you weep. Some make you go “aww, look at that cute little kitten eating Doritos”. This year, we’ve divided up our staff picks into categories – Social Responsibility, Just for Laughs, Celebrity Antics, and Cute & Quirky.We pitted our favorites against each other, and you voted. Scroll down to see which categories and ads we loved, and which spot reigned supreme this year.

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CATEGORY 1 – SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Chuck’s Pick: Coca-Cola, “America the Beautiful”

This Coca-Cola spot (which originally aired in 2014) is the perfect example of corporate responsibility and leadership. It took guts and delivered a strong, timely message about America that we all need to think about. The iconic brands need to lead. And Coke did exactly that.

 

Michelle’s Pick: Audi, “Daughter”

As a proud, working mom of a sassy seven-year-old, this ad really struck a chord with me. I, like many other parents of girls, want her to know that she can accomplish anything. I love that a big brand like Audi is rallying around that idea and making it a part of their corporate culture.

Kevin’s Pick: Audi, “Daughter”

It’s nice to see a luxury brand take a strong stance on a social issue like equal pay. Very well done with beautifully shot visuals and a powerful message. 

 

Kelly’s Pick: 84 Lumber, “The Journey Begins”

This brand isn’t necessarily a typical Super Bowl participant, but they stood out with a compelling, emotional story. The spot really resonated within the current political climate and spoke to the true character of the brand. It also has a clear call-to-action, driving people to their site to learn the rest of the story. It was so compelling that their site actually crashed right after the ad aired! 

 

Nick H’s Pick: Budweiser, “Born the Hard Way”

The Anheuser-Bush immigration spot was well produced and relevant to topics in the news today. It’s great for a major company that is viewed by the public as tried-and-true American to remind us that we are almost all from somewhere else, and at some point our ancestors were probably treated poorly. So be kind.

 

CATEGORY 2 – JUST FOR LAUGHS

JP’s Pick: T-Mobile, “#NSFWireless”

I felt like it was a lackluster year for Super Bowl commercials overall. A part of me almost missed Puppy-Monkey-Baby. However, if I had to pick a favorite spot, it would be Kristen Schaal in the T-Mobile commercials, for three reasons: 1) I’m a sucker for funny; 2) Kristen Schaal is an underrated comedic talent, and I’m glad she got to flex her muscle on a primetime stage; and 3) 50 Shades of Grey is one of the more ridiculous phenomena of this past decade, and I thoroughly enjoy seeing it lampooned.

 

CATEGORY 3 – CELEBRITY ANTICS

Vin’s Pick: Squarespace, “Who Is JohnMalkovich.com?”

The only thing more disappointing for me than the Falcons’ defense (<cough> choke <cough>) was the quality of this year’s crop of Super Bowl ads.  From the well-intentioned to the trying-too-hard, most of the ads for Super Bowl LI really fell flat. If I had to pick one as a favorite, I would probably lean toward Squarespace’s “Who Is JohnMalkovich.com?”

 

Nick D’s Pick: Tide, “Stain”

I was at a Super Bowl party, and we all saw Terry Bradshaw commentating on the game and began asking: “is that a ketchup stain on his shirt!?” And then a few minutes later it all made sense. The Tide commercial arranged it as a setup for a highly amusing commercial. Great way to break the ad walls and actually make things interesting.

 

Lauren’s Pick: Buick, “Not So Pee Wee Football”

Buick’s Cam Newton commercial was the standout ad in the first half. Watching Newton, one of the more boisterous personalities in the NFL, crush a Pee Wee football team was fun, funny, and easy to get in a loud party or bar. And it clearly communicates the message Buick has been hammering into consumers heads for the past year: the new Buicks are not like the Buicks of yore. Not to mention Twitter had a field day skewering him on last year’s Super Bowl performance.

 

CATEGORY 4 – CUTE & QUIRKY

Rachael’s Pick: Skittles, “Romance”

The Skittles ad was simple. It was fun. And goofy. Most importantly, it made me wish I was catching some Skittles!

 

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