*NOTE: This article was originally supposed to post on Feb. 3, but I fell asleep before i could post it, but it's still worth reading*
So, as this is the conclusion of Groundhog Day, the day when this country takes seriously the weather prognostications of a rodent seriously, while still denying scientific proof of global climate change, it is of course also the annual review of yesterday's marketing equivalent to the Oscars, this year's crop of Super Bowl ads. One thing that ringed with many of them, this year, Dad finally got a lot of positivity in these ads, including one that brought tears to the eyes of many in the motorsports racing community.
I'm not going to go into the game recap itself, I had no rooting interest in either team, ave for the UCLA Alumni on both sides who were participating, nor will I even try to give you my thought on Katy Perry's halftime show, I'm still trying to figure out EXACTLY What the Frak that was. Instead, I'm singling out my favorites of this year. I will embed a few of them because of they were THAT Good or so horrible they need to be mocked mercilessly (looking at you Mr. West).
So let's start with the Cream of the Crop, My pick for the top ads of this year:
Budweiser - "Lost Dog"
So, obviously, Budweiser has not fallen out of the top spots on these reviews in some time. Be it the Clydesdale running to see his former owner to the one that was shown at the Super Bowl that followed the events of September 11th, 2001, The ad folks at Bud have been conistent in not only tugging at emotions but just coming up with some great commercials, this year's is no different, and ironically, parallelled to controversial Go Daddy ad that was pulled before the game. Like that one, this year's Bud ad features a lost Golden Lab pup who, after stowing away in one of the Clydesdales' trailers, finds himself lost in the big city, but somehow manages to find his way home. However, just before he reaches safety, a wolf appears, with eyes on our young scamp as dinner. However, his big horey buds see him in trouble and break out of their stall to ride to his rescue. When you have great bloody Clydesdale as your posse, ain't no wolf gonna mess with you, well played, Anheiser Busch, Well played...
NISSAN - "Cat's in the Cradle"
This one, personally, was the one that hit home. As I've said countless times, I spent about a decade covering motorsports on the West Coast. From Dirt Track to Super Speedways, I know the racing life is hard and asks for many sacrifices. This one, featuring Nissan's new rally car that will make its debut t the 24 Hours of LeMans, is especially poignant. For some reason, many people didn't like it, complaining it was too long and wondering how he could be playing Race Car driver while his son grows up without his Dad there. It was a different story in the Racing community, where everyone from drivers to broadcasters all loved this, myself included. The consensus among us was that unless you've been in racing, you don't know the real price those drivers pay to chase what some think is jut a hobby. And using Harry Chapin's "Cat's in the Cradle" for the music, pretty much made all of us lose it at some point. I was this close to calling my own father over the ad, but I managed to recover thanks to a really dumb Doritos ad that got me back on keel. But this was My pick for best one, even over the Clydesdales. Welcome back, Nissan, 18 years was far too long, but this more than makes up for it.
FIAT - "Little Blue Pill"
Now where Nissan went for the Emotional angle, and succeeded greatly, Fiat went the other way and got a bit randy, Italian style. This one, featured their new 500X Four-door was the funniest of the ads I saw. Opening on a quiet Italian village, an elderly gentleman finds his wife feeling rather amorous in the morning and he quickly runs to the medicine cabinet for a "Little blue Boost." However, he misses his mouth and hilarity ensues as the pill goes ricocheting through the town before landing in the open gas tank of a little two-door Fiat. Suddenly, the body panels begin to bulge and when the owner turns around, he find himself face-to-face with a big burly four-door Fiat, one that all of the signoritas find oh so attractive. Another Well Played move on Fiat, after last year's "lucky boy" commercial, where the young wedding guest gets an eyeful of two bridesmaids as they change clothes without noticing him sitting between them. Who else but the Italians could make losing a little blue pill so funny?
SNICKERS - "Marcia gets Cranky"
Let's face it, if Marcia Brady had lost it a few times, it would be quite understandable. I mean you live with three adopted brothers who think the house is one giant playground, the middle one smacks you in the face with a football just before the dance, of course you're gonna want to split his skull with an axe. But leave it to good ol' Mrs. Brady to get her eldest to come down off her channelling Machete and get back to normal. Of course, that just leaves Jan feeling a bit like Nucky Taylor when it comes to "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia." Snickers continued a rather brilliant series this year with not only the inclusion of Danny Trejo into the commercial series, where we've already seen the likes of Richard Lewis, Roseanne and the late great Robin Williams prove how mixed up someone can be when they're hungry, but to bring it into the realm of classic TV and not only referencing one but two classics of the "Brady Bunch" just shows how much Snickers satisfies.
DORITOS - "Crash the Super Bowl: Middle Seat"
It the last few years, Doritos came up with a killer concept, instead of some big ad firm doing their commercials, they left it up to us to do it for them. Aside from not having to pay the costs of a big firm's expenses, it showcases some talents out there with some original ideas. As full disclosure, a close college friend of mine actually appeared in one of these commercials five years ago, so the series has run strong. But out of all of the ones this year, including one where a little kid makes a pig fly and a Caveman finds his muse in bags of just-hatched Doritos (Don't ask, you have to see it) I thought this one of a guy doing everything he can to keep the rest of the rabble from sitting next to him on a plane until he spots a gorgeous woman and lures her in with Doritos to be the funniest, especially what you see she's carrying, and it's not just a carry-on bag.
Always Tampons - "Like a Girl"
For a tampon commercial to not mention their own product seems like something counter-intuitive. However, this one focused on how girls feel when someone uses the epithet, "like a girl" as an insult, you know, "you run like a girl, throw like a girl" etc. But ask a girl who can fire a softball over 100 MPH or can knock down a three-pointer with nary a touch of iron, and you'll find it means something else. I'm now the father of a seven-year old girl who is getting into basketball. I intend to make sure she never feels insulted when someone says she shoots like a girl, because I'm going to pass along the lessons I learned from Coach, lessons not jut for the basketball court but for life.
HONORABLE MENTIONS (No videos posted due to length):
Avocados From Mexico - "The First Draft"
Kudos to the Mexican Avocado ad for their "First Draft" commercial, where the countries of the world select their icons. The trade by Mauritius for the dodo just gives you an idea where the Raiders find their General Managers, but poor polar bear, he SO wanted to be on those beaches, but now he has to put up with ol' Caribou Barbie, don't cha know.
Dove Men+Care - "Dads Care"
I'm including this one in here instead of it's own top pick because I decided to represent the entire "Dad cares about his family" theme with teh Nissan ad, however this one is still a great emotional ad that reminds us all that even though we often overlook or look down on poor old Dad, he's always there when we need him, and he's proud of us.
Wix.com - "It's That Easy/ Favre & Carve"
Usually, I shy away from the website commercials, since they're either all Go Daddy ads or something else I can't even think of, since it's been over a decade since the dot com bubble went Kaboom! Add to that my disdain for the Man who won't Go Away and this one really wouldn't have even gotten a mention... However... The businesses that other former NFL Stars had promoted (TO hosting a cooking show wearing only an apron! Emmitt Smith Line Dancing!!) and the commercial earned the mention.
THE WORST OF THE WORST:
T-Mobile - "Kim Kardashian's Ego"
I have my Blackberry on T-Mobile, that makes me enough of a non-conformist, thank you very much. So having to see this waste of space promoting the carrier' new DAta Stash plan just makes me want to switch to Credo Mobile. Seriously, T-Mobile, what the frak were you thinking putting this trainwreck on?
Nationwide - "Make Safe Happen AKA Because I Died"
No, Just.. No.
No... Just, No...
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