Here are our staff picks for the 2013 Super Bowl ads that really fell flat or missed the mark in some way.
JP: Wonderful Pistachios, “Get Crackin”
Don’t get me wrong, I love pistachios. I love them shelled. I love them salted. I love pistachio butter on a warm croissant with some apricot jelly… mmm, mmm, mmm! Psy on the other hand, I can do without. Whether you enjoy his music or not, it seems like an odd decision for Wonderful Pistachios to feature a performer caught in the middle of a controversy over anti-American song lyrics – during the most American television event of the year. I get that featuring often polarizing pop culture figures is their schtick, but this still seems like the wrong person at the wrong time.
MICHELLE: Mercedes-Benz, “Soul”
I expected Mercedes to do great things, mainly because they have a great track record and I’m a fan of Willem Defoe. And I realize they are trying to appeal down-market. But this ad was over-hyped and simply did not deliver. You can go down-market without selling your soul to the devil (i.e. diluting your brand).
VIN: E-Trade, “Save It”
Supposedly, the footage they are using in these commercials is 6 years old. The baby in said footage is also now 8 years old. The campaign as a whole is just tired. Time to put the baby to bed.
NICK: E-Trade, “Save It”
The series needs to die. Now I don’t hate babies, but the joke is old, and that kid can’t even be considered a baby anymore. A company’s Super Bowl commercial is supposed to be one where you showcase the new big idea, not one that has been running for 3 plus years.
CHUCK: Bud Light “Voodoo”
What? Now I love Stevie, but how is he relevant to anyone under 60? This is a classic example of a campaign that started out with a good idea, the crazy things we do for luck, and took it too far — way too far. Anheuser Busch lost me early on this concept. Pass me a Bud, just not a Bud Light.
KERESHA: Bud Light, “Lucky Chair”
This commercial is either extremely brilliant marketing or creativity gone bad. The story line to me is not relevant to Bud Light. I was left baffled as to what Stevie Wonder and Zoe Saldana were doing in this commercial. Let’s not mention the hideous lucky chair being dragged everywhere (Yuck).
LAUREN: GoDaddy, “Perfect Match”
Each year GoDaddy’s commercials are shocking for the sake of being shocking, and this year they added a dash of repulsiveness. ICK!
KAITLYN: GoDaddy, “Perfect Match”
I just felt uncomfortable the whole time. What was the point of watching the most disgusting kiss that turns the whole room awkward?
JESS: Speed Stick, “Laundry”
It seemed amateur, poorly acted and irritating.
DISCLAIMER: I personally hate when people touch my laundry, so I automatically associated Speed Stick with a negative feeling.
Either way, no Speed Stick for me.
GREG: Subway, “15 Years in the Making”
Isn’t Subway getting tired of just re-treading Jared. Not a dynamic personality, not that great of a story, and those extreme results just aren’t going to happen to the average consumer because they ate a veggie 6 inch for lunch on Monday afternoon — so who really cares? The Subway brand is getting tired, old and overused. Ads that keep hammering home Jared and how great he is, or showing a retired football player turned talk show host in Michael Strahan, or a NASCAR driver (who most average Americans don’t know anyway) in Carl Edwards, or a supporting actor, just aren’t going to make me go out and eat at one of your restaurants, sorry. You need new creative and a new message, Subway.