It is no secret how big a deal the Super Bowl commercials have become. According to USA Today, a survey in San Francisco showed that 78 percent of Americans cared more about the ads than they did the actual game last year. With a 30-second spot costing $5 million during this year's Super Bowl 50, we had some high expectations. While we were disappointed by Budweiser's lack of puppies, there were still some ad highlights from Sunday's big game.
1. HEINZ "Wiener Stampede"
#MeetTheKetchups was, without a doubt, our favorite Super Bowl 50 ad. Really, who didn't love the sea of wiener dogs dressed in hot dog suits running through a field in slow motion towards their perfect Heinz-disguised human match?
2. T-Mobile "Restricted Bling"
One of the most meme-ed and parodied music videos of the past year, Drake's "Hotline Bling," jumped on the band-wagon to essentially make fun of itself, along with T-Mobile. Good thing Drake's no stranger to acting, since his Degrassi career perfectly equipped him to handle the pressures of a Super Bowl ad. #WeMissYouJimmy
3. SNICKERS® "Marilyn"
The Green Goblin himself, Willem Defoe, as "cranky Marilyn" without her Snickers was just the perfect ad to make you giggle throughout the stress of the game.
4. Honda Ridgeline "A New Truck To Love"
Despite laughing unnecessarily hard at my roommate's comments about what great voices those sheep had, there was something about this ad that really resonated with us. And truck bed audio? I can't imagine how often it would be used, but a cool feature nonetheless. We also had Queen's "Somebody To Love" stuck in our heads for the rest of the night.
5. Doritos® "Ultrasound"
How many mothers do you think are complaining about this ad today? Probably more than there should be, because this is actually just hilarious. And a perfect depiction of the stereotypical "oblivious guy" I'm sure everyone knows at least one of.
6. Hyundai Genesis "First Date"
Every dad with daughters can relate to this one, and with Kevin Hart's comedic take on his daughter's "first date," we can all understand why our father's might have every right to be him from time-to-time.
7. Shock Top "Unfiltered Talk"
It wasn't until I saw the extended cut of Shock Tops Super Bowl 50 ad that I really laughed, but T.J. Miller and the little orange slice guy's back-and-forth banter is truly brilliant marketing.
8. Amazon Echo "#BaldwinBowl Party"
Alec Baldwin, Dan Marino, Jason Schwartzman and Missy Elliot... Where was my invite? Big personalities, big egos, and big-time trash talk. Sounds like the perfect combination depicting a celebrity Super Bowl party. I just hope the Amazon Echo understands me better than Siri does.
9. MINI "#DefyLabels"
I'm usually a sucker for funny commercials, but MINI did an awesome job making a more serious, real commercial that inspires people to defy their "labels" proudly. The subtle social activism throughout the advertisements and the halftime show made us smile at the direction the world is moving in.
10. Hyundai Elantra "Ryanville"
Where is Ryanville and how do I move there? And thanks for not hitting Ryan and his dogs, they are all precious cargo. Props to Hyundai for killing it this year on their #SB50 spots.
11. Audi R8 "Commander"
Audi's commercial of a retired astronaut feeling alive again gave us all the feels. Another serious commercial that made us seriously want to buy. As if you we didn't already want one...
12. Advil
I can't say I've seen many Advil commercials, but this year's Super Bowl commercial showing viral videos of real people doing amazing things couldn't help but make everyone smile.
13. Jeep "4x4ever"
Another one that hyped us up with all the amazing adventures and opportunities in this world was Jeep's "4x4ever" commercial. And as a fellow Jeep driver, I appreciated the "Jeep wave" scene more than most.
14. Budweiser "#NotBackingDown"
My only note was, "needs more puppies," but other than that, it still gave me chills and made me want a cold one.
15. Bud Light "The Bud Light Party"
There really wasn’t anything crazy about this ad we loved besides the front men being Seth Rogan and Amy Schumer, because they naturally make us laugh.
And yes, we would all attend The Bud Light Party.16. Apartments.com "#MovinOnUp"
George and Weezy? Honestly what made this funny was how messed up Lil Wayne probably was during filming and the fact that no one acknowledges the football spiraling down towards the streets of the city and probably severely injuring someone.
17. Pokémon "Train On"
Honestly if this were a movie trailer, I would pre-order my tickets now. Everyone was silent and glued to the TV anxiously awaiting the brand name at the end. You did not disappoint, Pokémon.
18. Squarespace "Real Talk with Key & Peele"
Peele dressed as a knockoff The Weeknd and Key's embarrassingly inaccurate sports commentary was funny, we'll give you that, Squarespace.
Congratulations to the classiest guy in the NFL, Peyton Manning, and the Denver Broncos on your Super Bowl 50 win. Don't worry, Cam, you'll have plenty of chances. So when does football season start again? Because we miss it already.