Last night was not only the most important night in American football, but it was also hugely significant in the marketing industry as top brands broadcast their advertising-best during the four-hour airing of Super Bowl XLIX.
With 30 seconds of airtime costing an average of $4,000 000, you would like to think that NBC’s TV ad-breaks would contain nothing but TV commercial gold. So while the New England Patriots were staging a dramatic comeback against the Seattle Seahawks, who was leading the battle of the TV commercials? Here’s our list of worthy winners.
The Coolest:
Bud Light
This is a Super Bowl ad at its finest. Bud Light didn’t use its entire production budget on a famous face, instead they created a brilliant advertising event that ticks all the right boxes to get consumers talking and delivered a face full of adrenaline-filled, old-school feel-good fun.
The Funniest:
It’s a tie between:
Clash of Clans
Even if only for the line “I don’t know you bigbuffetboy85” delivered brilliantly by Liam Neeson.
or
Kia Sorrento
Featuring Pierce Brosnan as ‘not-James-Bond’. It’s not hugely original (it reminds me a bit of the Orange ads) but it’s a high-end Bond-like production, with a tongue-in-cheek ending.
The Cleverest:
BMWi3
Sourcing this cracking Today Show clip from 1994 and then re-purposing it in the cyber world that is 2015, is genius. The Today hosts put on a great performance, and the message that the BMWi3 is the car of the future is clearly and cleverly delivered.
The Best Parody:
Snickers
Admittedly, you’d have to be over 35 to have seen The Brady Bunch and get the parody, but you’d assume Snickers have done their market research. This minisode is cleverly re-worked using 70 year old Danny Trejo as Marsha and a great ending staring Steve Buscemi as Jan. My only thoughts are why those two? OK, so they give a great performance, but surely any star or perhaps even better – an NFL star or two would have been a funnier cast?
The Best CGI:
Mercedes
There are no clever twists or sharp comedy moments in this retelling of The Tortoise and the Hare, however the CGI and character animation is fabulous.
The Most Cinematic (without using a famous actor):
Mophie
Mophie were a relatively unknown brand in the Super Bowl arena. But not anymore. Like Bud Light, they are one of the few brands that spent big on production, rather than celebrity. This commercial is a cinematic blockbuster. Great execution, clever and apocalyptic – this is a worthy Super Bowl commercial, better even than some of the huge brands they are pitted against.
The Best Use of Celebrity:
T-Mobile: Kim Karshashian
Kim K-West has certainly gone up in my estimation. I love celebrities who are happy to laugh at themselves. This is simple, funny and will get people talking.
The Biggest Awwwww Factor:
Budweiser
The pitch of this commercial sounds dreadful: a lost puppy gets chased by wolves and rescued by some horses. However, the execution is great, it’s beautifully shot and crafted and is emotionally engaging without being too cutesy and annoying.
The Stinker:
Carl’s Jr
Traditionally Super Bowl commercials have never been concerned about objectifying women and using sex to sell. This ad does exactly that, and it’s certainly getting plenty of people talking about it. Charlotte McKinney is a beautiful girl, but embarrassingly it’s more Benny Hill than Fifty Shades. What’s worse is it’s left me never wanting to eat a burger FROM ANYWHERE ever again. Who knew that they contained steroids, hormones and antibiotics? Never mind Super Bowl, this burger commercial left me reaching for the sick bowl.
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At TellyJuice we produce high-end TV commercials, and even better we don’t charge $4 million for the privilege. Take a look at our TV commercials, or get in touch for more advice.
