Last night’s Super Bowl featured some unbelievable moves, a few great plays, and a large supply of head scratching. And that’s just the football game. For many, the most anticipated advertising event of the year boasted a few shining moments and a whole lot of “they paid $4.5MM for that?”
We asked you to weigh in on which ads you thought were most effective. Here’s what voters in the WTNH.com poll had to say:
Which brand’s Super Bowl ad(s) did you think were most effective during the big game?
So how did WTNH voters compare to the pros? Here’s our take on last night’s advertising smack down:
My pick: Budweiser, “Lost Dog.” Puppies win every time. And when faced with weaker competition and a few spots that we’re still trying to forget, the feel-good sentimentality of man’s best friend is no contest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAsjRRMMg_Q
Michelle’s pick: Loctite, “Positive Feelings,” (Other). The Loctite ad worked so well because unlike many ads that try to make us laugh, they didn’t do funny just for the sake of funny. They actually tied the humor directly into the benefit of the product. And while it may not actually fix marriages, Loctite’s ridiculous ending made me actually laugh out loud. And brought the name of a glue that I’ve never used right to the front of my mind.
Vin’s pick: Chevy Colorado, “Blackout,” (Other). Simple, smart, attention grabbing and memorable – everything you want in a Super Bowl ad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHS426cnNBA
Lauren’s pick: Nationwide, “Invisible Mindy Kaling,” (Other). I may be biased because I absolutely adore Mindy, but this was my favorite. The customer service message is delivered while pointing out (intentionally?) the difficulties of minority women. And, unlike the T-Mobile Commercial, Nationwide showcased Mindy’s brand of humor without it seeming forced. Not to mention, Matt Damon totally did want to kiss her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yrq8ruhmCX0
Greg’s pick: Budweiser, “Lost Dog.” I loved that A-B and the King of Beers went back to the tried and true Clydesdales and puppy. It was emotion and brand working together at their finest.
Rachael’s pick: Mophie, “All Powerless,” (Other). The post-apocalyptic thing has been done before, yes, but I think this spot perfectly captures (and pokes fun at) the sense of complete panic that occurs when you see that red battery indicator. It was a visually impressive ad with the right amount of punch deserving of the Super Bowl.
Nick’s pick: NASCAR, “America Start Your Engines,” (Other). There were a lot of ads that were trying to be overly sentimental and dramatic this year. Some were done well like Nissan’s “With Dad” and some were not, but funny is my cup of tea. You had to watch till the bitter end (I think this one was during the final commercial break) but NBC’s ad for NASCAR featuring a spoken word song by a true man’s man was the perfect kind of over the top humor that made Super Bowl ads famous in the first place.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi68a0LsLDA
Kevin’s pick: Mophie, “All Powerless,” (Other). I was expecting a powerful message with the post apocalyptic setting and great CG, but the punchline gave me a laugh. Sometimes, this is exactly how the world seems when my phone is dying. Great first impression from a company that’s new to me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TlDROaCSVA
JP’s pick: Reebok, “Freak Show,” (Other). Reebok took their Super Bowl opportunity to actually differentiate themselves from their competitors and solidified their position as the lead athletic brand in the endurance training market. Reebok hopped on the CrossFit bandwagon long before most soccer moms, when they started a 10-year partnership with CrossFit back in 2011. Today, CrossFit is a $2 billion/year company.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDb-7DY3CjU
Now that we’ve applauded brands for jobs well done, it’s time to throw some penalty flags. These ads range from millions of dollars simply wasted to some truly appalling content. Don’t forget to weigh in with your thoughts in the Comments below.
My pick: Lexus, “Make Some Noise.” Lexus managed to forget that they were on advertising’s biggest stage and ran a “we’ve seen this ad a hundred times before” spot. Forgettable.
Michelle’s pick: Nationwide, “Make Safe Happen.” Super Bowl. It’s about nachos. Beer. Adrenaline. Funny ads. And dead kids. Yeah, you heard me. Nationwide dropped a bomb in the middle of a jolly old time with its “Dead Kid” ad. Great job, Nationwide. You should have just stuck with Mindy Kaling. Yours truly, the thirty-something mom you were trying to target.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRVslkan08U
Vin’s pick: Nationwide, “Make Safe Happen.” Disturbing and depressing. The whole thing was a huge downer and a big miss. Someone should get fired over that.
Lauren’s pick: Nationwide, “Make Safe Happen.” Jarring and disturbing. “I couldn’t grow up, because I died from accident” almost seemed like a messed-up punchline. Sometimes fear can work in advertising but this spot missed the mark and was absolutely in the wrong environment.
Greg’s pick: Lexus, “Make Some Noise.” If the auto brand segment during the Super Bowl couldn’t get any worse… then Lexus decided to buy two :30’s. They ran ads that were uninspired, predictable, and just lackluster for a piece of creative that is running during the most watched television event of the year in America. Huge fail for Lexus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z7MXafzYRM
Rachael’s pick: Mercedes-Benz, “Fable.” Last month, Mercedes themselves proved that you can have humor while still maintaining a sense of luxury with this video at their Fashion Week event in Berlin. But they pulled out all the wrong stops with this goofy, unimpressive ad. While I understand the importance of reaching the wide and diverse Super Bowl audience, the fact is, most viewers can’t afford this car. And that’s okay. Just don’t simplify your message to the masses when you’re not selling to the masses. Sense of luxury completely lost.
Nick’s pick: Nationwide, “Make Safe Happen.” Extremely disturbing. I am not a fan of scare advertising, and as a parent of two small children, telling me that my kid could possibly die is not the way to make me buy your product.
Kevin’s pick: Nationwide, “Make Safe Happen.” That was just depressing. People still use scare tactics to sell insurance? I imagine a few parties getting a little quiet after that one.
JP’s pick: Mercedes-Benz, “Fable.” One of the most hyped commercials was also possibly the most unimaginative and unentertaining commercials of the night. For weeks we’ve seen Jerry Rice interviewing children and Playboy bunnies about who will win in a race – the tortoise or the hare. Tonight was the first time I realized these commercials had actually been for Mercedes. The final spot revealed during the Super Bowl was an uninspired twist on a children’s tale that has been redone a thousand times. And to discover that this cartoon was for Mercedes $150,000 AMG made even less sense to me. They would have been better off getting lost in the wave of unnoticed car commercials throughout the night.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rA7-zosIwKA
Do YOU agree with the pros? There’s still time to cast your vote for what you think were the most effective Super Bowl XLIX ads on WTNH, and be sure to share which brands you think missed the mark in the Comments below. Until next year!