Super Bowl Commercials: The Best and Worst! — Plus, Vote for Your Own Three Favorites
Now that it’s Monday — the Super Bowl seemingly ended just a few minutes ago, amiright? — it’s time to take stock of the dozens of commercials that aired during the Big Game and evaluate them with fresh eyes.
Read my picks for the Best and Worst commercials – among those that were actively trying to do something, and not including movie trailers — then vote for your THREE most favorite in the poll at bottom.
RELATED | Our Reviews of the Commercials from the 1st Half and 2nd Half
THE BEST
Best Buy, “As Amy” | AKA hopefully the first of many ads featuring Amy Poehler. “Which one fits my face? Does it make you uncomfortable when I use the word ‘dongle’? Are we in the cloud now?!”
Budweiser, “Brotherhood”| A Clydesdale reunites with the man who raises it as foal, as “Landslide” plays throughout. As the long-running series of Clydesdale commercials go, one of the very, very best.
NFL Network, “Leon Sandcastle” | Irked by incessant talk of the hot new rookies (and a make-up lady unaware of his origins), a bewigged Deion Sanders enters the NFL draft as “Leon Sandcastle” — or “an ugly Deion Sanders.” A fresh, fun way to promote the network’s draft coverage.
Jeep, “Whole Again” | Oprah waxes patriotic over images of people waiting for loved ones to return home from tours of duty; stronger product integration amidst sentimentality than the Dodge Ram spot (below).
M&Ms, “Love Ballad” | The red M&M will do anything for love — especially when it involves Glee‘s Naya Rivera except when it involves licking his candy shell, whipped cream or other indignities.
Volkswagen, “Get In, Get Happy” | Some labored to drum up a “nontroversy” over the “white guy using Jamaican patois” device, but it effectively sells the light, blissful “Get Happy” premise.
Dodge Ram, “Farmer” | A memorable, Paul Harvey-narrated piece of aural and visual poetry based on a year–and-a-half-old YouTube video for Farms.com.
THE WORST
Budweiser Black Crown | Do we need another beer SKU on the market? The answer apparently yes — and this one is seemingly targeting douches, with the tagline: “Here’s to our kind of beer.” [Groan]
Bud Light, “Journey” | Because, as one reader pointed out, the guys are holding voodoo dolls for their own teams at the end!
Blackberry Z10 | In the wake of so many unflattering headlines and questions about The Company Formerly Known as RIM’s future, there was a chance here to show off their brand-new (if not yet available) OS. Alas, they took the easy way out, listing things “it doesn’t do.”
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