I was really looking forward to the Super Bowl ads this year — probably more than the game, even though Cam Newton is my fave. I would think that the ads would be super great because it is Super Bowl 50, but some really flopped and didn't sit well with me, while others made my heart so happy. Let's look at the breakdown of some of my favorites and ones that I wouldn't mind never seeing again.
The good:
Dorito's "Ultrasound"
This was so clever! A woman and a man are in a room where the woman is receiving an ultrasound and sees the baby on the screen. The man is eating Doritos and it seems whatever direction he holds the Dorito in the baby moves too. In the end, the Doritos are thrown across the room and then from there the baby jumps from the women's stomach. It was kind of weird, but overall very clever.
T-Mobile's "Restricted Bling"
This one made me laugh, like a lot. Drake is in this little yellow cube singing "Hotline Bling" for a commercial shoot. Halfway through he is stopped and told to add in different things that relate to phone carriers. The commercial then ends with "Wireless carriers ruin everything," which I thought was hilarious because by changing the lyrics it ruins the song. Maybe it's just me, but the irony made me laugh. Oh and the executives dance in the yellow cube and it's really great.
Mini Club Car's "Defy Labels"
This was my all-time favorite. Mini Club Car hit the nail on the head by making viewers examine what happens when they label things, like "this is a chick car." Different athletes from Serena Williams to Tony Hawk participated in this ad where they compared how putting labels on things isn't good. I loved these. If you go to MiniUSA.com you can view each individuals ad, where they talk about defying labels that people have put on them. It was a great angle because many put a label on the Mini Club Cars and it also is a good commercial for others to see what labels do to people. I give it 10 thumbs up.
Budweiser's "Simply Put"
The ad stars Helen Mirren, sitting in a restaurant with a burger, fries and a beer in front of her. She continues to state things as "simply put" and frank while she talks about drinking and driving along with how terrible she believes it is. Then finishes the ad with a sip of the beer. The Budweiser logo appears at the end along with #givead*mn and explains the use of the hashtag. I think this was a pretty good ad. It kept me curious and was a great message for all to see, and put a good spin on a PSA. The hashtag is so awesome! It shows that drivers should care and I think is something all should see.
Heinz's "Meet the Ketchups"
This is the most adorable ad I have ever seen. It completely warmed my heart. The ad has wiener dogs with hot dog buns running in a field toward ketchup and mustard bottles. Enough said. I could watch over and over again.
Honda's "A New Truck To Love"
This was a super cool ad. I never expected it to be a Honda ad. But the ad did a great job focusing on the new things that this truck had, the sheep singing "Somebody to Love" by Queen was a great touch, and the talking dog at the end was cool.
The OK:
Dorito's "Dorito Dogs"
This ad felt way too unoriginal for me. It's about these dogs that really want Doritos, but cannot get into the grocery store because they are dogs. Eventually they end up in the grocery store buying Doritos. So overused in my opinion, but still okay.
Snickers' "Marilyn"
Snickers has been using this same idea. It's good because you always know it's a Snickers commercial, but I'm a little over it. The ad has William Dafoe reenacting the Marilyn Monroe scene, then eats a Snickers and turns into a digital image of Monroe recreated (kinda cool). There also is a cameo by the one and only Eugene Levy. In the end, it's an okay ad, but they are getting a little old.
Bud Light's "Bud Light Party"
This ad starred Amy Schumer and Seth Rogen and how you feel about these characters might sway your decision on whether you liked the ad. It was based on making a new political party called the Bud Light Party and showed the two campaigning around the country and then ends with Rogen reciting the speech from "Independence Day." It was an okay ad, not great, but not bad. Although the end they say "America has seen the light, and there is a bud in front of it," kinda funny. But I think a lot more could have been done with the ad.
NFL's "Super Bowl Babies"
This one was strange at first, but throughout the night, made more sense. It started showing babies and explaining that every year after the Super Bowl the winning team's town has a higher birth rate nine months later. As the night progressed, different generations came on with variations of the ad. In the end you realize each group is sporting the gear for the team of which town they're in. The closing words on the screen are "Football is Family." Besides being a little strange, it was a good ad to show how football makes people feel.
The never-see-again:
T-Mobile's "Drop the Balls"
This ad takes on the Verizon ad with the colored balls going down a slide and Steve Harvey comes out, announcing that he apologizes again because the numbers from the year before were used. I don't know about you, but I am tired of hearing about Harvey's mess-up. It was a good way to play it, but I wasn't a fan at all.
Mountain Dew's "PuppyMonkeyBaby"
Strangest commercial I have ever scene. The ad was for Mountain Dew Kickstart, which I have never tried but I imagine does crazy things from what the ad shows. But the strangest part was this creature that was part puppy, monkey and baby. It was something I will see in my nightmares. I didn't really understand the purpose and think it could have been done way better.
Which ads were your favorites?